Two Questions about Green Spotted Puffers

[seanus]

Hello friends...just two quick questions about GSPs:

1. How often do they need to be fed snails and how many per 1-2" GSP?

2. What is the best temperature for them to be living in?


Thanks!

 

[CFC]

If you can get them to eat them then give them snails as often as you like but my GSP wont touch them, instead i give it cockles still in their shell which do the same job. Normal tropical temperatures from 24 to 28 centigrade are ideal, they dont like it too hot though so try not to exceed that 28c.

 

[nmonks]

If you can get a colony of Malayan livebearing snails established in your tank before adding the puffer, that would work nicely. After they reach a population of a few hundred, they seem able to put right the losses caused by one small puffer. Their shells are also quite tough, which makes them that bit more effective.

Malayan livebearing snails do fine in brackish water (supposedly up to about 30 ppt, around 70-80% normal sea water).

http/nis.gsmfc.org/nis_factsheet.php?toc_id=144

Once the puffer gets bigger you can move onto clams and whatnot, but in my experience puffers less than about 10 cm in length simply lack the strength to open cockles. You could try small freshwater clams (e.g., Pisidium spp.) if you have access to a clean supply. Obviously it's best to use them from waters without fish to prevent parasites getting in.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[chris_1127]

i'd be reluctant to give malaysian trumpet snails to my puffers i think - their shells are a lot tougher than the shells of the ramshorns that i feed my figure 8's and gsp's. they crunch the softer shells up no problems, but dont now if i'd want to risk their teeth on the harder shells. also if they can suck the whole thing out of the m.t.s. shell then its fine, but if they only pick out half the snail and leave the rest in a shell they cant crack, you're opening your tank up to potential water quality issues if you dont spot them and fish them all out

 

[nmonks]

Fair point. But my Colomesus seems to ignore snails that are too large, and spits out ones that he thinks were the right size but turned out not to be. He is about 3.5 cm long, and only seems to take snails that are about 2-3 mm long. Ignores anything bigger.

I've watched puffers in mangroves and oyster beds feeding, and they're taking stuff a LOT harder than Melanoides snails. It's pretty impressive really what they can tackle. What's cool is you see the same behaviour in the aquarium, with the puffer swimming up and down each plant or rock, looking for small prey. It's very methodical.

My assumption is that if the snail is killed in the attempt in a decent sized tank with a proper filter, then the risk of polluting the tank is minimal. For one thing, my catfish seem to clean up the dead snails pretty switftly. I'd imagine the other Malayan livebearing snails will eat the corpse during the night, too. That's why I consider these snails to be ESSENTIAL in tanks without undergravel filters. They're amazingly effective at cleaning up stuff from/in the substrate.

Cheers,

Neale

i'd be reluctant to give malaysian trumpet snails to my puffers i think - their shells are a lot tougher than the shells of the ramshorns that i feed my figure 8's and gsp's. they crunch the softer shells up no problems, but dont now if i'd want to risk their teeth on the harder shells. also if they can suck the whole thing out of the m.t.s. shell then its fine, but if they only pick out half the snail and leave the rest in a shell they cant crack, you're opening your tank up to potential water quality issues if you dont spot them and fish them all out

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[Pufferpunk]

Absolutely do not feed MTS to your puffers! They have been known to crack/break their teeth & prevent them from being able to eat altogether.

 

[nmonks]

OK. I stand corrected!

But... which is more risky: a puffer growing overlong teeth because it doesn't get any snails at all, or the chances of chipping it's teeth on a Melanoides snail?

I'm wondering if apple snails might be a solution. Mine bred like rabbits in glass jars, but are the babies too large for small puffers?

Cheers,

Neale

Absolutely do not feed MTS to your puffers! They have been known to crack/break their teeth & prevent them from being able to eat altogether.

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[Pufferpunk]

There is no reason for a puffer's teeth to overgrow from lack of hard-shelled foods available to them (except for certain species--C asselus or A modestus). I almost never feed snails to my puffers. Snails are best, but there are many others: krill, plankton, crickets, shell-on shrimp, etc, are fine for them.

 

[nmonks]

Ah, but I'm keeping C. asellus! So teeth are an issue for me, at least.

It's not the puffer I have the most experience of -- that's Arothron hispidus -- but it's the one the fits my needs right now. It's peaceful, only occasionally fin nips, and even then only the platies which are pretty dumb to begin with. It seems to ignore the gobies, glassfish, and halfbeaks.

Curiously, it isn't all that wild about crustaceans. It eats a few mysids, but doesn't like frozen brine shrimp or Daphnia at all. Likes bloodworms best.

It seems to enjoy Malayan livebearing snails, even if they're a "risky" food. I had a very healthy population of them before I put him in there, but now you only see the adults. It also gets some ordinary snails, and from the empty shells on the sand he seems to enjoy both kinds. The Malayan snails he takes are literally a mm or two long, tiny white specks on the glass or leaves.

Have a nice weekend,

Neale

There is no reason for a puffer's teeth to overgrow from lack of hard-shelled foods available to them (except for certain species--C asselus or A modestus). I almost never feed snails to my puffers. Snails are best, but there are many others: krill, plankton, crickets, shell-on shrimp, etc, are fine for them.

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[Pufferpunk]

I'm keeping C. asellus! So teeth are an issue for me, at least.

Aha! Well, then plan on trimming your puffer's teeth then...

 

[seanus]

Thanks to everyone. So, with my very small GSPs, is the general consensus that they will be okay for the first six months or so just by crunching on plankton?

That's what I will do for now, but if you have further suggestions (like cockles) then I will pick some up the next time I get supplies.

Thanks again

 

[Pufferpunk]

Things like cockles (cracked open) & shrimptails are definately options.

 

[smooth_bourbon]

Get him some ghost shrimp Mine loved them. Fun hunt to watch to.

HI PUFFER PUNK. You helped me out a lot a couple years back. THANKYOU for sharing all your great puffer knowledge.

 

[Jonathan1985]

Anyone know where I can get ghost shrimp cheap in the UK? Everywhere I go they're sold like normal fish and people are wanting nearly £3 each

 

[chris_1127]

try finding an lfs that stocks river shrimp as live food, they are usually much cheaper at about 10 for £1.50