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FAQs about Green Spotted Puffer Foods/Feeding/Nutrition
Related Articles: Green Spotted
Puffers,
Alone
But Not Lonely: The Importance of Keeping Puffers Individually
by Damien Wagaman, The Arrowhead Puffer,
Tetraodon suvattii, miraculously malicious,
Freshwater/Brackish Puffers, True
Puffers, Puffers in General,
Burrfishes/Porcupinefishes,
Tobies/Sharpnose Puffers,
Boxfishes,
Puffy & Mr. Nasty, Puffer
Care and Information,
Related FAQs: GSPs 1,
GSPs 2, GSP
Identification, GSP Behavior,
GSP Compatibility,
GSP Selection, GSP
Systems, GSP Disease,
GSP Reproduction,
BR Puffers 1,
BR Puffers 2, BR Puffers 3,
BR Puffer Identification,
BR Puffer Selection,
BR Puffer Compatibility,
BR Puffer Systems, BR Puffer Feeding,
BR Puffer Disease,
BR Puffer Reproduction,
Brackish Water Fishes in General,
Puffers in General, True Puffers,
Freshwater Puffers,
Burrfishes/Porcupinefishes,
Tobies/Sharpnose Puffers,
Boxfishes,
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Freshwater Snails...
culturing for food 8/22/09
Hello, I just purchased a Green Spotted Puffer fish.
<A fascinating brackish water species. Sadly, often kept in freshwater,
where it quickly dies. Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brackishsubwebindex/gspsart.htm
While I'd like to think you're keeping your puffer in brackish water,
you'd be surprised how many people don't, and the consequent numbers of
sick and dead Green Spotted Puffers there are in the world! Juveniles
are best kept around SG 1.005 at 25 degrees C/77 degrees F, that's about
9 grammes of marine salt mix per litre. Adults should be kept in more
saline conditions, around SG 1.010, or 15.5 grammes of marine salt mix
per litre.>
I also purchased 12 little snails that range from the size of a pea to
the size of a pin head. The snails are a different variety (Ramshorn and
others.) I do not know anything about snails but have been told these
reproduce very quickly.
<Quite possibly, but rarely fast enough to provide live food in a
pufferfish aquarium. Even if the puffer only eats a modest meal of ten
snails, that's practically the whole of your population. Repeat that
daily, and you'll quickly wipe out any population. The exception to this
may be the Malayan Livebearing Snail (Melanoides spp.) that thrive in
brackish water and stay hidden under the substrate, but these have such
tough shells their value as food is essentially zero. Only when hungry
will puffers go for them, and even then, only the smallest specimens.
Some aquarists consider them a danger to puffers, their shells being
strong enough to crack pufferfish teeth. Whether this is a valid risk or
not is debatable, but it's a concern some experienced keepers have
raised. So, in total, there's no point whatsoever adding snails to a
pufferfish tank on the basis of providing a suitable amount of food. It
won't work unless we're talking a pond-sized aquarium where a population
of hundreds, if not thousands, of suitable snails (e.g., Physa spp.)
could be maintained.>
The fish store said they were all self reproducing. I put all 12 snail
into a 1 gallon aquarium along with an air stone. I do not have any
substrate in the tank just an empty bottom. It has fresh water that was
treated with "Prime" and is at room temperature. The snails were all
very active crawling all over the sides of the aquarium. I put a piece
of lettuce in the aquarium (washed in treated water) and put the air
stone on top of it to push the lettuce down to the bottom. When I got up
the next day all the snails were laying on the bottom of the aquarium. I
kept an eye on them and none of them have moved since. after it got dark
I took a flashlight and looked in the aquarium and I could see 1 of them
coming out of his shell but he never moves. I removed the lettuce and
put an algae wafer in the bottom along with a little bit of tropical
flake food. At this point they are not moving around. I got these to
feed the puffer fish but I am afraid to give them to the puffer because
I do not know what is going on. I have checked the ammonia, nitrites and
nitrates but since it is fresh water only 2 days old everything was at
zero. I did put 6 other snails into a 30 gallon aquarium the was already
cycled but I cannot find them at this point. I got the 1 gallon tank
free and I figure they would be easy to find so I could feed the puffer.
Any help would be appreciated.
<Rear suitable snails in another tank. Physa spp. are ideal for smaller
puffers (to around 8-10 cm) while larger puffers will take Planorbis,
Vivaparus spp.>
Thanks
-Jon
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Freshwater Snails 8/22/09
Neale,
<Jon,>
WOW!!! Thanks for the fast response! I have posted on forums on my
journey
to learn more about puffers, snails and others and all I get is "I
think"
and "Maybe."
<I'm glad to have helped.>
I appreciate you also commenting on the puffer as well. I actually found
the webpage you referenced right off the bat when doing my Googling.
This puffer is about 1" big and has been kept in freshwater.
<Still a pup! Can be somewhat delicate when young, but not especially
difficult to keep.>
You think it is best to start slowly changing him to brackish water now?
<Don't do anything radical. Simply use normal water changes to replace
water with slightly brackish water. For a fish this size, SG 1.003 is
ample. That's about 6 grammes of marine salt mix per litre. So if you
take out a 15 litre bucket of water, add 15 litres with 15 x 6 = 90
grammes of marine salt mix. Once the fish is more than twice the size he
is now, do water changes where you're replacing water with water that
has 9 grammes of marine salt mix added per litre, i.e., a 15 litre
bucket would contain 15 x 9 = 135 grammes. This is about SG 1.005 at 25
degrees C. In theory, you can keep GSPs perfectly well even at that low
salinity, but once the fish are near full grown (around 10 cm/4 inches)
you may care to nudge the salinity upwards to SG 1.010, about 15.5
grammes of marine salt mix per litre.
Again, you'd do this simply by doing water changes. Going slowly like
this allows the bacteria in the filter to adjust.>
I also read that they come with parasites in them and they should be
medicated right away which will extend their life. Is this something I
need to do?
<Not unless there are obvious signs of infections. Over-medicating can
cause all sorts of problems. Brackish water will kill a wide range of
external parasites anyway, including Ick and Velvet as well as various
"worms" and "lice".>
How can you tell how much food is enough for them?
<With puffers, a good rule of thumb is to feed them until their bellies
slightly swell outwards. They shouldn't look like they swallowed a
bowling ball! Skipping a meal once a week does no harm. Vary the diet,
offering mostly shell-on foods such as krill, daphnia, bloodworms, etc.
Some puffers enjoy cooked peas. Soft meaty things like squid and mussel
are good for them, but use in moderation to avoid problems such as
constipation and vitamin deficiency.>
I read they will eat until they rupture their stomachs.
<Myth.>
If I drop 1 snail into the tank (the puffer goes wild) his stomach gets
fairly large after he eats it so I stop feeding him at that point.
<Fine.>
Am I feeding him enough food?
<So long as he isn't "hollow" bellied, he's fine.>
Keep in mind the snails are about the size of a pea or smaller. Your
page says you have to GSP as well. What is best to feed a puffer of this
size?
Your page says one thing to feed them is ghost shrimp.
<Adults certainly enjoy them.>
Being that my puffer is only about 1" big will he be able to eat ghost
shrimp or is he to small?
<Probably not. Daphnia and brine shrimps, as well as wet-frozen krill
and mysis, will be fine. My puffers sometimes refuse things like krill
and mysis, I suppose because these foods are "hard work" to chew and
swallow.
Don't relent! If needs be, starve your puffer a day or two, and then
offer these nutritious goodies.>
Can I keep the ghost shrimp with the snails or will the ghost shrimp try
to eat the snails? I think I need to make a trip out to the store to
find some other types of food. I have been giving him a snail every
other day and freeze dried brine shrimp (which you do not list as a food
for them.) I did by some shrimp for me and gave him a little piece which
he looked like he really enjoyed. I have only had him for about 1 week
at this point.
<Brine shrimp are a fine treat, and they're full of fibre, but they
contain almost no other nutrition. So while fine once a week, don't use
them too often.>
I did find that most of the snails did move late last night. When I got
up most of them were around the algae wafer, others were on the sides of
the tank. Should they be constantly moving? <Yes.>
I read on your posts that some people have experienced the snails laying
on the bottom and just moving at night. Other say their snails are
constantly moving. I am sure it also depends on the type of snail.
<Precisely so.>
Thanks for taking the time to answer my email.
<My pleasure.>
I have a friend who has been raising cichlids for 15+ years but when it
comes to brackish\salt water fish and puffers he doesn't really know too
much about them. It is nice to see that someone with experience is
willing to take time to respond to so many emails (of which I bet you
get a lot of) and take the time to help others out so they can learn the
best way to care for their aquariums.
-Jon
<We try and do our best, at least. Enjoy your fish! Cheers, Neale.>
Fish question (Tetraodon
nigroviridis; health, diet) 6/19/09
WWM Crew,
<Hello Stacey,>
I have 3 green spotted puffers in a brackish 30 gallon tank. I
originally had 4 and I've had them for about 6 months now. The fourth
one became sick and the fish store I went to really wasn't any help.
They gave me an antifungal fish medicine and told me to separate the
fish so I put that one in a ten gallon tank and the medicine seemed to
kill the fish just from the chemicals that ate away at it.
<It is certainly true that some medications appear toxic to Pufferfish.
It isn't common for Fungus to be a problem in brackish water aquaria;
for whatever reason, fungi just don't seem to do well under such
conditions.
But bacterial infections such as Finrot and the misleadingly named Mouth
Fungus (also known as Columnaris) can occur. Neither will be cured by
anti-fungal medications; to treat them, you need something like Maracyn
designed to deal with bacteria.>
However, I realise another one of my puffers is starting the same
symptoms.
<Now, when two fish suffer the same problem, you have to start looking
at the bigger picture. Begin by reviewing water conditions. Thirty
gallons isn't viable for three puffers above, say, 10 cm/4 inches,
simply because these fish are so messy and put a heavy strain on the
filter. Check the ammonia and nitrite levels, which need to be zero, and
the nitrate, which should be 20 mg/l or less most of the time, and
certainly never higher than 50 mg/l. Weekly water changes of 25% or more
are important. Also check the water chemistry; these puffers need hard
(10-25 degrees dH) water with a pH around 7.5 to 8. If you have a
specific gravity about 1.010, then a protein skimmer is an option. You
should not be keeping these puffers below a specific gravity of 1.005,
which is equivalent to 9 grammes of marine salt mix per litre; that's
roughly 1.5 level teaspoons of marine salt mix per litre, or about 5.5
level teaspoons (or 1.18 oz) of marine salt mix per US
gallon. I mention this because a lot of people think brackish water is a
teaspoon of tonic salt per gallon -- it's not!>
The fish just hangs out at the top of the water in the corner breathing
heavily, looks bigger than normal, and will not eat. I switch off
between feeling the fish bloodworms, ghost shrimp, and feeder fish and I
recently
began giving them small snails.
<Never, ever use feeder fish. Who recommended this? Why would you feed
anything as parasite- and disease-laden as feeder fish to your pets?
Let's recap the proper diet of Green Spotted Puffers: snails, krill,
cockles, squid, cooked peas, algae wafers. Don't use mussels or
shrimps/prawns too often because these contain a lot of thiaminase, and
over time, can lead to a Vitamin B1 deficiency. A couple times a week is
fine; rest of the week, use other foods.>
Do you have any idea what might be wrong with my puffer, and what I can
do to save him?
Thanks,
Stacey
<Cheers, Neale.>
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A sweet picture of a sweet puffer 6/2/08
Dear Wet Web Media (and most especially Pufferpunk, whose unflagging
knowledge leaves me awed),
<Awww... shucks, thanks Micah. What a wonderful compliment!>
I'm just writing to send you a picture of the GSP whose life PP saved. He now
happily patrols his sectioned-off 15 gallons (the other 30 gallons of the tank
are shared by a few Malawi cichlids) and he readily partakes of common pond
snails, thawed frozen blood worms, gut-loaded ghost shrimp and
Spirulina-enriched brine shrimp. Next, we're going to try to introduce some
cichlid pellets, though it's much harder to make those look even sort of
lifelike... =)
<I'm so glad he's doing well. Be sure to feed your puffer lots of meaty foods.
Here are more ideas on foods for your puffer:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
How are the plans for his own tank? I'm sure the cichlids would like to have
their tank back soon. For some reason, I can't download pics from this site but
I'm hoping it will come out on our FAQs. An update on his happiness & health is
a fantastic end to the wonderful birthday I'm having today! Thanks for keeping
in touch. ~PP> |
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Re: A sweet picture of a sweet puffer
6/10/08
Pufferpunk,
<Hi Micah>
Today I transferred the puffer to his own tank (now detoxed of all the ammonia
caused by the dead snails and bacteria... I changed out 90% of the water and
vacuumed the gravel, though I didn't wash any of the gravel or decorations
because I've had the filter running on that tank the whole time my puffer has
been in the cichlid tank). I tested the levels in the tank, and they read:
ammonia 0 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, nitrates 40 ppm,
<Best kept below 20.>
pH 8.2. Temperature is between 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Specific gravity is
negligible -- at least, it doesn't
even register on my hygrometer.
<Hydrometer>
In a week I'll add a small amount of marine salt so I can start introducing him
to the brackish water he should be living in.
<Yes, I’d give him & the biological bacteria some time to settle in.>
I do have one question, about feeding him. He's turned out to be an incredibly
picky eater, though not in terms of frozen vs. live food. He readily accepts
Spirulina-enriched brine shrimp and blood worms (both thawed shortly before
being offered to him), but he hates more or less everything else. He won't eat
ghost shrimp (I put a few in his tank, and a week later they were still all
alive), he doesn't like
plankton (he'll take a bite and then spit it out), he doesn't like krill (he
seems to really enjoy tearing them up but not swallowing them), he won't accept
cichlid pellets (those don't even make it into his mouth), and he's hit or miss
when it comes to pond snails. I know he needs a more varied diet than he's
getting, but he doesn't seem to
want anything else I've been offering. Any ideas? I've heard soaking food in a
garlic solution beforehand can whet the appetite.
<Garlic should enhance his appetite. I don’t know of any healthy puffer that
would ever turn down live worms. ~PP>
Cheers, Micah |
Re: Green spotted puffer;
feeding. – 02/02/2008
Thank you for that great advice.
<You are welcome.>
I will be watching the puffer very close. I know that they need snails to keep
their teeth dulled down, when I asked my LFS they told me that I cannot get them
as small as I was asking for. I know they are as small as the GSP eye. What is
the name of this snail...perhaps I can buy them online somewhere.
<No specific small snail species is needed. You can feed them smaller specimens
of bigger snail species. Most puffer keepers feed various Ramshorn snails, pest
snails or common pond snails of adequate size, which they breed in a small tank
or even a bucket. You could try getting some from a fellow hobbyist with a
planted freshwater tank. Many would be glad if you'd take some of the snails off
their hands. Only Malayan trumpet snails, however, are considered to hard and
being possible teeth crackers by some puffer keepers. Please see here for some
advice on snail breeding
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/basic-snail-breeding/ , and
also other adequate puffer food items:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/ .
Green spotted puffers do not have very fast growing teeth like South American
puffers or Auriglobus spp., I feed mine snails (mostly Ramshorn) approx. once a
week and cannot observe any visible growth of the teeth. Of course there may be
some variation within this species.>
Thanks, Jessica.
<Cheers, Marco.>
GSP hunger strike and stress
lines 1/23/08
Hey there, thanks for the great site, it's been wonderful for all my puffer
troubleshooting so far. However, I do have a problem that's been worrying me.
First, back-story: a week ago my impulsive roommate bought two baby GSPs from
Wal-Mart, the LAST two. Needless to say they were rather unhealthy. Both the
'big' one (about an inch long without the tail) and the little one (maybe half
an inch? super itty bitty compared to the first) had concave bellies and I
suspected IP.
<If my "IP" you mean internal parasites, I'm skeptical. Almost all instances
where non-veterinary-trained aquarists declare "internal parasites" as the
reason their fish are sick or die, the actual problem is something else, most
often poor husbandry of some sort or another. Pufferfish have a relatively short
digestive tract, and will appear to be "empty" quite soon after feeding.
Assuming that the retailer wasn't caring for this fish properly, e.g., by
offering them flake food, then chances are the fish are hungry and will need a
few square meals to get back into shape. But beyond that, nothing too taxing.>
My roommate soon figured out she wasn't up to the challenge of GSPs and so gave
them to me. I've been doing the best I can for them (upgraded to brackish water
with marine mix salt, adding a teaspoon every day or every other day till I get
to a SG of 1.010, offered fine gravel and sand for digging, lots of hiding
spots, keeping the water parameters IMMACULATE, 10% water changes daily instead
of 25% since they're still stressed, constant water temp of 80F, ph of 8.2)
unfortunately due to my dorm's strict rules they can't be in a tank larger than
5 gallons (as soon as I move to my apartment this summer that will change big
time and each will have his very own much larger tank).
<All sounds good. A few comments though. GSPs are truly euryhaline fish, and the
actual salinity isn't all that important. Juveniles are found in brackish water,
but adults, oddly enough, in freshwater. Under aquarium conditions, they don't
do well in freshwater permanently, in the sense of being more sensitive to
disease. But in the short term, there's no rush to change the salinity in your
tank. It's actually much more critical you make sure the filter is happy, and
rapid changes in salinity can stress the filter bacteria. In my experience, you
can switch the filter bacteria from freshwater to anything up to SG 1.005
without problems. But once you go above that, there's some sort of re-jigging
going on the filter that means you need to be careful. For the first 6-12 months
of a GSPs life, there's ABSOLUTELY no need to raise the SG above 1.005, so I'd
stabilise conditions there for now. Apart from causing less stress to the
filter, you'll also save money on the salt, which will mean you can do more
water changes more often. Nitrate (and old water generally) is FAR more
unpleasant for your GSP than salinity. The temperature is far too high: 25 C/77
F is more than adequate. High temperatures mean less oxygen and faster
metabolism, two things you don't want to have to deal with in a small aquarium.
I agree a 5 gallon tank is inadequate for a GSP, and my gut feeling is that even
by summertime this year, that tank is going to look very cramped. Once you have
the bigger tank, set it up at, say, SG 1.008 to SG 1.012, as you prefer, mature
the filter, and once matured, install the pufferfish from the SG 1.005 5-gallon
tank. GSPs can easily adapt to this change in salinity within an hour using the
drip method (i.e., put in a third-filled bucket of SG 1.005 water, dribble in
high salinity water, and once the bucket is filled, lift the puffer out and put
into the new tank.>
Other than the occasional stare-down at feeding time, there's no tank aggression
so
far (I guess because they're still so young).
<Likely so. Males are believed to guard the eggs (if not the fry), so it is
probable that only sexually mature males become aggressive. Much like cichlids,
gouramis, killifish, etc.>
The bigger one pretty much ignores the little one, and the little one sticks to
the big one like glue. I know this is a total anthropomorphisation, but the
little one seems to enjoy the company?
<Entirely possible. Many fish are more or less social when young, and only
become territorial as they mature. Angelfish are classic examples. The
"friendliness" of pufferfish does vary with species as well as specimen, so it's
difficult to make general statements with this particular group of fish. On the
other hand, puffers are smart animals, and likely their default behaviour does
get modified by being kept in captivity. My experience is that puffers in busy
tanks are less likely to become nippy or aggressive, but others have had
entirely different experiences. So who knows for sure!>
Whenever they get separated he'll furiously buzz around the tank till he finds
the big one, then settles down and happily follows his friend.
<Heh!>
Anyway, to get to the point, the little guys just don't really have appetites.
<Try live food, and try variation. All my puffers love bloodworms, and they also
get chopped seafood of various kinds, including squid, mussels, and prawns.
Brine shrimp and daphnia usually work well with small puffers. They also love
live woodlice (terrestrial isopods), and these are easy to find in the garden
under rotting wood and flowerpots.>
Since they won't eat medicated foods I treated the tank with fizzing IP tablets.
I've been offering dried krill, Tubifex worms, bloodworms, daphnia, and brine
shrimp, and not much has appealed.
<I find freeze-dried foods a total waste of time. Others have success with them,
but not me. Do try "wet frozen" foods as an alternative.>
I've been combing this podunk little town for snails to feed and have only
managed to acquire 5 pond snails. The bigger GSP was all over the snails and
finally got a little tummy, but the tiny GSP didn't seem to know how to eat
them.
<Wild GSPs likely don't eat many snails, so you may be onto a loser here. While
I agree snails are a very good food item, wild GSPs are more omnivorous taking
crustaceans and insects alongside molluscs. They also eat plant material and,
apparently, the fins and scales of larger fish. So broaden the menu, and you're
more likely to have success. My puffers don't actually like snails all that
much, so I've pretty much given up on this, except in adding some Melanoides
spp. snails to the system and letting them eat any baby snails they find.>
To prevent possible bullying by the bigger one at mealtimes, I have a little
container that I fill with tank water and put the little guy in with choice
bits. I offered all
the dried fare and several snails the size of his eye. He seemed interested in
the snails, but couldn't figure out how to eat them. I crushed one for him and
he pecked at it, then just started swimming around the QT till I put him back in
the main tank.
<Sounds good, but removing fish to feed them is kind of a hassle. Try
hand-feeding. I use metal forceps of the sort used for dissections. Cheap and
easy to obtain. Most fish, even quite nervous fish, will take food from forceps
willingly. Also avoids the problem of you being nipped!>
Last night I got some raw frozen in shell shrimp at the grocery store and
chopped one up into teeny pieces and offered it thawed to both fish (little one
in the feeding QT as before). The big one absolutely could not get enough and
filled up his little tummy (much to my relief) but the little one pecked at the
pieces then ignored them.
<A staple food item for my tropical fish. Do remember that prawn contains a lot
of Thiaminase, which breaks down Vitamin B1, so don't use it every single day.
Unshelled prawns are the best: puffers love the legs, tail fins, and seemingly
the eyeballs. I eat the meat in the tails myself! Sometimes they come with prawn
eggs, and those are a rich, oily treat loved by most small fish.>
I know puffers are often stressed for a bit after a big move, and I know they
can survive a little while without eating, but I'm so worried the little guy is
way too small to survive a hunger strike!
<Force-feeding is an option, and I have done this once to reclaim a very sick
puffer. But it's a last resort sort of option. Do try varying the diet as
indicated above. Once you've done that, get back in touch if you really feel the
need to force-feed the fish, i.e., it's condition is obviously declining.>
Other than the concave belly, the little one is acting healthy: white tummy, no
stress lines, actively buzzing around the tank, fanned tail, responsive to my
approach, etc. The big one, however, has had stress blotches on either side of
his mouth and a dotted stress line above his tummy (though his tummy is snow
white and he acts otherwise healthy; responsive and inquisitive and etc).
<All sounds fine. The colour of the abdomen is a bit hit and miss frankly, so
while useful up to a point, don't put too much store by it. What matters by
puffers is their [a] activity and [b]"chubbiness". Sick puffers tend to sit at
the bottom and look bony, especially around the face.>
I have tried everything I know to help. I keep the aquarium light off to lower
stress, obsessively monitor water parameters, keep the water sparkling and
aerated, offer as much of a variety of food that's small enough for babies
(ghost shrimp are WAY too big), I'm currently growing some sea monkeys to
stimulate an appetite (but they take a week or two to mature), I even got
desperate and tried the holistic garlic juice food treatment, which totally did
NOT work.
<Didn't work when I tried it, either.>
Neither fish has lockjaw or overgrown teeth, and I've offered pieces of cuttle
bone to add to their crunchy diet.
<Not sure they eat cuttlebone. I wouldn't worry too much about the teeth just
yet. Some puffers never get bad teeth, and even the ones that do, it's an easy
enough fix.>
I am so sorry this is so long, but I wanted to give you as much info as
possible. I've spent the majority of my time over this past week researching
GSPs and brackish setups, spent over half my budget on treatments and foods and
general aquarium stuff, and pretty much done everything I can think of to help.
When they grow bigger I can feed them larger and more appropriate fare like
ghost shrimp, but right now they are just so little.
<I think you're doing all you can at the moment.>
Please help me, I'm so worried about the big one's stress and the little one's
starvation! I feel so awful for not being able to give them a bigger home yet,
like I'm totally failing at my responsibility to give these guys a better life,
and if they end up dying for no reason other than their 5 measly gallons, I will
be crushed.
<Only time will tell.>
On a completely different note, I have a question that my research has failed to
answer. The bigger GSP occasionally comes up to the glass, opens his mouth, and
makes a sound that can only be described as a cricket chirp.
<All puffers seem to make noises periodically. I think it's their teeth
grinding. Seems to be normal, and in fact quite a few fish make noises, we just
don't tend to notice them.>
He isn't puffing, and seems to do it without provocation. Is he bored or
distressed? What in the world does this mean, and is it normal?
<Yes, don't worry about it.>
Thank you for your time
~Kimberly
<Cheers, Neale.>
Green Spotted Puffer, Coquina
Clams, and Mole Crabs, feeding – 12/13/2007
Hi, Marco and Jeni and Crew!
<Hello, Marco here today.>
I wrote in a few weeks ago about my GSP, Pete. He's the one that had his own
"personal trainer" that was quite expensive and who bit my Perc Clown resulting
in a move into his own tank.
<I remember.>
I also wrote in with questions about rearing snails. As things would have it, I
now have a 20 gallon set up with black sand, cuttlefish bone, and a couple of
plants, as well as many ramshorns that can be moved from the 3 gallon into the
20 gallon for rearing. I'm afraid that snail production won't keep up with the
amount of crunchiness Pete needs to keep his beak trimmed.
<It will take some time, but you will soon see snail eggs on the glass and
plants and in a few weeks, when they reach the size of the puffer’s eye, they
can be fed. A 20 gallon tank should easily be sufficient. GSP are not among the
species with very fast growth of teeth, 1 to 2 snails every 2 or 3 days are
sufficient in my experience.>
Last evening I opened my bag of frozen silversides (for my torch coral in a
different tank) and saw a small black mussel/clam. I don't know which it was,
but I'm guessing it was a clam. I fed it to Pete, and he happily crunched
through the shell. I've had trouble getting him to eat clams/scallops/mussels of
any kind besides that one. I've tried soaking in garlic, grating, chopping, etc.
I bought fresh, froze it, thawed it, whacked it on a counter to break the shell.
He will just spit any of them out or ignore them altogether.
<Training puffers to eat new types of food can take a while and will need some
patience. Have you read here?
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/problems-feeding-your-puffer/
>
As luck would have it, I live in the Florida Panhandle a stone's throw from the
beach. Yeah!
<Nice. I probably would not be able to work if I was living by the sea.>
While combing the beach, I've seen these small burrowing clams, which are
locally called "periwinkles". After a search, I've found the names.....Coquina
clams - Donax variabilis (common names are also "wedge", "bean", and "surf" clam
).
Here are some links to pictures and info:
http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/D/Donax_variabilis.asp#Physical
http://www.pbase.com/katemalone/image/4845690/large
http://www.mitchellspublications.com/guides/shells/articles/0021/
<Hey, great. You really did your research prior to writing.>
There is an abundance of these Coquinas right near my home. I think Pete would
love them, they are just the right size (he'd HAVE to crunch through them) but I
want to make sure they would be okay to feed to him.
<Yes, as long as your beach is not polluted and the collecting of those animals
is legal. As far as I know, they are even fine for human consumption. Your last
link suggests to use them to make a broth, too.>.
If so, how would I prepare/store them? Wash in freshly mixed water and freeze?
<Exactly, although I think you can use seawater to rinse them.>
I would thaw them in a mixture of Selcon, Zoe, and Marine C.
<Sounds perfect.>
Would I need to sterilize them in any way or would freezing do the trick?
<Freezing should be sufficient.>
I'd thought about dropping some in his tank for him to hunt in the sand..... I
don't think I could keep any of them alive in the tank because their natural
environment is one with daily cycles of waves.
<I agree and would not put more in the tank than he eats on one day.>
I'm also thinking that the crunched shells would be a good addition to the Fiji
pink sand substrate (maybe help to buffer???).
<…at least to a small extent.>
There is also an abundance of mole crabs (Emerita talpoida). Are these okay to
feed Pete? They are crunchy crustaceans that I have open access to. How would I
prepare and store them? Here are some links.
http://www.assateague.com/mole-cr.html
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/cynthia_parr/Sept_Oct_2002_009.jpg/view.html
<Should be fine, too. I would treat them just like the Coquina and not feed them
alive.>
Thank you so much for your help/advice in the past and I look forward to hearing
your response. Corinthian.
<Sounds you are doing great. Carry on. Marco.>
Re: Green Spotted Puffer,
Coquina Clams, and Mole Crabs... + Now, raising snails... for puffer food
– 12/14/2007
Marco,
Within two hours of placing the snails into the 20 gallon, I had a cluster of
eggs smack-dab in the middle of the front pane of glass. Now, a few days later,
they are gettin' down-and-goin' to town. Another question: I've read that one
should rinse lettuce leaves (Romaine), dry them, then freeze them for a few
minutes before feeding to the snails. Is it okay to just buy a head of lettuce,
separate the leaves, wash, dry, and leave in the freezer until needed?
<Sounds okay. Personally I prefer feeding well washed slices of cucumber and
other vegetables in addition to old (but still good) fish flakes. Ramshorns are
not picky and as long as you do not poison them with pesticides or heavy metals
they seem to thrive on various foods.>
What I buy always goes bad in the fridge before the snails can eat it all. It
may be a silly question, but I want to make sure before I do so.
Thanks for the link on picky puffer feeding. I've read it. Pete doesn't have a
problem with other dead foods. Loves squid and bloodworms (dead, of course) and
will even eat some greens (macro algae). He also gets mealworms (live) and
snails when I have them available......I'll try the chopstick trick and see if I
can get him to eat clams/oysters that way....or maybe I won't need to now that I
can use Coquinas.
Speaking of feeding him live foods....my backyard is Roly-Poly Central
(Woodlice). I think I read somewhere that these are okay to feed him. Just
double-checking with you. Are they?
<I feed them from time to time to GSPs and other puffers, but they are not among
their favourite foods and seem not to be very tasty.>
There are no pesticides that we use, so they should be okay in that regard. Our
sprinkler system does use water that isn't potable, though.
<You can rinse them and freeze them if you are feeling unsure.>
By the way, I called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Dept and was
told that I could remove 20 clams/crabs at a time without a license. Yeah!
<That’s good news. Very good you called.>
Hey, where's your picture under the Crew Bio section? I've seen Jeni on her
Harley and Bob in his leopard print wrestling tights (eeeee hehehehe), Anthony
with his beanie and goatee (you ROCK, Dude); plus pictures of other crew
members. But no Marco.....! What gives? I'm just sayin', is all.
<I'm very shy and reclusive.. just kidding. Will send a picture to Bob if
needed. Until then you can find a picture on my homepage
http://www.geo-lichtenberger.de.vu/ , click at “Zur Person”.>
Thanks again, Corinthian.
<Not much to do here for me, but lots of good information for other GSP owners
by you. Thanks for writing. Great how you care for Pete. Marco.>
|
Problem with my green spotted
puffer; Not eating - 11/28/2007
Hello, WWM crew.
<Hi Marie.>
I'm hoping you can help me.
<Will try.>
After searching through the FAQs I didn't see anything that quite matched this
situation, so now I'm coming directly to you for advice. I bought a Green
Spotted Puffer a little over two weeks ago, and he hasn't eaten anything yet. So
far I’ve tried feeding him frozen bloodworms, live ghost shrimp, and live black
worms. He looks at the food, but he just watches it sink to the bottom instead
of going after it. I know he’s supposed to eat snails, but so far every fish
store I’ve been to didn’t have any small enough.
<Ask fellow puffer keepers for snails, many breed them. At
www.thepufferforum.com you will find quite a bunch. Also, small pest snails are
often found in the plant departments of the shops. It's best to start snail
breeding before buying the puffer you want to feed with them.>
Could it be that his teeth are overgrown already?
<Possible, but you would see that. He’d look like a bunny with the teeth of the
upper jaw reaching all over the mouth.>
At first I thought he just didn’t feel like eating because he was in a new
environment, but it’s been long enough that I’m assuming he should have adapted.
<Yes.>
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the water, because the nitrite and
ammonia levels are both 0, and I recently did a 50% water change with water that
I bought from the fish store.
<Nitrates?>
The salinity is only about 0.004, but that’s because he was kept in freshwater
at the store and I’m slowly changing it to brackish by 0.002 per week.
<Okay.>
Do you think he might have a disease or parasites?
<Possible, but impossible to diagnose from the one symptom.>
He started acting lethargic shortly after I got him, and now he’s much darker in
color and he keeps his tail bent.
<Signs of feeling uncomfortable.>
How long can he live without food, and what food should I try next?
<A few weeks, depending on how his health condition was before the hunger
strike. You should try to get some snails and possibly try some unprocessed sea
foods from the grocery store. Clam and mussel meat, as well as shrimps are
usually accepted. Ask what he was fed in the store if you haven’t already. Many
puffer keepers swear on garlic (mostly as an solution) as an appetizer. Would
certainly be worth a try, too.>
Thanks. - Marie.
<Sounds you are doing everything right. Hope he starts eating and gets well
again. Marco.>
Re: Problem with my green
spotted puffer; Not eating - 11/29/2007
Thanks for the advice, Marco!
<You are welcome.>
I went to the supermarket today, but I couldn't find any clam or mussel meat
that wasn't spiced, so I bought crab instead. Is crab alright for puffers to
eat?
<Yes, very good.>
The problem now is that I'm not sure how to feed it to him, because he won't
come to the surface when I'm near the tank. He hides whenever he sees people
coming.
<That is some shy Green Spotted Puffer! Usually it is exactly the opposite when
they have settled in. So, you will only have the possibility to drop a tiny
piece of crab into the tank and watch from the distance if he eats it. Also
consider garlic as a possibility to make the food smell more delicious (at least
for the puffer).>
I went back to the fish store too to find out what they fed the puffers, and
they said blackworms, which he won't eat for me. They gave me some small feeder
fish to try instead. I know that feeder fish aren't very nutritious <…and
possibly carry diseases and parasites…>, but I'm hoping that he'll at least get
something in his stomach. He stalked them a few times, but he hasn't tried to
eat them yet.
You said you can't diagnose a disease based on lethargy alone,
<true… diagnosis is difficult on living fish and lethargy accompanies many
diseases.>
but today I noticed some other possible symptoms. His eyes are starting to look
red, and sometimes he seems to be twitching.
<Sounds like problems with his slime coat, can have many reasons, too. Check
water quality (see below). If he is also breathing fast look for salt grain like
spots (but don't confuse them with the tiny spikes they have), could be a
beginning white spot infection.>
I can't tell for sure, but I think it's his right side that is twitching the
most, and he sometimes swims crooked with his right side facing down.
<This swimming with bent tail and dark colors is the way they swim when feeling
stressed, unwell or tired.>
Does that sound like an illness you're familiar with? If so, can it be treated?
<No and not directly unless it is white spot.>
Thanks.
<Check again its environment: tank large enough? Tank properly cycled before the
puffer was added? Still 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite? Nitrate below 30 (should be
monitored due to all the feeding attempts)? Temperature 74 - 78F? Enough surface
movement to provide enough oxygen? Substrate and decorations safe for aquarium
use? Was a water conditioner and marine salt mix from the fish store used to
prepare the water for your partial water changes? Specific gravity really at
1.004? It sounds your puffer is having an exceptionally difficult time settling
in. For feeding I’d try the garlic with a piece of crab and also the black worms
(sure he did not eat some, while you have been away?). Here is another article
on feeding difficulties with some more suggestions:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/problems-feeding-your-puffer/.
I still hope your puffer eats and gets well again. Marco.>
Re: Problem with my green
spotted puffer; Not eating, now env., sys. and Wood Use - 12/01/2007
My fish ate yesterday! It was so exciting.
<Good news.>
When I checked the water parameters again, the nitrites had gone up so I treated
for that and within hours he started eating.
<There you go. The tank was not properly cycled. Whatever you did to cycle it,
apparently it didn’t work. Do daily water changes to keep the nitrites down
until they stay at 0. Consider using BioSpira to instantly cycle the tank. Dry
cycling products appear to be less efficient.>
I'm still keeping an eye on him for any other possible problems, but I think
that was the main issue. Now I have two other questions.
<Okay.>
Can I put Mopani wood in the tank after I've soaked it in a bucket of water for
a few days? The instructions say that soaking it should remove all the tannins,
but since puffers are sensitive, I don't want to put it in the tank unless I
know it will be okay.
<I would not put wood in a brackish tank, especially not a small one. Due to the
salt wood often starts to rot, which can result in a serious decline in water
quality. However, some pieces of wood for aquaria seem to be already “mature”
enough and don’t undergo these rotting processes. So, if you want to try, test
it first in a bucket or a fishless tank and let it sit there for a few weeks to
see what happens.>
Also, will a smaller tank cause health problems for him
<Yes. Practically he will be poisoning himself with his own waste.>
, or will he just stay little?
<Will likely die at a young age and small size.>
I live in a small apartment and right now I have him in a 10 gallon tank,
because I can't find a spot to put anything bigger.
<You will inevitably have to get a bigger tank for him or your puffer won’t live
very long. In large enough tanks they can get more than 10 years. There are
small puffers e.g. dwarf puffers that can live happily in a 10 gallon tank but
not Green Spotted Puffers. See
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/green_spotted_puppies.htm for their basic
requirements.>
I don't mind if he doesn't grow to his full potential size, but I don't want to
compromise his health and comfort by keeping him in a small tank.
<You would. If you are interested in the health of this animal your options are:
get a larger tank (and cycle it properly this time) or find another home for
him.>
Thanks for everything. You've been a big help!
<Thanks for your kind words. Marco.>
Re: Problem with my green
spotted puffer – 12/04/2007
Okay, thanks for the info. About the tank size, I'll look into getting a
bigger one, and if I absolutely can't find a place to put it, I can ask my
friend with a 70 gallon tank if she'd be willing to adopt him.
<Good to hear. I hope you find the space, if not remember this fish needs
brackish water (made with marine salt mix from the pet store) when giving it
away.>
For now though, is it okay to cycle the tank with BioSpira while he's in it?
<Yes can be used with the puffer in there. Also, monitor your nitrates until you
have a larger tank available and do water changes to keep the accumulating
nitrates at least below 30.>
Thanks again for all your help. I really appreciate it. Marie
<You are most welcome. Marco.>
|
|
GSP Not Well (improper
feeding, no heater)... Sys., hlth., fdg.... 11/26/07
Hi,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have had my leopard skin puffer for about a year and a half now and just
recently he is not doing so well. It started out as him not eating frozen brine
shrimp after a year of eating them.
<Very poor choice of food, especially if using as a staple. Adult brine shrimp
are not nutritious, being made up of mostly water. Puffers need crunchy, meaty
foods.
See: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/ >
So I switched to feeding him snails for most of the time and he loved them.
<Much better choice.>
Because I was leaving for the holidays I decided to leave a couple of feeder
fish in his tank to see if he would eat them. The next day I found he ate three
of them! I bought more and left for the holidays, after returning I found that
he had eaten only one and was laying on the bottom of the tank.
<Ooooh, even worse choice than before. Feeders are not only an unnatural food
source for a puffer but they are a fatty food that lives in poor conditions,
passing all kinds of pathogens onto your puffer.
See: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/feeders/ >
I also found that I mistakenly left the window open that was right next to his
tank so I figured that is why he was not doing so well. I filled his tank with
warmer water and he seemed to be doing much better but the next day I found him
laying on the tank bottom again. I rushed out and bought a heater and put it in
the tank but after two hours his state has not changed. Is there anything more
that I can do?!
<All tropical fish need heaters to keep their tank temp steady, around 78. You
don't mention the tank's water parameters--a must to list, whenever asking a
query about a fish that is not well.
You should always be aware of the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate pH & specific
gravity levels of your tank.
How much salt is in there? Are you using marine salt?
What is your water change schedule (how often/how much)?
What size tank is it?
Tank mates?
Knowing all of these factors can keep your puffer healthy & long-lived. My first
suggestion to you would be to do a 25% water change right away & do another 25%
later in the day, after removing the dead carcasses of the goldfish.
Dechlorinate with Prime. Never feed them to your puffer again! Follow the
suggestions in the feeding article linked above, after your puffer seems to be
feeling better (an ill fish will not eat).
Please write back when you have answers to my questions & I can help your puffer
further. ~PP>
Re: leopard skin puffer
Stunting a Puffer/Cleaning Tank 11/27/07
Thank you so much for your help.
<I'm trying...>
Ever since I bought him I have been feeding him the wrong thing and have never
known it.
<I hope you have read the article on feeding your puffer & will improve his
diet.>
I took out the fish immediately and he seems to be doing a lot better. He is
swimming on his own now. When I do clean out his tank I put aquarium salt (about
1 tbsp for 5 gallons) along with dechlorinator.
<That is not nearly enough salt for a year-old puffer & you must use marine salt
to make brackish water. Have you read the GSP article I wrote?
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm >
He is in a 5 gallon hexagon tank and seems to have plenty of room since he is by
himself.
<How large is he? If he has been living in a 5g all this time, I'm afraid he may
be stunted. I don't like starting even a juvie in a tank smaller than 10g &
eventually a 6" adult will require a minimum of 30g.>
I clean out his tank about every two weeks, since it is by the window & seems to
develop lots of algae. When I do clean out his tank I take out all the water (I
know your not suppose to but I've been doing it ever since I have gotten him and
it hasn't affected him) and replace it. Everything else in his tank seems to be
correct (nitrate, nitrite levels, pH etc.)
<"Correct" means nothing to me. I did inquire as to what those levels are &
hoped for exact numbers. This manner if cleaning is extremely stressful for your
fish. I recommend either moving your tank away from the window, covering the
sides exposed to the window & doing your cleaning weekly, by doing a 50% water
change, rather than the 100% bi-weekly you are doing now. Good luck with your
puffer & his very soon upgrade to a larger, brackish water tank. ~PP>
|
Topaz puffers not eating –
11/06/2007
Hi,
<Hello.>
I bought 2 Topaz Puffers 4 days ago and they will not eat anything. I have tried
feeding them live bloodworm, frozen daphnia and flakes but they don't seem
interested. The shop sold them to me as FW fish as they have been bred in FW
<I hesitate to believe that. There is not one report on the breeding of
Tetraodon fluviatilis aka Ceylon puffer aka Topaz puffer. This is a brackish
water species sometimes venturing into fresh water rivers, where it is caught
and shipped. For aquarium care you will inevitably need brackish (or marine)
water.>
and they are 3-4 inches long. The shop fed them live bloodworm on the day I
bought them. Their bellies are black the majority of the time and they tend to
swim around the same area. Do you think that they are still adjusting to the
tank or do you think they may be ill? Thanks.
<Puffers need some time to settle in. In addition it is important to provide a
good water quality and a tank of sufficient size. See
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/green_spotted_puppies.htm.
Care for your puffers is the same, although they'll get slightly larger than
their green spotted cousins. Cheers, Marco.>
Feeding Green Spot Puffer
Mealworms 10/31/07
<Hi Ciara, Pufferpunk here>
Is it safe to feed my green spot puffer meal worms??
<Mealworms are fine as an occasional, crunchy food. They are very fatty though &
should be not fed as more than a treat.
For more feeding ideas, see:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/ >
Thanks for your informative site!
<You're welcome! Have you seen this GSP article?
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm ~PP>
Ciara
Puffer Fish Question, GSP...
fdg.... ham-on? – 10/30/2007
Hello,
I have a green spotted puffer who has been doing very well so far. Tonight I was
eating some Canadian bacon (basically ham) and I pinched off a little piece and
gave it to him. I was not thinking when I fed it to him that it might make him
sick. Do you all know if eating this little piece of ham will cause him
problems? I am afraid that he will not be able to digest it or that the sodium
will cause him problems. I'm really worried now. Please help! Thanks so much.
<One little piece will probably do no harm. But this isn't something to repeat.
The meat of warm blooded animals contains oils that congeal into solid fat in
the cold body of a fish. This can cause serious problems. Processed foods can
also contain chemicals that are harmless to us but untested on fish, so why risk
it? If you want to give your Puffer a treat, buy some unshelled prawns. You eat
the meat in the tails, and the puffer can have the head and the legs. He'll go
wild for them! The crunchy shells also help them wear down their beaks. Store
any leftovers in the freezer wrapped in tin foil, and break off a little when
you're feeding your Puffer. A cheap, easy way to augment a healthful diet.
Practically any raw or boiled seafood is good for them: squid, mussels, clams,
etc. Cheers, Neale>
Re: Puffer Fish Question
10/30/07
Thank you so much! He seems ok so far, but I guess time will tell. Thanks
again! I love your site!!
<Thanks for letting us know he's doing well. Good luck, Neale>
Feeding Your Green Spotted
Puffer 10/29/07
<Hi Marshall, Pufferpunk here>
I have a rather weird story. I have a green spotted puffer who was looking
great, feeding well and having no problems whatsoever. Then tonight when I fed
him, I noticed that one of his sides are convex and then other is concave. It
appears that he has broken his spine? His swimming is not as smooth as it used
to be. The really odd thing about this problem is I had it happen to a dwarf
puffer before. The previous puffer looked like this one and continued to be able
to swim less and less and then won't eat and finally died. I don't know if it is
a deficiency in his diet. I feed the tank blood worms.
<Puffers do get "lumpy" after eating. There is a chance though, that your puffer
could have internal parasites.
See:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/hospital/internal-parasites-prevention-and-treatment/
Any diet that is not varied will be deficient. Here are feeding tips for your
puffer:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
Thanks for your time, Marshall
Green Spotted Pufferfish
Dentistry 8/10/07
Hi,
<Hi Samantha, Pufferpunk here>
I have a dwarf green spotted puffer his teeth are grown together, it has gotten
to the point he can no longer eat!
<What do you mean by "dwarf"? GSPs aren't a dwarf species. They actually grow
quite large--6" not including their tail.>
I feed snails, oysters, blood worms, crab, shell on shrimp and lobster
sometimes.
<All good, crunchy foods.>
I am to the point of catching him and filing his teeth down but I am afraid the
shock would kill him. is there anything I can do ??
<See: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/smpufferdentistry.htm
Also: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm
and: www.thepufferforum.com Good luck! ~PP>
Thanks, Samantha
My Two Green Spotted Puffers... sys., fdg....
gen. 7/14/07
Hi, I have a few questions I hope you can answer me about my two GSP's.
<Hello. Will certainly try!>
I bought them yesterday and they are living in a 2.5 gallon tank. Is this to
small for them?
<Yes. Far too small. Even a tank 10 times that size would be too small for two
GSPs. These are mutually antagonistic fish that will reach around 12-15 cm in
length. A single specimen works well enough in a 30 gallon tank, but when you
add a second specimen, life becomes a bit less predictable because some (perhaps
males?) are rather aggressive. A 55 gallon tank is often recommended as a good
size for two GSPs, and I don't see any reason to argue with that.>
The lady at the store said that the tank should be a gallon a fish so that is
why I bought a 2.5 gallon tank, but I am not sure if she is right.
<No, she's wronger than a wrong thing on the wrongest day of the year. Use some
logic. Why would a "gallon per fish" even be possible? A Great White Shark is
"a" fish, and yet it obviously wouldn't even fit in one gallon of anything.>
I was also wondering if one day one of the fish will eventually eat the other,
since I would not want this to happen because I already love them dearly.
<GSPs do not eat fish. They eat shelled invertebrates in the wild and should
receive same in captivity. Shrimps, snails, clams, etc. are all good.>
Is it also possible that one fish is more intelligent than the other and eat all
the food?
<Doesn't seem likely that intelligence would be the issue. But a *dominant* fish
can certainly bully another fish and steal all the food. This is quite common
among animals generally (ever seen dogs "share" food?).>
About how many bloodworms should they eat a day?
<Ideally, none. They need *shelled* food or their teeth become overgrown. Visit
your local supermarket and check out the seafood counter to see what's there.
Unshelled prawns are often good for the smaller specimens. Otherwise, pond
snails are excellent and you can also buy frozen mini clams and krill from the
tropical fish store. Really anything crunchy will do.>
They look constantly hungry and looking for food and they eat when I feed them,
but I don't want to give them more than they're supposed to eat.
<They are hungry because pufferfish have evolved to fill themselves with low
quality food. Most of what they eat in the wild is indigestible, so they eat a
lot of it, passing out all the "ash" as its called (broken shells, mainly). If
you give them just soft food, there's no bulk so they don't feel full. Just like
humans when they eat candy bars and cakes. We don't feel full after eating them
even if we've had plenty. But if its something we're meant to eat, like salad
and grains, we feel more full because of the bulk.>
Also one has blue eyes and the other has green. Does this differentiate them of
being a male or female?
<Nope.>
Or how do I know if they are a male or female?
<Only another GSP can tell...>
Is there anything very important I should know?
<Are you keeping them in brackish water yet? They do not do well in freshwater.
And brackish water isn't "add a teaspoon of salt per gallon" or anything like
that. You need marine salt mix and a hydrometer to measure a specific gravity
around 1.010. Be sure and read this --
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm >
Thank You for your time and consideration.
<No problems. Enjoy your new pets. Cheers, Neale>
Green Spotted Puffer, Skinny Puffer 5/11/07
<Hi Demetrius, Jeni/Pufferpunk here>
I'm sending you this email as I am very worried about one of my fish,
tetrodontis
<Tetraodon>
nigroviridis (GSP). I have a pair of mature GSPs in a sub-brackish
(approx 1.0004-5) set-up,
<They should be in high-end brackish to marine by now.>
well planted, well fed and up until now in perfect breeding condition- one
being a very round bodied and fat male, the other a slimmer but also rounded
female.
<There is sure way to sex GSPs. There has been no documented successful
breeding of this species in captivity>
I noticed 2 days ago the female has lost a very significant amount of weight
and body mass, from her mid-point it is as though the fish has been pinched
or emptied of its innards! I am very worried. Their diet is very
varied and up until now they have both been eating voraciously.
<Possible internal parasites.>
I put in some fresh bloodworms for them that the emaciated fish has
difficulty eating. Is this a problem of the teeth?
<Another possibility.>
Can the fish lose so much body mass so quickly?
<Yes, with either of these diagnosis, although internal parasites is usually
a gradual wasting away of the fish.>
I will take her to the local store (a large one, well-known for expertise)
for a look and inspection of teeth if necessary.
<I think it would be less stressful to do this yourself with a bright
flashlight & without removing the fish from the water. If the fish's teeth
are so long it is starving, it should be very noticeable--looking like a
beaver.>
I wondered if with your huge experience, you could indicate the possible
problem.
<See:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/smpufferdentistry.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/hospital/internal-parasites-prevention-and-treatment/
Many thanks and kind regards, Demetrius
Dentistry for GSP 12/23/06
Hi
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have a problem with my green spotted puffer. I've had him for about
two years. He's in a tank all on his own with lots of places to hide. When I
got him, I didn't know much about how to properly care for a puffer. I fed him
frozen food and have been doing so for most of the time I've had him. He is
probably a little under two inches, but there is no doubt that his teeth are way
to large. His teeth were already very large when I was told I should be feeding
him snails. I've since thrown small bite sized snails into his tank, but I've
only ever seen him hold them in his mouth briefly before letting them go
again. As far as I know, he ignores the snails. Despite having very long
teeth, I've seen him viciously tear away at and eat frozen food and he is quite
active. However, recently he doesn't seem to want to eat anymore. He doesn't
swim up to his food like he once did and he definitely isn't as active as he
once was. It's obvious that he is thin and his teeth are too long. Now, I've
seen him still pick at food and I know he can in fact open his mouth despite his
huge teeth, but he just doesn't seem to want to eat. I've since taken him back
to the fish store I bought him at to have a look at him and they all agreed his
teeth were way too long. I had them test his water and it was fine. I'm
wondering if he's not eating because of his long teeth. If so, how can I safely
trim them without hurting him? I can't force him to eat so getting him to munch
of a few snails seems out of the question. Any suggestions? I fear if I don't
do something soon, he'll starve and I'd really rather not loose this fish.
<Pufferfish Dentistry:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/smpufferdentistry.htm
Feeding Your Puffer:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library.php?p=53 >
Thanks so much for your time
GSP--Feeding, Tank Size? 11/23/06
Hey there,
<Hi, Pufferpunk, here>
I've been recently interested in green spotted puffer fish and I
have a few questions. One is how many puffers a 55 gallon could have? I was
thinking two or three knowing that they are very territorial and can grow to 6
in+.
<The recommended MINIMUM tank size for these larger brackish puffers is 30
gallons. You can always add fast/moving tough fish like damselfish or a tomato
clownfish, when it moves up to marine conditions. I had more than one in a 55g
& I think one would have been quite happy in there by itself. Definitely no
more than 2 but that is really pushing it & then, no other tank mates.>
Another question is about how they need snails to keep their teeth from
overgrowing. How big should the snails be? I read that they should be the size
of the puffers eye, is this true?
<Correct--smaller, they ignore them--larger, they just suck the meat out, not
benefiting from the "crunch factor" of biting through the shell & keeping
trimmed teeth.>
If it is how can I get these and how many should be fed to each puffer?
<You should be able to find pond snails at most aquarium shops on live
plants. They are generally considered pests & should be gladly given for
free. You can start your own snail breeding tank. Here are some articles on
snail breeding & general puffer feeding info:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library.php?cat=7 >
I'm planning on using reef sand. Is that a good idea? I read it's a good buffer
for the water. If it is, how much should I need for a 55 gallon long tank?
<No more than 1" of sand, otherwise it will need thorough weekly stirring, to
prevent anaerobic pockets of bacteria (toxic). Quite difficult on a heavily
decorated, large tank. I prefer using crushed coral & cleaning around & under
decor with a Python, during weekly water changes.>
My next question is about the filtration. I currently have a penguin 330. Is
this enough or do I need more filtration?
<I am not familiar with the Penguin but if it circulates 330g/hour, I don't
think that's enough. On tanks less than 50g, I use a HOB filter, like the
Aquaclear 500 for mechanical & biological filtration. Over 55g, I add a
canister filter for extra biological filtration, like the Eheim 2213.>
The last question is what kind of aquascape should I include in this tank?
<Puffers are intelligent fish & need lots of decor to investigate. Since I had
no marine tanks at the time, I went the fake SW decor look. Here's my 55g GSP
tank:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/Pufferpunk/Pufferpics/55gGSPTank.jpg >
If you have any more information I might need to know to keep my new friends
healthy and to help them thrive, please let me know.
<Check out the articles in the library I linked you to & the forum at:
www.thepufferforum.com. See ya there! ~PP>
Diet for Green Spotted Puffers - 26/4/06
I've had my GSP's for about 3 months.
<I have three of the blighters too... fantastic fish.>
Since I got them I've been trying to get them as much variety in their food as I
can, but they only seem to like the sun dried shrimp. I have tried several kinds
of canned seafood which are supposed to be their favorite foods, but all they
ever do is spit it out. They attack the dried shrimp and its gone within seconds
though. I also give them occasional live ghost shrimp loaded with flake fish
food, which disappear within minutes. They are active and healthy, but I'm
worried they aren't getting enough variety. Am I right to be concerned or will
they be alright with just the shrimp?
<You're right to want to improve their diet. Do try fresh shellfish (not
canned). Mine love all shellfish - mussels, cockles, whelks, clams. They're also
partial to whole fresh shrimps tied to a clip. For all fresh seafood, it is best
to freeze it for a day or two first, and then thaw it out in a cup of tank water
before feeding (be sure to discard the dirty water beforehand). You may also
want to check out the Puffer Forum - www.thepufferforum.com - for more ideas.
Best regards, John.>
Green Spotted Puffer ... foods/feeding, sys. - 04/14/2006
Help me Webcrew!
<I'll give it my best shot, Mindy. Tom here>
My roommates bought me a GSP. They have one in their saltwater aquarium and it
is fascinating! It swims to you and almost "plays" with you.
<Personality to spare with these guys/gals!>
My husband is away in Iraq right now so my roommates thought it would be a good
idea to give me something to take care of that wouldn't be too difficult but
might become a little companion. I am in love! His name is Hootie. :)
<You're secret is safe with us...until this gets posted to the FAQ's, of course.
:)>
I have some questions about him, though, and I haven't really found the answers
anywhere else on the website. My Hootie is REALLY small. He's about the size of
a quarter so I am wondering what I can feed him since he is so small.
<There are a variety of foods that Hootie would be interested in either in the
frozen or live form. One thought that comes immediately to my mind is live brine
shrimp. My favorite LFS stocks these and most of my tropical fish go nuts over
them. They shouldn't prove to be "intimidating" to Hootie since they tend to be
itty-bitty themselves. Small snails might go over well, also. One of the most
important things to remember with your Puffer is that he must have hard food to
feed on to keep its teeth from growing too large. Like furry rodents, their
teeth continue to grow throughout life and must be kept "worn down" to prevent
serious feeding problems down the road. Also note that some Puffers can be fussy
eaters with some only taking live food. Thrill of the "chase", I suppose. :)>
The people where I bought the tank told me he would eat tropical fish flakes (I
read on your site though that this is absurd) so we got some Sun Dried Gammarus
also, but he doesn't seem interested in them either. Then we pulled out a frozen
clam that my roommates feed their puffer and he doesn't seem to care about it
either. The clam though is the size of him so maybe that's why? I'm just
wondering what your thoughts are.
<Although high quality flakes are an terrific source of nutrition for a lot of
fish, your Puffer needs meaty foods. Please, stay away from feeder fish, as
well. (Yes, Hootie would probably gladly dine on a Guppy.) All too often,
though, these "feeder" fish can carry diseases and, frankly, aren't particularly
nutritious at all. Why invite problems? As for the clam, maybe Hootie got bored
waiting for it to "burp". :) (Seriously, if the clam is Hootie's size, he won't
mess with it.)>
Also, I read that they are sort of "affectionate" fish but mine seems to be a
loner. If I put my face or my finger up to the tank, Hootie runs to the other
side like he's afraid of it. What's up with that?
<Hootie's a fish and you are a "people". He doesn't know what a "people" is
quite yet. Once he realizes that you aren't a predator and, better yet, you
bring him food, you'll have his undivided attention. Not to worry...>
Despite his eating habits and lack of social skills he appears to be happy. He
swims around a lot and his back fin is out and fanned and his belly is white so
he's doing good right?
<Sounds good to me...>
My last question is about the water. Is my fish really a freshwater fish? Will I
ever have to put him in a saltwater tank or can I keep him always in freshwater
like he is?
<He'll be fine for the time being in freshwater but you should plan on
acclimating him slowly(!) to "brackish" water in the future. He might seem okay
in a freshwater system but he won't thrive in one. In fact, you'll find yourself
coming closer to marine (saltwater) conditions with Hootie than brackish
conditions - salinity: 1.010 - 1.020. On the high end of "brackish" conditions.>
I have Aquarium salt and we put a little of that in the tank because we weren't
sure but the store he came from said he was totally freshwater. Their tanks at
the store are freshwater and he had been there for two weeks already. So what do
you suggest for my new friend?
<At Hootie's stage of development, the fish store got away with a no-brainer.
Many animals that need brackish conditions are sold as FW fish because, as
juveniles, they ARE freshwater fish. What folks aren't told, in far too many
instances, is that these fish won't last long in FW. Plain and simple. That said
and, before I start "soapboxing", you'll need Marine salt as opposed to Aquarium
salt. Aquarium salt is great for FW applications, when merited, but your Puffer
will need Marine salt, ultimately, in his tank. Instant Ocean (Marineland) is a
fine product for your application and contains the elements needed in your
water. Please check WWM for acclimation procedures. Additionally, we've got an
FAQ section specifically for brackish systems.>
I know it sounds like a lot I just really like him and I want him to stick
around to meet my husband when he comes back. I think they'd like each other.
<I know I can speak for the entire WWM crew when I say that we all look forward
to the day when your husband returns to you and, to Hootie.>
Thankfully yours,
huffmindy
<Tom>
Re: Green Spotted Puffer ... foods/feeding, sys. - 04/14/2006
Tom,
Thank you so much for responding so promptly. Hootie says hello.
<Please tell Hootie I said, "Hey!">
It's the strangest thing; After I got your response I noticed that Hootie is
starting to stare at me. He still pulls away if I come too close too quick, but
I think he's getting used to me.
<Glad to hear that. Also an indicator, of sorts, of good health/well-being. If
he were stressed or sick, he likely wouldn't be showing curiosity toward you.>
Also a great thing happened. After days of seeing nothing I decided tomorrow I
will go to the store and get shrimp to try. I turned off his aquarium light to
go to bed and after I did that he swam up to the top and lunged at a dried baby
shrimp I put in the tank earlier that day! Just to be sure I put in two more and
he ate them both! I've figured him out; I guess he just likes to eat in the
dark. How weird is that? I'm still going to get him some live food, but it's
good to know how to feed him now.
<A lot of fish naturally feed nocturnally so, in those cases, this wouldn't
surprise me. I'd venture that Hootie will change this behavior once he's totally
at ease with you. In fact, I practically guarantee it! Right now, though, he's
probably feeling more comfortable foraging at night when he can give his full
attention to food and not trying to figure out how you fit into the scheme of
his life. He'll put two and two together rather quickly from here on.>
Thank you so much for helping me and my new best friend.
<More than happy to be of service.>
Sincerely thankful,
Huffmindy and Hootie
<Tom>
Feeding Green Spotted Puffers 12/5/05
Hello,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have a small green spotted puffer about 3cm long.
<I bet he's really cute!>
I purchased him a few days ago and he isn't eating. They gave me some floating
pellets and told me he would eat those, he didn't. Well he would swim over to
them nibble them and lose interest and swim away.
<He's probably hungry but that's not the proper food for him. One of the most
difficult aspects of keeping these special fish is their diet. All puffers are
predatory fish and need hard-shelled, meaty foods to keep their teeth trimmed.
Like rabbits, their teeth grow constantly and can overgrow enough to cause
starvation in the fish. Puffers eat crustaceans in the wild. Foods for smaller
puffers are frozen/freeze-dried krill/plankton, gut-loaded ghost shrimp, glass
worms, crickets, worms and small snails (the size of their eye). Snails are an
essential food to a puffer\u2019s diet, especially when small. Many serious
puffer keepers breed their own snails.
As your puffer gets larger, there are many more crunchy foods for them to eat.
Larger Green Spotted Puffers will eat cut-up pieces of scallops, shrimp, crab
legs, whole mussels, clams, oysters, squid, lobster and crayfish. Mine love to
chase live crayfish, fiddler crabs and gut-loaded ghost shrimp. I gut-load
(pre-feed) my live food with algae wafers, so my puffers get their veggies. I
buy most of these foods at the fish department of my grocery store, freeze and
later thaw in warm vitamin water as needed.
Smaller puffers (under 2") need to eat every day, skipping one feeding/week.
Feed them until their bellies are slightly rounded. Medium sized puffers (2-4")
should be fed every other day. Larger puffers (4-6) should be fed every 3-4
days. You may find this schedule difficult, as puffers are very adept at begging
for food! Feeding puffers every time they beg will cause fat, lazy fish and
eventually you will be killing them with kindness.>
I have been looking at other questions people have asked and seen they have had
the same problem. You recommended snails. That may be the best thing to feed
them but is it the easiest? If it's the only way to feed them what is the
simplest way to do it? And what size snails or other food would be best for my
small Green Spotted Puffer? What is the best way to breed snails and how? After
he eats the snail what do I do with it?
<You can leave the shells in the tank, or siphon them out.>
I hope I am not asking too much I just want to take care of him the best way
possible. Please respond ASAP--I don't want him to die because he isn't
eating. Thank you very much, John
<As well you should! Check out
www.thepufferforum.com
for more pufferinfo. ~PP>
Feeding GSP 5/21/05
Thank you Pufferpunk, for the reply. I'm glad to know that 2
snails/day/puffer isn't over doing it. Now, you said that I should try and
vary their diet, and I was wondering, if I want to feed them people shrimp, I'm
assuming it should be shell-on, cut into small enough bits for the little guys
(~1 inch), and raw, correct?
<You got it! It is best to freeze 1st, to get rid of any nasties. I like to
thaw in warm vitamin water. You can buy liquid fish vitamins at most aquarium
shops.>
I would hate to feed them something wrong and hurt them, they are so happy in
their new home!! Thank you for all of your work here. I owe my knowledge
and success to you. Great Job!
<Awwwww, shucks... Anything for happy puffers! ~PP>
Feeding Green Spotted Puffers 8-19-05
Hello guys and gals,
I'm assuming Pufferpunk is the one answering this, although all of you are
brilliant!!
<Yup, Pufferpunk here!>
Ok, enough sucking up.:) Tank Info: I have 2 young (each ~1") very healthy
GSP's, living in a 65 Gallon tall hex tank with a large bio-wheel filter.
The tank was 'instant cycled' with Bio-Spira (I had to order it in, as I live in
Canada and it's not available here). Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates <10ppm.
I've had these guys for two weeks now. I do a 50% water change every week,
gravel washing (with my siphon) the crushed aragonite substrate. I have
adjusted the specific gravity to 1.003 during this time, aiming for 1.005,
considering their size. Water is hard and alkaline (Ph 8). I feed them
blood worms once a day, as much as they can eat in 2-3 minutes. Now to my
question: I have a small pond snail breeding set-up, and I have been feeding
them 2 small snails each per day. Is this too much food along with the
worms? Their bellies are rounded after feeding. They still swim actively
through the tanks plants after eating. Thanks in advance for any help!
<Everything sounds great! I'd skip a feeding 1x/week & see what else you can
scrounge up to make their diet as varied as possible: crickets, plankton, pieces
of people shrimp, or whatever else you can find in the produce (fish dept) of
your grocery store. ~PP>
Green Spotted Puffer Lost Appetite 5/13/05
Hello,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have a common brackish 2" Green spotted puffer in a 10 gal tank.
<At this size, he needs to be upgraded to a larger tank (eventually 30g for him
at 6").>
He has always had a very hefty appetite and ate mostly frozen brine shrimp for
the couple months I've had him.
<There is little to no nutrition in brine shrimp. They are mostly water.>
Recently (about a week or so ago), he just stopped eating. He had been alone for
most of the time I had him, with just a Pleco and a couple danios and he looked
lonely, so I recently got a figure 8 puffer to join him.
<Puffers are fine on their own. The fish you have in with him will not
appreciate living in brackish water (except the F8). Your puffer should be kept
in mid-range BW at the size he is (1.012-14), by now. That's roughly over 2 cups
of marine salt/5gal.>
The figure 8 became dominant and was hogging all the food, so I assumed he was
tired of fighting for it. So I moved the figure 8 to my other tank, because he
seemed stressed having him around and figured that's why he stopped eating.
<Is the other tank BW? The F8 requires a SG of 1.005. Again, not appreciated by
FW fish.>
Its been almost a week since he's been "alone" again and still hasn't eaten. I
understand these guys commonly go on "food strikes" but in addition to this his
mouth is wide open all the time (like he can't close it). I checked to see if
his teeth had overgrown, but they had not and when I was checking his mouth he
was closing it so its not like he can't. He just refuses to eat. I tried putting
in some frozen blood worms and clam for variety but he just snubs it and moves
on. He's still active and seems healthy, so I just want to know if I should be
concerned yet or if there was anything I could try to encourage the little guy
to start eating again.
<The 1st thing I'd do is check his water parameters: ammonia, nitrItes,
nitrAtes, pH & SG. Make sure those are all within parameters 9ammonia & nitrIte
0, nitrAte <20, pH around a steady 8, SG 1.012-14).
See:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm for care &
feeding of this fish. If the parameters are ok, I'd consider a larger tank. You
can also try stimulating his appetite with garlic products available at your
LFS.
Thanks a lot, Henry
<Hope your puffer is happier soon! ~PP> Puffer teeth
Hello Mr. Fenner. Well....seems my green puffer's teeth have grown too long.
He can still eat, and I'm feeding him snails regularly, but they don't
seem to stop the growth. I've looked through your website and can't find
an actual description for grinding down your puffers teeth (I apologize
if I somehow missed it).
How can I file down my puffers teeth.
<I assume that you browsed the FAQ's on this page:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/diodontidfaqs.htm... beyond that it is about
as simple as it sounds. A rotary tool (Dremel tm, or the like), a gently
handled fish wrapped in a towel wet with aquarium water, a helper or IV
drip raining saltwater in the gills for the short time that it takes (be
sure not to stress the puffer when caught for the procedure). I'll make
sure Bob gets this message with a request for a possible referral to
published info(?) from the puffer queen (Kelly J). Kindly, Anthony
Calfo>
Thank you, Mark Keusenkothen
Diet for a Small Puffer (08/31/03)
Hi,
<Hi! Ananda and the puffers here tonight...>
I understand from many many website that puffer fish needs shell food...
<Yup. Snails and crustaceans are their favorite foods.>
However, my puffer is only 2CM to 2.5CM and the mussel or whatsoever shell
"mouth" will be close when we buy from the market so how do they feed on the
meat inside the shell is even bigger than the fish? Some suggested cracking the
shell first but does that make my tank very messy??
<I bet it would! Skip the mussels, especially if they're freshwater mussels
(which can harbor puffer-harmful parasites). I would switch to snails for your
little guy. You should be able to get pond snails for free from your local
pet-fish store; they often come in on the plants. You can even start up a small
"fish bowl" to breed snails for your puff. Another food that is good for small
puffs is shrimp tails in the shell. First, you get to eat the best part of the
shrimp. Then leave a bit of the shrimp tail in the shell, freeze it, and then
drop it in with the puffer. The tiny, tiny ends of crab legs might work for
this, too, though I haven't tried that.>
Currently I am feeding dried shrimp so is that ok for the teeth??
<Sure, though depending on the type of shrimp, it may not be enough to keep his
teeth worn down and it might not be as nutritious as you'd like. I'd suggest
getting some fishy vitamins (I use Dick Boyd's).
Thanks!
Regards,
Jensen Wee
<You're quite welcome. --Ananda>
Diet for a sick puffer
Hey,
<Hey hey! Ananda here today...>
I think I have a green puffer. I'm not sure if that's the type but here's a pic
of it.
http://i.xanga.com/mzscandalous/Nick%20Jr.jpg
<Well, it's a green-spotted puffer, and he needs help. His belly should be
white! A puff with a dark or grey belly is a stressed, unhappy, or sick puff.>
Well, I bought it a couple of days ago and it was fine until I added large rocks
into the tank.
<Uh-oh. What kind of rocks? (What do they look like, if you aren't sure of the
type?)>
The workers at the fish store told me it's a fresh-water fish.
<"Bzzzz, wrong answer" to them.>
But when I read the frequently asked Qs & As, it might be a Brackish type fish.
<Yup, it is. He needs some salt in his water. Get a SeaTest hydrometer (the only
one that reads the lower values) and some Instant Ocean.>
Well, it stopped eating after I added the rocks in and it developed black spots
on the white
dorso area.
<Dorsal is on the back of the fish, ventral is on the belly of the fish, so I
think you mean ventral area.... Anyhow, that's not good. Where did you get the
rocks?>
It hardly swims and it just lays around the bottom of the tank all day. I use to
have it in a really small tank but I moved it into a 10 gallon tank since my
friend told me it needs more space.
<Yup, your friend is right about that one.>
Please help. I really don't want this fish to die.
<Me neither.>
I've also been feeding it frozen brine shrimp because they recommended it at the
fish store.
<Brine shrimp can be compared to junk food, and not favorably. Your puff needs a
better diet -- he's been underfed for a while. It might be easiest to with some
shrimp tails -- you eat the shrimp body, puff gets the shrimp tail, in the
shell. He should also get some snails -- the freebie pond snails from the LFS
are ideal, and you can raise them in your little tank. There's a lot more on
what you can feed puffers in the Puffer Feeding FAQs, found under both the
brackish puffer and marine puffer sections on the WWM site. To find them, use
the Google search tool at the bottom of the Daily FAQ page and look for "Puffer
Feeding FAQ".>
Please reply soon and sorry if I'm bothering you about this.
<We are here to be "bothered". :-) Also check out the WetWebMedia chat forums at
http://wetwebfotos.com/talk
-- often, you can get a reply faster there, since you don't have to wait for an
email to travel the net. And I check the forums at least a couple of times a
day.>
Thanks.
Kathy
<You're welcome! --Ananda>
Re: Diet for a Small Puffer (09/01/03)
Hi,
Thanks for your reply..
<Ananda here again, and you're welcome.>
One more thing
<<I would switch to snails for your little guy. You should be able to get pond
snails for free from your local pet-fish store; they often come in on the
plants. You can even start
up a small "fish bowl" to breed snails for your puff.>>
But the snails I see here are rather big .. like the shell can be 1CM in
diameter?? is this type of snail small or big??
<That particular snail might be too big, but you could always toss one in with
your puff and see what he does. If you get a bunch of snails, you can raise your
own, and give your puff the smaller ones. Just put them in a container with
water and feed them daily. You don't have to feed them fish food; you can give
them slices of boiled veggies. When you do a water change for your puff, do a
water change for them, too.>
Thanks a bunch!
Cheers,
Jensen Wee
<You're welcome! --Ananda>
Spotted Green puffer issues...
Aloha Webcrew...
<Ananda here, answering the puffer questions.>
Terrific website... I have found more info on your site compared to any other
out there....
<Thanks, and glad it's helped.>
Part of my question was answered by your FAQ area on the puffer fish...
I have 4 spotted green puffer fish in a long 30 gallon tank (which gives them
plenty of room to hang out together or get away from each other)... I also have
3 green Chromides in the tank with them and 1 huge algae eater (big so they
won't eat it)..
<How large are these fish currently? The green Chromides will need a much larger
tank eventually, as they get up to 16" long.>
All of my puffers look very healthy and swim around a lot (up and down and from
tank end to tank end).. There is something up with one of the puffers
though... He lays on the bottom of the tank quite a bit... He loses all of his
spots and turns pretty dark, almost like he is hiding from everything and trying
to get some rest...
<Do you have plenty of stuff for them to hide in and swim through in the tank?
Is this puff getting enough to eat?>
When he feels like it, he does get up off of the bottom and starts swimming with
the other puffers... They all seem to like being together... Once he starts
swimming, you can see his belly is pretty black from tail to mouth...
<Not a good sign at all.>
If you come to the side of the tank and give him some attention, the black
almost all goes away and his spots come back immediately....
<Puffers are some of the most intelligent fish out there. Paying attention to
him is reducing his stress level.>
I read on your site that the spots can go away for mood or camo, but what about
the black belly? I have read on many sites that a black belly means they are
sick... If that is the case, why does it come and go?
<Is the puff's belly truly black, or is it grey? Grey is a sign of stress, and I
have seen that come and go quickly. The black, however... do check the feces of
this fish and the others in your tank. They should be uniformly dark-colored. If
the feces from the puff in question are different, the fish may have intestinal
worms or parasites.>
The tank is a brackish water tank... I have some synthetic salt in the tank as
well as aquarium salt...
<What specific gravity level are you keeping these fish at? Also, if you have
any ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate reading, do a water change as soon as possible
and increase the frequency or amount of your regular water changes.>
None of the other fish show signs of being ill and the one that I'm concerned
about doesn't have any signs of ick or anything else....
<Which is why I'm suspecting a possible internal problem.>
The puffers eat pretty well.. I let a bunch of small goldfish swim around and
they eat them whenever they are hungry...
<Please desist with the goldfish immediately. These are NOT good for your
puffers' health! The scales on the goldfish are relatively large, and feeder
goldfish are notorious for carrying diseases.>
I also feed them frozen brine shrimp and crawdads every now and then...
<Do consider adding snails and other more puffer-appropriate foods. See
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pufferfdgfaqs.htm
for info on puffer foods.>
Any advice on my little puffer would be greatly appreciated...
Keep up the great work on your website...
<Will do.>
aloha for now
Gary
<Aloha. --Ananda>
Care & Feeding of GSPs 2/11/04
<Pufferpunk again>
<Oh boy do we have a lot of work to do! 1st of all, please use the proper
capitalization in your letters. It is taking me quite a while to go through all
your letter & fix that, to post on the WWM site. If you can't do this, I can't
help you.>
I asked the workers at the fish store how much salt and what kind of food they
ate before I got the puffers.
<Most LFS know nothing about keeping puffers or brackish fish.>
They told me to put in 3 tablespoons in my 10 gal tank. Its doc Wellfish's
aquarium salt.
<GSPs are born in FW, they migrate through the estuaries (streams) between FW
lakes and the ocean, to live out their adult lives in saltwater. Although you
may hear these fish do fine in FW, they will grow larger, have brighter
coloration, suffer less disease and live longer in higher salinities. It is our
duty as fish keepers to keep our friends in the best possible conditions for
their health and happiness. Therefore, you must use marine salt. Aragonite or
crushed coral substrates are used to help maintain a stable alkaline pH of
around 8. I suggest keeping GSPs at low-end BW when juvenile <2”, (in a
specific gravity, or SG of 1.005-08), at 2-4”, medium BW (SG 1.010-15) and adult
>4” SW (SG 1.018-22). You will need a hydrometer to measure the salinity. It
takes a cup of salt/5 gal of water to raise the SG .005. If the puffer you
purchase is in FW at the store, then you should start out your tank in FW and
raise the SG .002/week, until you reach the desired SG. This is so you don’t
destroy the good nitrifying bacteria as you add salt. SW bacteria are different
than FW, so you need time for the SW bacteria to develop as the FW bacteria dies
off slowly. >
The puffers at the store were being fed frozen blood worms so that's what I
bought. I wanted to get ghost shrimps, but they might be too big for the puffers
to eat.
<One of the most difficult aspects of keeping these special fish is their
diet. All puffers are predatory fish and need hard-shelled, meaty foods to keep
their teeth trimmed. Like rabbits, their teeth grow constantly and can overgrow
enough to cause starvation in the fish. Puffers eat crustaceans in the
wild. Foods for smaller puffers are frozen/freeze-dried krill/plankton,
gut-loaded ghost shrimp, glass worms, crickets, worms and small snails (the size
of their eye). Snails are an essential food to a puffer’s diet, especially when
small. Many serious puffer keepers breed their own snails. As your puffer gets
larger, there are many more crunchy foods for them to eat. Larger GSPs will eat
cut-up pieces of scallops, shrimp, crab legs, whole mussels, clams, oysters,
squid, lobster and crayfish. Mine love to chase live crayfish, fiddler crabs
and gut-loaded ghost shrimp. I gut-load (pre-feed) my live food with algae
wafers, so my puffers get their veggies. I buy most of these foods at the fish
department of my grocery store, freeze and later thaw in warm vitamin water as
needed. Smaller puffers (under 2”) need to eat every day, skipping one
feeding/week. Feed them until their bellies are slightly rounded. Medium sized
puffers (2-4”) should be fed every other day. Larger puffers (4-6”) should be
fed every 3-4 days. You may find this schedule difficult, as puffers are very
adept at begging for food! Feeding puffers every time they beg will cause fat,
lazy fish and eventually you will be killing them with kindness.>
I'm not sure if my tank is cycled. I let everything run for a week before I
bought the puffers. I did water test before and a few days after I put them in,
the water seems ok.
<running a tank is not in anyway cycling it. Puffers must be introduced into a
fully cycled tank. Please do not cycle your tank with puffers in it, or any
other fish for that matter. Fishless cycling is quick and doesn’t do harm to a
living thing. You can also “instant cycle” with Bio-Spira. You need to add your
fish immediately after adding these live bacteria to your tank. Read this
article & all the recommended links. Read all this over several times until you
understand it completely: http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquasource/newtanksyndrome.shtml>
The big one always chases the little one, anything I can do about that? My
friend said to get a third fish of a different type so that the bigger puffer
will pick on both so there will be less stress on the smaller puffer. I have
flower pots and plants in the tanks so they can hide, but the big one is always
picking on the smaller one.
<Your tank is way too small for 2 aggressive puffers. You can start a young one
out in a 10-15g tank, but once it is >2” they need a 20-30g tank/fish. Keep in
mind, in tanks this small, puffers will not be tolerable of tank mates.>
<To keep these special, wild-caught fish healthy & happy (they can live
10+years), you need to do more research on them. Puffers are not beginner
fish!!! ~PP>
GSP Questions 2/23/04
<Hi Tim, Pufferpunk again>
I didn't know about all of those foods. What foods can I find at my LFS that I
can feed him??
<For smaller puffers, crickets, worms, krill & plankton should be found at your
LFS. Most of the food my puffs eat, I find in the fish dept of my grocery
store. I freeze & thaw in warm vitamin water as needed.>
The snails are currently in the tank and he is free to eat them as he pleases. I
don't know how I can control how much he eats.
<Most serious puffer keepers keep a seperate tank for snail breeding.>
The tank is a freshwater tank and he seems to be doing fine now.
<Mostly sold as freshwater fish, they are really a brackish water species. Born
in FW, they migrate through the estuaries (streams) between FW lakes and the
ocean, to live out their adult lives in saltwater. Although you may hear these
fish do fine in FW, they will grow larger, have brighter coloration, suffer less
disease and live longer in higher salinities. It is our duty as fish keepers to
keep our friends in the best possible conditions for their health and happiness>
Is it normal for them to want their picture taken???? Mine does. If I bring the
camera near the tank, his little yellow spot gets huge and really bright and his
belly gets snow white.
<He probably thinks you're going to feed him. They are great beggars!>
Also, are they sensitive to certain colors?? I put a little glass dome in the
bottom of the tank on it's side for him to make into his home because I read on
some sites that they like to live in caves and drift wood. The thing is red and
he doesn't really seem to like it. Any info on living quarters for him would be
greatly appreciated.
<I've never noticed my GSPs hanging out in caves. Although they do a lot of
investigation of the decor, they mostly swim out in the open.>
He is in a 30 gallon tank with 1 painted glass fish, 1 hatchet fish, 2 tiger
barbs, 3 zebra Danios, 1 fish (not sure what it is. It is clear with black tips
on its fins), 1 Gourami, 1 red tailed shark, 2 Cory cats, 1 small angel fish,
and 1 pleco. would it hurt to put salt in the water for the puffer.
<None of those fish will appreciate any kind of salt. Eventually, your puffer
will do severe damage to the angelfish, Hatchetfish, & any other fish not fast
enough to get away from puffer teeth. Puffers are best kept in a species only
BW tank. Please refrain from purchasing painted fish. It is cruel to the fish
& doesn't last anyway. See:
http://www.canadiangoldfish.com/dyed.htm
Your puffer is going to grow to 6" eventually & require at least a 20-30g
tank. I suggest you set-up a seperate (cycled) BW tank for him.>
Thanks, Tim
<Give your puffer the best care & it will reward you for years to come! ~PP>
Vacation Feeding for Green Spotted Puffer
How many days is it safe to go without feeding a green-spotted puffer. He is
about1-1/2 inches long & usually eats 1 small slug and 3-4 large spirulina
flakes twice daily. I will be gone for two days and then again 1 week in
Sept. I plan on having someone come by daily to feed him in Sept., but am not
sure about the weekend thing. Thanks, Donna
<Feed well a few days before the trip and I think it can get by for a couple
days. Don>
Feeding Green Spotted Puffers 2/29/04
Great article, thanks!
<thanks a lot! ~PP>
Now about the snails: I have 3 pond snails I'm trying to get to breed. It's only
been 2 weeks so I'm sure I need to give it more
time. I'll be adding 2 more snails this week to try and up the chance.
Try raising the temp in the snail tank. If not (just a bowl, or something too
small) just be patient. Supplement snails from as many LFS as you can get to.>
But, what size snails will a puffer (GSP about 2.5")
eat? I figure I can give him one the smaller ones
I have just to tie him over till I get some snail
babies. Yes? No?
<Usually, the rule of thumb is snails as big as their eye, or you'll have to
crush them a little (yuck!).>
I've had him/her/it on a ghost shrimp, blood worm
diet. those don't grind down the teeth do they?
Anything else besides snails that will work till my
"breeding program" comes thru?
<You can try all sorts of things from the fish dept of your grocery
store. Small mussels, pieces of crab legs, shell-on shrimp, small crayfish,
fiddler crabs, etc. Happy dining! ~PP>>
Eating Problems
Hi there, I just browsed through your FAQ page and I think you may be the
only one to help me. I have a common spotted puffer (the brackish variety),
about 1.5in. long in a 10 gal. tank. Actually, there WERE two of
them...unfortunately I fell for an undergravel filter system which, because it
trapped all the waste, caused my nitrite levels to skyrocket. (strangely, the
ammonia was fine) Daily water changes did nothing to alleviate the problem,
probably because the readings were way off the charts. The one little fellow
died as a result (I think that's what it was, anyway). Not wanting to kill
another, I took the whole system out and replaced it with a canister filter
(Aquaclear). The powerhead from the undergravel is still in there (with a small
Quickfilter) for extra movement and hopefully so a biological filter will
develop in there.
<Yes>
The nitrite levels are fine now BUT, and here's my current problem: the fish
won't eat (at least not the way he should). Even in the cruddy water, he ate
like a pig, but now he just picks at his food. Furthermore, he likes to explore
the tank a lot (tons of rock-caves), and every once in a while, he disappears
behind the powerhead. Whenever he reappears from there, his belly is completely
black. After a couple of minutes, he'll go back to a nice bright white (belly)
but I am a little worried. Could he just be moody (as was suggested by the
LFS)?
<Yes, likely so>
Also, I put a java fern in there, hoping it would live, and so far it's looking
pretty good (except when he tears chunks out of it). I read that it is a good
idea to make plant matter available to them as food every once in a while. Does
this go for all puffers?
<To some extent, yes>
My species? He seems to love it (at least he did, when he still ate...). Besides
the plant, he gets a variety of silver sides, brine shrimp, salad shrimp (the
little ones from the supermarket) and blood worms (all frozen) and (when I can
get them form a reputable tank) live snails. He hasn't had snails lately, but
he's not interested in any of the other stuff. Any ideas?
<Likely no problem here. Some residual reaction from the nitrite poisoning...
and these puffers do go on feeding strikes for no apparent reason from time to
time>
Also, I'm getting conflicting info on the salinity levels: some say 0.800,
others 1.005 and others again 1.020. Mine is at around 1.008-1.010. Could this
be the problem?
<Could be a contributing factor... the high side I'd use is 1.010... low 1.005>
How quickly should I elevate salinity if it's too low?
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/bracmaint.htm>
The LFS had him in water which was barely spiced. Anyway, could it be that he's
still getting used to the new system?
<Yes>
Is he, maybe lonely?
<Not likely>
I know they're supposed to get nasty as they get older but these two seemed to
play really nicely together. I plan to get him another buddy but not until I get
everything straightened out perfectly. I'm still doing frequent water changes,
but I test for levels first so I don't stress him unnecessarily. He gets treated
with StressCoat (when necessary) and I add Stress Zyme with every water change.
Also, my pH levels are right around 7.0.
<Should be a bit higher...>
Again, I've gotten conflicting info on ideal levels, but the general consensus
seems to be that it should be a little more alkaline. I didn't want to mess
around with too many things at once, but could this be the solution for my
problem?
<Once again, likely a contributing factor>
(If so, how quickly do I change the pH level?) Anyway, I think I've written too
much but I'm hoping you can give me the info I need. Many thanks, Nina
<Do read over the WetWebMedia.com re pH/Alkalinity in freshwater systems. Bob
Fenner>
Re: Puffer Eating Problems
Very grateful for the quick and helpful response. He IS eating now, just not
as quickly as he should. Again, thank you very much. Nina
<Good to hear/read of the improved appetite. Should continue to do so. Bob
Fenner>
Brackish Puffers
Hi Bob,
<<Hello, it's JasonC this time...>>
I am attempting to set up a Brackish Aquarium and am finding info. that is quite
contradictory to that of our local fish stores.... <<Not unusual at all.>> I had
owned a green-spotted puffer a couple years ago, unfortunately fell deeply in
love with the fish...he died about a month after I purchased him. I was quite
heart broken and decided to go back to freshwater.
Admittedly, I did not do much homework on caring for such a fish. I have a 55
gallon tank, w/ lots of plants (artificial) and caves, rocks etc. I was told to
acquire a PH of 7.5-8.0. Which I have...on every site I read, it states low
7's..that is a big discrepancy. I was not told anything about salt at all. I
need salts?? <<Oh yes, brackish is specifically something between ocean water
and fresh water, and even this can vary a little bit depending on the species
you want to keep.>>
Another issue is that of food...I was told to feed roughly 6 guppies/wk for one
puffer. But, I have heard nothing of guppies, only of brine and shrimp pellets.
<<I wouldn't recommend the brine shrimp or live guppies. There are many pellet
and flake foods which would provide more complete nutrition.>>
I am only bothering you because I have read so much and to be quite honest,
growing impatient and discouraged due to all the different info. <<No need to be
discouraged. Continue with your research and at a certain point you formulate
your own consensus.>>
I currently have a green spotted puffer on hold at the store.. pls. help. I just
need the basics.
<<Here's a great place to start:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/bracsetup.htm >>
Thanks for your time,
Kim De Cell
<<Cheers, J -- >>
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