Dwarf Puffers not eating - should I worry?

[thatlouguy]

Okay, maybe I should have said I am worried. I got these 2 little guys yesterday. After writing earlier that they didn't eat anything I gave them last night, some good people wrote that these fish prefer live food. I went and got some ghost shrimp. Well, the ghost shrimp are doing just fine. The Puffers swim past them and even brush up against their tenticals but otherwise ignor them. I haven't seen them eat yet and I'm concerned. Am I missing something or doing something wrong? The Puffers aren't hiding and don't seem at all stressed. Do you think they're still acclimating? When would this become a problem? Thanks

Lou

 

[grimlock3000]

It has only been a day, nothing to worry about. Have you asked the LFS what they fed the Puffers?

 

[madasafish]

Urg. I think you misunderstood us... I, for one, was talking about 2 specific types of live food--black worms and brine shrimp. These are usually sold behind the counter at a fish store, and should always be kept in a refrigerator (these keeps their metabolism very low so that they don't starve/produce too much waste).

Ghost shrimp are too large for the puffers--though DPs are paticularly ornery, and might well go after the shrimp when larger/if really really hungry!!

The puffers will likely survive over a week without food (I feed mine every 2-3 days--a common practice with carnivorous fish), so don't stress. However, I'd go to the LFS tomorrow and get some black worms or brine shrimp. The worms will survive longer, and pack more mass per container, so you might consider those... You'll need a brine shrimp net (fine mesh) in order to feed them to the puffers. Make sure you read the directions, as this sort of live food is not intended to be dumped straight into the tank.

HTH

Postscript: These puffers are a real delight to have around. I wish you the best with them. They are my most personable, amusing and adorable fish!

 

[Madame_X]

Yeah, even my South American puffer only eats really small ghost shrimp. And he's about an inch and a half long now...

Try to find some really tiny baby snails to put in with them.

 

[thatlouguy]

I called the lfs earlier and they said they feed the Dwarf Puffers flake ???? Sometimes I think that they maybe flakes (nice people but some their advice has been questionable). Anyway, I guess I really did misunderstand. I got lazy too. The lfs is like 10 miles and PetsMart is only 3. I could have sworn someone mentioned Ghost Shrimp. I waked in looking for live brine or black worms but they didn't have any. Then I asked for baby snails but they just thew out a bunch, so I got the Ghost. I did put a hold on any snails they take off their plants tonight. Those would be Okay, right? I'll also take the trip to the lfs for the live stuff too. PS; Yea, you helped a lot! We're love'n these little guys already!

 

[cdawson]

ghost shrimp are NOT too large for puffers. My SA puffer would kill and eat any shrimp it could get it's mouth on. Same goes for the dwarfs I used to have, it depends on the individual one puffer may be afraid of the larger shrimp whereas others will dive right in and tear it to pieces.

 

[thatlouguy]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunatly, these guys are really not much bigger than the shrimp so I don't think they'll be attacking anything anytime soon. We'll see what happens. I've been watching these shrimp skoot around the tank and they're pretty cool. I'm gonna start liking them and be upset when the Puffers DO eat them! LOL

 

[madasafish]

Cdawson!!!!! Read carefully before negating!!

I said that though they may not eat ghost shrimp now, they may well when older or hungrier! Keep in mind that some ghost shrimp sold in stores are .25" while others are 1.5" (I have both extremes). The larger types may get attacked, but have a better chance at surviving.

You're right to be emphatical about this to an extent, as DPs really will attack a lot of other creatures!

 

[STOINKER2]

I recently bought 2 dwarf puffers and had the same problem, the lfs also told me to feed them flake but they wouldnt eat it.

i tried everything and the only thing they would eat was live blood worm.

I was feeding them everyday as if i left it a day i would come home to find all my other fishes having chunks bitten out of there fins.

The result was that my partner took them back to the lfs.

I miss the little guys, they had so much character.

 

[cdawson]

Cdawson!!!!! Read carefully before negating!!

I said that though they may not eat ghost shrimp now, they may well when older or hungrier! Keep in mind that some ghost shrimp sold in stores are .25" while others are 1.5" (I have both extremes). The larger types may get attacked, but have a better chance at surviving.

You're right to be emphatical about this to an extent, as DPs really will attack a lot of other creatures!

Sorry, guess I misread that one. No offence intended

 

[thatlouguy]

I hope that doesn't happen here. But if it does, knowing me, I'll go & get them their own tank. LOL. If MTS IS a blessing then I am quickly becoming extremely blessed. They really do have a lot of charm.

 

[madasafish]

Aya!! thatlouguy, you've got one of the SeaClear systems? I was soooo close to buying one of those 50Gs and starting a SW tank.

Come to think of it... I really should start a SW tank sometime soon....

Cdawson--no offense taken. I misread a lot of the time, too. Actually I misread your post at first!

 

[mgkaelen]

madasa---- should i be feeding my DP's 2-3 times a week like you said? i feed them a minimal amount twice a day. probably 2-3 worms a piece if that ...

 

[madasafish]

Your prerogative... But most carnivores tend to eat large amounts, occasionally in the wild. Either way they'll be fine, but this certainly ensures that they have a good appetite. The guys are round and healthy. Obviously this feeding routine works for them. Oh, and lastly, it prepares them for when I have to be out of town!

 

[thatlouguy]

Hi Madasafish

Yea, I would marvel at the color and variety of SW fish at the lfs so much that I couldn't resist. I sometimes bring fish back because they either stress out tank mates or some other reason. So I go in to the lfs to return fish (not planning on spending any $) and there was this beautiful tank on an oak stand. I had read that the System II makes caring for SW a little easier (especially for beginners). They gave me a good deal and before I knew it I was setting it up at home. I'm so bad. Now I have my eye on a 75g System II for FW. I have an amazing Rainbow shark in a 34g hex that has grown about an inch in 7 weeks. This guy really needs a larger tank. I figure once I'm tapped out of $ I could fuse all the tanks together and learn to breath underwater! Someone should start an MTS Anonymous group for people like me. I could call my sponsor whenever I get the urge to buy another tank and the sponsor could talk me into buying a bigger one! I could be your sponsor - lets start now. Get the System II!

Lou

 

[maro1107]

Puffers

I had two leopard puffers wich are bigger than the dwarf ones but I thought I would still share my experience. I bought mine at Petsmart (not knowing any better) and had only read a little about them. I asked questions of the employee there and they said to just feed the two guys bloodworms. This worked great since they liked them BUT I should have done my research first. Long story short, about 6 months later my two guys died. I didn't know they had sharp teeth and that they needed to eat critters with shells to keep their teeth filed down (such as snails and krill). Since I wasn't feeding them those their teeth grew too big and they couldn't close their mouths and couldn't open them to eat. I still feel horrible about it and have swore to research any fish before I get them on the internet, books, etc. Just thought I'd share so this doesn't happen to anyone else.

If I were you I'd keep searching the internet and read as much as you can. I have bookmarked (for puffers as I hope to have them again in the future):

http://puffernet.tripod.com/main.html
http://www.rr.iij4u.or.jp/~kohda/en/en-dwarfpuffer.htm - this is all about dwarf puffers and should help you a lot

 

[thatlouguy]

Thanks for sharing & for the links Maro! Thats really sad. I guess those guys starved to death. Freshwatergal mentioned them having to keep their teeth trimed in another thread. I really try to ask as many questions and get as much info first but it often leads to conflicting info. Some people in the big chains will take the time to answer questions even if they don't know the answer, most of them I found will just blow you off.

 

[Sati]

I keep my puffs in their own tank away from other fish. I feed mine morning and evening.

Question, do BBS have hard enough shells to help with their teeth? And if so, do the frozen ones work just as well?