Dogface Puffer Diet

[eatsomepopcorn]

I received a dogface puffer 5 days ago who is about 1 year old caught from the wild and is very portly (lots of body fat) for a dogface. However, I cannot get him to take any food. He acts and swims around normally, but puts his nose up to any food I offer. I have tried the following multiple times: Frozen Krill, Frozen Mysis Shrimp, Frozen Brine, Fresh Mussels, Scallops, Pellets, Shrimp Pellets. Not sure what else I should try or if I should wait it out. If I wait it out, not sure how long and then what?

 

[FTMMWS]

Try good ol regular table shrimp(shell on)....I recently got a spiny box and he LOVES it...I am a bit surprised he hasn't devoured any of the other stuff though...5 days is not terribly long,but its getting there..
Good luck

 

[slitherbomb]

You can also put in pieces of bait squid to entice it to eat.

 

[Terrance]

Try feeding live food like worms. After you get it to eat live, then you have to train it to eat dead food. I use tongs to hold dead food and wave it in front of my puff's face.

If your dogface is full grown, then it should eat a good meal ~2 per week. It will eat live food after several starving days. If it doesn't eat for over 1 week, then eliminate all other possibilities that could stress your puff (i.e. small tank, too many tankmates, bad water). Always a good idea to treat your puff with some medicine for internal parasites.

 

[Shaay23]

Try feeding live food like worms. After you get it to eat live, then you have to train it to eat dead food. I use tongs to hold dead food and wave it in front of my puff's face.

If your dogface is full grown, then it should eat a good meal ~2 per week. It will eat live food after several starving days. If it doesn't eat for over 1 week, then eliminate all other possibilities that could stress your puff (i.e. small tank, too many tankmates, bad water). Always a good idea to treat your puff with some medicine for internal parasites.

Try seaweed. A lot of people think of puffers as being carnivores but the truth is they eat lots of seaweed in the wild.

 

[Terrance]

Oh right I forgot about that. They love macroalgae and it should be included as part of their regular diet. Perhaps you could feed dried nori.

 

[SeanMonster]

My Dogface and Blue Spotted Toby love the dried Nori. I also use soft Spirulina pellets that sink, as well as, sinking algae wafers. I was using grazing blocks but my lfs has been having trouble getting them in stock.