Puffer fish food?

[busymom23]

Hi! I was thinking of starting a salt water tank, and am doing my research ahead of time. I would love a puffer fish, and have read that they need food to wear their teeth down such as oysters, clams, mussels, and shrimp. My question is: where do you buy such foods? I've looked at walmart and various pet stores with no avail...and won't get a puffer without knowing where to buy his food!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[bribo12]

Grocery store. Be aware many puffer species get huge (1 ft +). Toby puffers however stay smaller so look into them as well


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[busymom23]

Yea, I checked the grocery...only thing I found that might work were frozen, raw, whole shrimp with shell and tails on. I know I couldn't eat shrimp day in and day out...so I wanted to find other varieties as well. And I'll be using my 300 gallon, so should be good with any size puffer I think. Leaning towards either dog face or porcupine...tank isn't set up yet, it's still freshwater, but am taking small steps to convert it. Got barrels today for storing premixed saltwater!!!!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[bribo12]

Sweet you can do most puffers in a tank that size! Hmm they didn't have clams??? Any local seafood markets?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[busymom23]

They had mussels but they didn't have shells on them and most were smoked or smothered in some kind of garlicky disgusting marinade! Lol, I didn't think I'd have this much trouble finding that type of food, with shells on....don't know of a seafood market, but I'll look for one! Thank you!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[Chefjpaul]

Where do you live?
Ask a local restaurant or your supermarket fish buyer if they could order items for you.



Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[busymom23]

Batavia, Ohio...won't placing special orders get costly?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[eatsomepopcorn]

I have two puffers, a dog face puffer and a spiny puffer. They love 'frozen krill' very cheap and 'clams on the half shell' more expensive both available at your local fish store. If one does not have it try another that has salt water fish. The also love mussels which I buy from the grocery store in their fish area (frozen). Most larger grocery store chains have mussels. They are very cheap. I get one lb for about $3.99 and that lasts a week or more.

[54seaweed]

you can use cleaner clams to feed the puffer there about $2. a piece puffer can grind his teeth along with munch on the clam
clams also help keep puffers food safe from most other fish as they like to steal everything , only the puffer can get inside by grinding his way in and half the time the clam will survive even after being eaten a few weeks till needing to be replaced to prevent fouling water
my puffer also eats my inverts hermits and snails and grind teeth on the shells
here's my puffer munching on a invert and grooming his teeth

[busymom23]

So I found 2 seafood markets in my area! Both have mussels, clams and oysters. How often should those types of foods be fed? I've heard they should be fed "often". But define please? Once a week, once a month? Every couple days? Thanks!!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[54seaweed]

you could keep extra hermits and snails he will munch as he wants
the cleaner clams are good too, they live for a while after munching starts till he gets to the center
he also loves baby urchins about 1/2 inch in size he don't touch my big ones

[busymom23]

So keeping extra snails in the tank? What like all the time? Won't he overeat? Are snails cheaper than buying from a seafood market? Here's what I found at my seafood market:
Mussels $3.99-$4.99/pound
Clams .50 each
Oysters $1.50 each
Never found anything other than frozen whole raw shrimp at the grocery store.

I've seen that puffers need a varied diet, as in frozen meaty foods, algae wafers, and the shelled critters to wear down their teeth. But how often would you need to feed them shelled food to keep teeth worn down?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[54seaweed]

Originally Posted by busymom23

So keeping extra snails in the tank? What like all the time? Won't he overeat? Are snails cheaper than buying from a seafood market? Here's what I found at my seafood market:
Mussels $3.99-$4.99/pound
Clams .50 each
Oysters $1.50 each
Never found anything other than frozen whole raw shrimp at the grocery store.

I've seen that puffers need a varied diet, as in frozen meaty foods, algae wafers, and the shelled critters to wear down their teeth. But how often would you need to feed them shelled food to keep teeth worn down?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

I usually stock about 12 snails along with 6/8 hermits they last about 8 months he don't seem to over eat as there may be a few left by the time I go to replenish , I also give him a treat of a chopped up deli shrimp shell and all
they seem to go after the shelled inverts only when there teeth start to curve in usually around once or twice a month but I would assume as he gets bigger the teeth grinding will increase
my puffer is very trusting he eats from my hand and follows me around as I walk by the tank , the way he glides around the tank reminds me of one of those remote control helicopters

[busymom23]

Ok thank you for all the info! Puffers sound so neat! I really hope I'll get to have one. Still researching about setting up my tank and everything, for now. Probably jumped the gun searching high and low for food for a fish I don't have for a tank I don't have set up, but I like having my bases covered! I'm still learning...thank you for all your help! Answered many of my questions about feeding a puffer!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[54seaweed]

they are fun fish

[Adamski]

How has the puffer been with corals? I'm looking at a valentini puffer and they are really affordable and awesome to watch!!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[54seaweed]

That's what mine is a Valenti , he was the size of my pinky finger nail when I got him now he's about the size of a half dollar,
mine hasn't touched a coral yet , he hangs out in my hand leather I think he thinks he's a clown lol ,
he gets along with all my fish even my cleaner shrimps and peppermints , but he does grab a snail or a hermit from time to time to munch on ,

[Adamski]

Wow that's tiny! I've never seen one that small. They are only around £25 and look so cool


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

[54seaweed]

Just remember if your tank isn't around 40g it's not the fish for you ,
always check recommended tank size on all fish and always be sure you know how big each fish gets , a good scale to use is if a tank size of 30g is recommended think 40g to make up for the things they didn't take into consideration , this goes with all tank sizes

[Adamski]

Mines a 40G. I normally use live aquaria for research


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice