Dwarf freshwater puffer fish

[Squigley]

Hi I purchased 4 fresh water puffers after reading up about them and talking to a lot of sources and decided I would give it a go. One died 2 days after I got them, and I just put it down to the fish, the others where all doing ok for about a month but I was struggling to get them to eat anything, I tried frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp, and live worms (I can't actually remember the kind of worms they were but they where very thin and red) and also started breeding snails to feed them. The only thing they would eat was the live worms and snails and even then it wasn't really much I understand they are little but I just never thought it was enough. The one that looked the healthiest and could see it had grown disappeared about 2 weeks ago now, I pulled the tank apart and looked around the floor in case it jumped out and just havnt been able to find it, the remaining 2 where fine until I got home just now and one was dead at bottom of the tank and couldn't find the other one in the tank so will wait till the morning but I presume it is dead to. I'm very disappointed, I honestly tried all I could to get them eating and except for asking here I did all I could to source different kinds of food for them amd gettimg advice i was checking the water religiously everything was fine. The tank was very heavily planted and had caves and rocks with holes to hide in i trust i had the tank set up appropriately for them. I would like to know of other people's experience with them, if I should give it another go with them from another shop down the line, if there is a different fresh or brackish type that wouldn't be so hard to feed, just any advice on them would be awesome as I can't figure out what I did wrong for them.

 

[TMaier]

How long was your tank set up before you added the fish?

My first try was a disaster. Was sold a brackish puff and he lasted a month. I let the tank age for 6 months and built up my snail population and grindal worm culture.

My second try was in June and I’gor is still going strong.

Many puffs are wild caught and have parasites. Treat with Prazipro if they aren’t vigorously eating.

Here’s my thread on my puff adventure.

9g Biube Money Pit
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=351309

 

[TMaier]

This is the best investment I have ever made.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/152688857011

I keep soiless worm cultures and have enough to feed all of my tanks. All my fish including my puff gobble them down. I’gor also gets snails. But he prefers the live worms.

 

[Brookster123]

Sometimes they come with internal parasites. That would explain the not eating and dying thing.

 

[Squigley]

TMaier I made the mistake of starting to read your puff thread while on my break at work, your tank is amazing. The first puff I had im pretty sure was a green spot, I was very sad to see it go and I assumed it was due to no salt in the tank after further research and realised that was the odd one in all the ones the shop had so it was accidently shipped to them with the others and mislabeled. I live in new zealand and am struggling to source some of the stuff online. But will hunt down what I can from advice given

 

[TMaier]

Thanks. They are great little fish. Sometimes second time is the charm and things work out.