Sharpnose puffers/tobies

[Awilki762]

does anyone have any advice for these? I got one and it's been about a month and he just now started getting aggressive and killed my arrow crab and ate my peppermint shrimp and peck at little star fish, he is getting moved to my 55 gallon, he's no bigger then my ocellaris clownfish, what is he compatible with and won't kill? Id like to know before he is moved, please and thanks

 

[agataoneil]

I just got a blue spotted puffer, they do eat/prey on invertebrates. They also have an ever growing beak, so they need to eat hard shelled crustaceans to wear it off. This is what I'm doing with mine, I feed him small chunks of raw table shrimp, as well as mysis, and other items as well. When He is full and satisfied he doesnt bother any of my shrimps or crabs. Now remember that is the puffer's nature to prey on small invertebrates. Hope this helps.

 

[Awilki762]

Thank you! That sounds like a good idea, so you just fill him up and he won't mess with anything? Cause I really miss/need my clean up crew! Maybe he was hungry, I fed him frozen brine, maybe he wasn't getting enough

 

[agataoneil]

Puffers are slow swimmers, so brine shrimp might be hard to catch for him/her... Also remember they need a variety of foods. Puffers can eat a lot lol

 

[Terrance]

Try to not overfeed your puffer. They are able to become overweight, which is unhealthy. Feeding once per day until the tummy is slightly rounded is good practice. Ok to feed 6 days per week with 1 day for fasting.

 

[agataoneil]

Terrance, thanks for the info!

 

[Innovator]

Terrance is correct and my added advice would be to next time research before purchasing since, with puffers, consuming inverts is what they do (it's like putting a deer in front of a tiger and expecting it to eat a piece of lettuce instead). You can curb their tastes away from certain corals or keep them satiated, but even overfed puffers will still investigate, bite, and likely consume various organisms....even rocks!

 

[JustinKBreen]

If your worried about a clean up crew look at a long spine urchin, they can live with the most aggressive fish that

 

[Awilki762]

That sounds like a good idea! Thanks, do you happen to know a common price range?

 

[JustinKBreen]

They're around $20. I have been wanting to get one myself.