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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 2/28/2008 12:58:32 PM
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Hi,
4 days ago I picked up a nice fat 5" porcupine puffer. The only thing he'll eat is krill which I understand is far from optimal. I feed squid, silversides, mysis,brine, nori, pellets. All of which he will try but spit back out. I've not tried going a couple days without feeding him because he is so new to the tank I'd rather wait until he is better adjusted. My other concern is his teeth, I have little in the way of snails/crabs at the moment. I don't really have the need or desire for them other than for the puffer. I was thinking of picking up some lyanassa obsoleta since they are so cheap and going to be used for puffer food anyway. Do you think he'll eat these, or would he be better served by some small cerith/bluelegs? I realize the snails are from cooler water but longevity is not my concern here.
Steve
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Group: Forum Members
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| you may try mashing some krill in with other foods to wean onto more varied diet, vitamin b12 may also help I am also having trouble - mine will only eat ghost shrimp, and i may try to add some "puffer crack" (krill)to other foods to entice... i tried some of the products to stimulate feeding (seachem/garlic) but to no avail... good luck - - and any chance of a pic? 
Peace...
Dan
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Group: Moderators
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Please do not feed just krill. Try gut loaded ghost shrimp, shrimp (grocery or asian store)..... With the squid - are you feeding the the tentacles or the body or is this prepared cubes??
Krill diets will lead to a nutritional deficiency which causes lock jaw - the inability to open/shut mouth and masticate. This disease process develops over time and when signs appear, it is often too late and the fish will starve to death.
Porcupine puffers are diodons - two fused dental plates. Due to their mouth anatomy, Diodons will not have the problem.
Feeding unquarantined live saltwater fish/inverts can introduce pathogens into your tank. Everything wet should be quarantined.
Kelly
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Group: Forum Members
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Thanks to both of you.
I've got him eating silversides but its clearly a last resort for him. I have been feeding the cubed squid. I'll go the the store today and pick up some shrimp, and squid. I'd feel better if he is eating a varied diet.
Heres a crappy pic of him, once I get near the tank the fish swarm near me so its hard to isolate one fish....
Steve
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Could also pick up some scallops. Puffers really like the tentacles of the squid - might try dangling or placing on a feeding stick and wiggling.
Also try feeding at night or when the lights are dimmer. Puffers in the ocean are very active at night.
Kelly
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Group: Forum Members
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The raw whole shrimp was a big winner, and the scallops not far behind. I did not even get a chance to try the squid as they ate so much of the first shrimp and squid! thanks for the advice!
Steve
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| Great news. Thanks for the update. Make sure to feed the entire shrimp (shell & all). Do not feed the cooked shrimp. Best of luck.
Kelly
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Puffers appreciate a varied diet, and it is best to provide them with "crunchy" foods (shrimp in shell, snails, and other shellfish in shell) to keep their teeth ground down. Otherwise, the puffer's teeth will grow until it cannot eat, and will need to be filed down (not an easy thing for you OR your veterinarian!)
Live Food
* brine shrimp
* ghost shrimp
* blood worms
* glass worms
* black worms
* small meal worms
* small feeder guppies
* earthworms
* snails
Fresh Food
* shell on shrimp
* oysters
* clams
* mussel
* fish
Freeze-Dried Food
* dried shrimp
* dried krill
* dried plankton
Frozen Food
* Brine Shrimp
* Silver Sides (tiny ones)
* Squid
* Clams
* Oysters
* Cockles (rare in US)
* shrimp
* plankton
* blood worms
* glass worms
* krill
* beef heart
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Group: Moderators
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| Porcupine puffers are members of the diodon family. They are "built/designed" with two fused dental plates. These do not suffer from overgrown teeth/beaks. The arothron family has four fused dental plates that form a beak. These are the ones that are prone to overgrowth. Dental work can be done using either clove oil or MS 222 and a dremel or clipper. Krill can be fed to puffers but not on a regular schedule or as the main component of the diet. Documented nutritional deficiencies occur and are often irreversible. Brine is nutritionally poor and if fed definitely needs to be enriched. Live foods can transmit bacteria and I tend to reserve live food for those trying fish that are newly acquired that refuse to accept prepared food.
Kelly
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Group: Forum Members
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[quote]
Krill diets will lead to a nutritional deficiency which causes lock jaw - the inability to open/shut mouth and masticate. This disease process develops over time and when signs appear, it is often too late and the fish will starve to death.
Porcupine puffers are diodons - two fused dental plates. Due to their mouth anatomy, Diodons will not have the problem.
[/quote]
Puffer Queen, Is the above a typo or am I misunderstanding? This seems to say that Porcupine Puffers do not suffer from lock jaw. I have read many posts today where you say that feeding only Krill will lead to deficiencies that end in death in all puffers including other aggressives like lionfish. So is the lock Jaw just another symptom in some species?
My Porcupine of about 8 Months stopped eating last week. He swims and does all of the same things people report and you tell us about when feeding a diet of Krill. Unfortunately I did not do enough research and fed 100% Dried Krill thinking it was a great diet and didn't worry when he would eat nothing else. I now understand the "fish crack" analogy.
I am following your advice and added B12 found in some Coral additive I had around and today I will get a vitamin supplement with B12. A couple other questions:
After a week of not eating, seeing as the he has been on a diet of 100% Krill, are many surviving to begin eating again?
What about feeding Krill soaked in vitamin supplement and Selcon? I have a Lion Fish that is on 100% Krill as well.
Should the B12 and other vitamins just be added to the water? Does he get enough to help?
I am trying to feed Ghost Shrimp and adding B12 and other Vitamins, any other advice?
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