Figure 8 Puffer Eating Flakes?

[Circus]

So, I didn't get a chance to snap a pic, but my brackish tank has a pair of figure 8 puffers and some assorted young livebearers. The puffers get snails or frozen food every other day. I put flake in every other day for the other fish on opposite days. I saw one of my puffers slurping up the flakes before my live bearers could get to it. I was under the impression that they would never accept flake or pellet food? Has anyone one else had a puffer eat other kinds of food?

I will try to get a video next time.

 

[Colin_T]

Most pufferfish prefer live moving food, however they learn from other fish. They probably saw your mollies eating flake and decided to try. Once they work out it is food, they will eat it.

This is a good chance for you to increase the variety of food you offer them. You can add raw prawn in the shell for the puffers to chew up. Add hard sinking pellets one at a time and see if they eat them. Try floating pellets too.

Variety is the spice of life so offer them as much different food as possible.

 

[Circus]

Most pufferfish prefer live moving food, however they learn from other fish. They probably saw your mollies eating flake and decided to try. Once they work out it is food, they will eat it.

This is a good chance for you to increase the variety of food you offer them. You can add raw prawn in the shell for the puffers to chew up. Add hard sinking pellets one at a time and see if they eat them. Try floating pellets too.

Variety is the spice of life so offer them as much different food as possible.

They get cooked shrimp with the shell on, as well as frozen mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, blood worms, and a variety of live snails (trumpet, mystery, ramshorn, pond). The flake and micro pellets are Big bites, but I have Aquatic Arts bottom feeder pellets, floating cichlid pellets (my JDs favourite), and spiraling tabs. I will have to see what they like the most!

I was mostly surprised because everyone always says how they will only eat live/frozen. I don't think I have even had these two 6 months. Puffers really are super smart, stealing their buddies food like that.

 

[Colin_T]

Try not to feed them cooked prawn because they can't digest the shell properly. Raw prawn shell is easy for them to digest but it changes when cooked. Like cooked bones are bad for dogs but raw bones are ok.

 

[Circus]

Try not to feed them cooked prawn because they can't digest the shell properly. Raw prawn shell is easy for them to digest but it changes when cooked. Like cooked bones are bad for dogs but raw bones are ok.

Ah, thank you for telling me! I was under the impression that raw shrimp could infect my tanks with disease, so I cook it then freeze it.

 

[Colin_T]

If you have live shrimp in the tank, then use cooked prawn but don't put the cooked prawn shell in the tank.

Raw prawn can carry spironucleus/ microsporidian, and anything that eats the contaminated flesh will develop it. Cooking the meat kills the disease organisms.

If you don't have shrimp in the tank, then you can use raw prawn.

The infected meat has a real milky white flesh, whereas prawn meat that isn't contaminated has a semi transparent colour.

 

[Circus]

If you have live shrimp in the tank, then use cooked prawn but don't put the cooked prawn shell in the tank.

Raw prawn can carry spironucleus/ microsporidian, and anything that eats the contaminated flesh will develop it. Cooking the meat kills the disease organisms.

If you don't have shrimp in the tank, then you can use raw prawn.

The infected meat has a real milky white flesh, whereas prawn meat that isn't contaminated has a semi transparent colour.

O thonk we have had this conversation before, lol. I will save some raw pieces just for my puffers, and shell all my cooked pieces.

 

[FF_Member146894]

my puffers will accept practically anything, even the ones that are housed alone

the common idea that puffers will only eat frozen or live is untrue (at least in the sense that every puffer has different tastes) and every puffer, of all the different species I have owned, never had a problem with eating dry foods or similar

my plant-eating puffer actually steals the algae wafers from the plecos, good for his teeth at least, I guess
and he'll also try to chew on manzanita driftwood from time to time, good for his teeth too