Puffer advice

[MonoSebaelover]

Hey all, just need a little bit of advice. I have a Narrow Line Puffer (Arothron manilensis) that I have had for over a year that is now about 6-7 inches not including tail. This puffer will eat anything (formula, brine shrimp, scallops, frozen shrimp, and even Caulerpa!!!!), but he won't eat anything hard like mussels to keep beak in trim. It is not overgrown by any standards (comes up just a tad from his jaw line-lips). How do you get a puff to eat this kinda stuff? I am kinda tempted to buy him a FW Crawfish and that should help, right? He has lots of live rock to chew on and think he gets most teeth chew down from this. Kinda wierd question I know but just curious. For any puffer lover out there, buy a Narrow Line. They are adorable puffs that have tons of personality and are more peaceful than most puffs.

[OrionGirl]

Crawdads should work, and if you're patient, you can adapt them to live in SW for about a week. Make sure to band or snip the claws--they are very destructive beasts. We used to feed them to our octopus.

[kreblak]

Definately band their claws! Crayfish will adapt nicely to SW for a while, and they will try to eat anything they can, including fish in the tank! You can pull off their claws, just be sure that they don't molt while they're in the tank and regrow them.

I have a friend who treats his triggerfish to small crayfish. He just pulls off the claws and drops it in the tank. The trigger usually nails it within an hour or so. Fun to watch!

[MonoSebaelover]

Thanks guys, the Puff is in with most of my triggers and Eels so I'm not worried about it survivng for long. I know this will be kinda a stupid question but how do I go about banding them? Thanks Orion and kreblak, I knew you guys would help out. I just wanted some info on how if they do start growing, but I think he mainly bites on the live rock. I feed Ghost Shrimp every once in awhile but they don't have a very hard shell. Thanks again guys!

[kreblak]

Triggers, eels, and a puffer... that crayfish won't last 15 seconds! You might as well give him a blindfold and a cigarette before dropping him in! :D

[OrionGirl]

Have you seen lobsters at the supermarket? Same thing--big rubber band, placed over the claws. Has to be TIGHT, since you don't want it to be able to open the claw. Fortunately, it's like a dog' mouth--they apply the most pressure to closing, rather than opening, the claw.

You may be surprised--our trigger won't touch them, but the lion loves crunchy things.

[kreblak]

Oriongirl,
What kind of trigger do you have that won't touch crayfish? My friend has an undulated that's about 9 inches long. He has a creek in his backyard, and we will just wander down there, catch a couple of small crayfish (we only catch 1 inch or smaller), declaw them, and drop them in. The fun usually begins around a minute or so afterwards, as the trigger will circle overhead first. Then he comes in from the rear and tears apart the tail. Once he has eaten the tail, he goes in from the rear again, and halves what is left. Usually he quits after that, and the hermits mop up.

[OrionGirl]

Picasso. He noses them over, just doesn't go after them. Same fish will tear a mantis shrimp to shreds. :rolleyes: Who knows what happens when his two neurons rub together?

[kreblak]

Maybe he just doesn't like FW critters.



Who knows what happens when his two neurons rub together?

:D Well phrased.