green spotted puffer food

[mlefessler]

What I would do to treat internal parasites - I had a little scare with my figure-8 puffer - so I went out and bought a product that's called "Gel-Tek Ultra Cure PX". If your local fish store carries it, I would highly recommend it. Internal parasites are to be treated through food, not in the water. I still, to this day, give my puffers a few drops of the stuff once a week to prevent the possibility of a parasite popping up. Then usually once a week, I will feed them a pea or two (it will clear their system out and prevent and blockage or backup).

As far as the garlic goes - I usually buy the stuff that's in a jar, and use the juice that's in it. When you thaw your food, put a few drops of the garlic juice on the food and let it soak. When ready to feed, remove any particles of garlic from the food. However, if you are going to use the Gel-Tek, I would skip the garlic. The medicine contains a natural fish pheromone that will make it attractive to eat!

As far as freeze dried foods, it's always best to feed them frozen foods, for they are carnivorous fish. They like to hunt for it! Freeze dried, you can try. I can't guarantee it, but he might learn to accept it if given along with frozen foods. Remember to vary their diets - thawed people shrimp, bloodworms (mine goes crazy for bloodworms!), snails (must not be the Malaysian Trumpet Snails, but the pond snails that are about as big as their eye), clams, mussels, krill, plankton, etc. etc.

Hope that helps!

 

[nmrsco]

Ill look for that gel tek stuff. I cant find any garlic, so that will have to wait. groovitudedude- that website is great
thanks guys
Nick

 

[MsPuff]

My gsp eats freeze dried foods, I just soak it in tank water with some garlic in it (i use fresh) and he gobbles it right up. He especially likes freeze dried krill. He does get frozen people shrimp, mussels, and live pond snails most of the time though. The freeze dried is genereally for when i'm feeling lazy... or trying to conserve the frozen food.

 

[SpockthePuffer]

MsPuff listed some great foods. People Shrimp, Mussels and Clams will really fatten him up nicely. You just have to freeze the food first, then defrost in tank water. Its also really great if you buy some vitamins and soak them in tank water mixed with vitamins.

I would suggest you buy a 30 gallon instead of spending money on a 10 or 20 gallon. That size tank will work for a little while but you will have to upgrade to at least 30 and you'll save money just buying the correct size tank first.

 

[SpockthePuffer]

Also, if you do feed freezdried, make sure you soak the food well before feeding. You wouldn't want the puffer to get air in his tummy from the unsoaked food.

 

[nmrsco]

thanks for the advice everyone oh and i caught a ton of quahogs the other day but i just cooked them today too bad i didnt think to give him any

 

[nmrsco]

i tried to feed him freeze dried tubifex worms but he just spat them out(and made a huge mess of the tank) its hard to get him to eat things that aren't alive

 

[Bansart]

Hi. I just wanted to add that you should give your GSP plenty of pond snails. They need to feed on pond snails every now and then so their teeth gets grinded and stays short (Like a Hamster). I totally know what you mean by feeling bad. Thats where I got my GSPs (WALLMART). I saw three of them in a 10Gallon tank while accompanying my gf and I told myself I wont buy it. But I felt really bad for them (all they had was an areator..NO FILTRATION). I couldnt stop thinking about it so I went back and bought all three and unfornutanetly only 1 survived named BRUNO. The next week there was at least 15 of them cramed in the 10 gallon and I just shook my head:headshake2: and walked away. Thank goodness that same wallmart closed down their Fish Department last year. Oh and just to really get some people really ticked off, at the time when I purchased the GSP the employee handling the fish dept. told me they are fully fresh water through out their life and when I asked him about brackish conditons he just simply replied "brackish what?...whats brackish?"
I agree with pufferpunk.. the bigger the tank the better.. I hope your GSP grows healthy and happy.

 

[nmrsco]

thanks for the information bansart. i get free pond snails from my local pet store for my cichlids sometimes, so thats great. its terrible how they keep fish at walmart, and the guy i talked to said that the plumbing wasnt working, so most of the tanks werent filtered at all

 

[groovitudedude]

Hi. I just wanted to add that you should give your GSP plenty of pond snails. They need to feed on pond snails every now and then so their teeth gets grinded and stays short (Like a Hamster). I totally know what you mean by feeling bad. Thats where I got my GSPs (WALLMART). I saw three of them in a 10Gallon tank while accompanying my gf and I told myself I wont buy it. But I felt really bad for them (all they had was an areator..NO FILTRATION). I couldnt stop thinking about it so I went back and bought all three and unfornutanetly only 1 survived named BRUNO. The next week there was at least 15 of them cramed in the 10 gallon and I just shook my head:headshake2: and walked away. Thank goodness that same wallmart closed down their Fish Department last year. Oh and just to really get some people really ticked off, at the time when I purchased the GSP the employee handling the fish dept. told me they are fully fresh water through out their life and when I asked him about brackish conditons he just simply replied "brackish what?...whats brackish?"
I agree with pufferpunk.. the bigger the tank the better.. I hope your GSP grows healthy and happy.

Ummm..... she didn't say anything yet