food for spiny puffer

[kraig m.]

I'm sure you all remember me from the nitrate question, which I have been helped with that problem. It was thrown out there by someone that maybe that I should try giving the puffer some other type's of food. I am feeding him freeze dried krill. I know that they love to eat mollusks and crustaceans. Some one suggested that I could feed him mussels or cockles. My question is where can I get him these types of food that he would like. I actually have crabs in the tank now. I have 1 blue legged, 1 red legged, and the other is some sort of real big crab, that has black and white colored legs. I tried to get big enough ones so he couldn't eat them. And I have 4 snails. 3 turbo snails and 1 murex snail. I did have something like 10 murex snails that appeared on some live rock I bought, and he made quick work of them. When I first got him he swam around, especially at night, pointed down looking for food. I'v had him for quite a while now and he doesn't do that anymore. He doesn't act like he is hunting at all. I guess he's got use to me feeding him. Well I would like to introduce him back to some type of crunchy food. Something live would be best. But I live in West Virginia and they are no fish markets around here. And I heard that you do not want to feed anything raw to him. They can get diseases from it. Is there any web-sites that I could order such type's of food for him. I just want to feed him what would be best for his health. Around here all I could find that he would like is freeze dried krill. Except for the murex snails, which he must have loved. No one sells those around here. Like I said they just showed up on the live rock. Thanks
kraig m.

 

[OrionGirl]

There are shell-on foods available: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9070&N=2004+6120, plus others at the same site. Grocery stores frequently have a variety of appropriate foods as well--shell on shrimp, crab and lobster legs (they'll often give these to you free because they can't sell the small chunks that break off). Raw is fine--it's actually better than cooked, contains more nutrients.

 

[kraig m.]

I checked at the store on what you said about the crab and lobster legs, and they didn't have any at the time. But I was thinking, how about crawdads. Would that be a suitable food for him. I can get those at the grocery store also, and I was thinking about catching them out of the creeks and streams around here. Would it be ok to do that? Would he catch anything from the live crawdads out of the streams. I am waiting for a delivery from a UV sterilizer now, and I thought they suppose to help for diseases that the fish can catch from raw types of foods. By the way thanks for the web site enformation. I found the cockle. But the kind that was in the shell was kind of expensive. If I can find something around here that he would like that would be helpful. Thats why I was thinking about trying the crawdads. I just needed to know if that would be ok.

 

[FloridaBoy]

Well, I have to admire your dedication, that puffer has a friend indeed.
I don't see why you couldn't offer a small crawdad now and then, but freeze them first. I usually suggest sticking with marine-based foods, sometimes freshwater live foods can create internal problems for marines. I know you're a ways from the ocean, but years ago, I had a tiny seven inch snowflake eel, I used to go to the beach a lot here in Florida... there is have a small bivalve called the coquina... they bury themselves in the sand along the tide line, and I would gather up a bucket once or twice a year and freeze them; the little guy loved them. Also had a beautiful golden dog-face puffer years ago, and I would do the same; you can also gather sand fleas also called mole crabs; fishermen use them for pompano bait. The important thing to do is offer a variety, many can be found at your local supermarket seafood counter; squid, clams, raw shrimp can all be washed/frozen/stored then rotated with the krill. Soak them in Zoe or Selcon from time to time to widen the intake spectrum/vitamin reserve. Saltwater mussels are seasonally available; opening one partway and allowing your puffer-buddy to finish the job will provide natural feeding patterns. Word of caution; these "heavy" foods will only make your soaring nitrates higher; serious skimming and water change protocol are the rule, not the exception. Underfeed, Underfeed, Underfeed.

 

[agilis]

Spiny Puffer food

Try small freshwater snails, if you can find a steady supply. I get mine from my fw aquarium. Small is best because there is a minimum of messy fragments. One crunch, and down the hatch they go. My Spiny Boxfish (Chilomycterus shoepfi) is addicted to them. He also pops down Hikari Marine A Pellets like they were candy. I have had this one for 6 months, and have kept others in the past. When I caught him in August (I like to catch my own fish) he was less than an inch, including his tail. He is now slightly more than 2 inches long. Live blackworms were a favorite when he was tiny. He now relishes an occasional garden worm, though I rarely give any to him. They are quite messy when disassembled by those fusiform teeth. The skimmer foams up a storm after a worm or two. Snails are excellent food, and will help start the fish eating pellets. Live food is best, followed by frozen. High quality pellets are an excellent staple.

 

[kraig m.]

I do appreciate all the input guys. I'v been feeding him krill since I'v had him. I first was giving him frozen krill, and he got to where he wouldn't eat that so well, and I switched to freeze dried, and he loved it. I just want to give him a variety. If I did give him crawdads, snails, mussels, and other types of crusteacians it wouldn't be all the time. It would be more for a treat. I know I really need to take care of this nitrate problem first. Which I have started doing. I have cut back on his feeding quite a bit. The eel never ate as much anyway so it's not a problem with him. But I'm sure the eel would like something different too. I'v started doing water changes every week besides every two weeks or every month. And am going to add a DSB, or a refrigium. That's actually what I was thinking of doing. Couldn't I just add on a refrigium type sump. Just use an overflow box like the one I have running to my other sump. And in the refrigium put either a DSB or some miracle mudd with some macroalgae growing in it. I guess I could do that couldn't I. Well back to the feeding. I thought about buying a clean up crew, and what snails he ate I could replace that way he can hunt for his food some like in the wild. I think that would be more natural. And I do go to the beach on vacation when I can. I also have alot of family members that go every summer. I was thinking that when I did go to the beach I could buy a good quantity of marine foods that he would like, and freeze them. That way I would have the foods that he likes to eat. And when my family members go I'll get them to pick up the some things also. He has just gotten here lately where he wont take the krill as well as he did before. It' like he is getting tired of it. Who could blame him though the same thing everyday would get tiresom. Its not going to last much longer though. I'll find something for him around here until I get to the beach to pick up something better and fresher for him. Thanks again for all the help.
kraig m.