DarkRevoultions

Hi, I just bought South American Freshwater puffer fishes at about 7:00 and they are in my tank right now, it's nearly 8:15pm soon, but my puffers I didn't see them eat my flake foods yet, but then I checked about 5 min after the flake food is gone.

Do you think they would have eaten it when they were just new arrivals to my tank?

lilFishyfish

(I have 4 d puffers) I'm almost sure yours will not eat flake foods or pellets I know my puffers won't. Although I'm sure some will, you are going to need to feed them shrimp, bloodworms, worms, snails, black worms, also I think some people feed them FW clams. Mostly all live and frozen foods. Also you just got them and so it will take time for them to adjust to the tank, even if you had live or frozen food to feed. Hope this helps!!

lilFishyfish

These are Bee puffers or Brazilian puffers? I also meant to add that their beaks can grows if not given enough hard foods. I think people also trim them because they get to long.

DarkRevoultions

Alright well, uhm I must of forgot to mention that my puffers are only about 1-2" and I have two of them to occupy my 10 gallon, and I don't know if I can feed them betta food, and dried BLOOD worms?? would that be fine?

pinkfloydpuffer

I have never seen a puffer that will eat flake/pellet foods. Even freezedried sometimes doesn't work. Your best bet is with snails, live food, and frozen food. And, as was said earlier, the Amazon puffer's teeth grow much more rapidly than many other puffers', and they will need lots of hard foods to grind down their teeth, unless you want to clip them yourself (not fun).

DarkRevoultions

So I've heard.

I don't know if I can do that.

Can't I just feed them dried blood worms?? and they can probably chew on my java fern and sword plant.

I don't know what to do.. I thought puffers have beaks like everyone else said. Not teeth.

pinkfloydpuffer

You would have to make them unconscious with some clove oil and cut the teeth with cuticle clippers.
You can try, but sometimes they won't accept freezedried foods. I doubt they'll chew on the plants, most puffers won't accept any veggie food of any kind. And variety is very important in a puffer's diet, so I'd definitely get something else for your guy to eat. I feed mine at least 5 different foods.
Puffers have usually two teeth on top and bottom that are fused together into a "beak".

DarkRevoultions

Ah I see. So then what types of food do you feed your puffers?? mine are still small and I doubt that feeder fishes could do it..

Allie

You should have researched the fish more before buying them. Every puffer site says they will eat blood worms and other frozen treats. Snails are anoterh food that you can feed them.

DarkRevoultions

I did, but every resource says that they will sparingly eat flake foods, but dried blood worms, snails, and possibly small fishes are good for them.

So they aren't really interested in my blood worms.

By the way how big of a feeder type of fish should I get for my 1-2" puffer?

I would have the pleco in there, but I should have left the pleco in there, because it never does anything and hopefully the puffers would have gotten it. But instead I returned it along with my other fishes, so then I could trade in for some puffer fish.

Who knew that they were carnivores. By the way can the small puffer even eat a feeder goldfish? or even a sick fish? or should I get some feeder guppies??

Barbrella

You said that you researched them..?

Unless you want them to die of starvation, I suggest you either follow pinkfloydpuffer's and lilFishyfish's advice or take them back to where you got them if you are unable to care for them properly.

Feeding sick fish to other fish could pass on disease. You should never do that.

Nowhere do I see anyone telling you to give them feeder fish.

Allie

I wouldn't feed any fish a feeder fish. Just get frozen blood worms or something like that and they will be happy fish. It says they puffers are carnivores on every site I have read.
You never feed a sick fish to a healthy fish that is just spreading diseases....how long have you been keeping fish?

DarkRevoultions

So then your saying that if I feed them my dried blood worms they will eventually get used to eating it?? instead of the tetra like fishes?? once I saw a whole bunch of brackish puffers kill one single goldfish before :S

Puffers won't eat dead fish too right since I heard that they may have some disease ??

DarkRevoultions

I have no idea, one has stripes, but they are light black, and the other one seems to have large spots like a Jaguar.

I wonder if I could feed the same food as the bettas eat. Dried Blood worms as I might have said a million times xD do you think they could eat it?

Barbrella

No matter how many times you ask, everyone's answer is the same: NO, not dried - frozen,thawed bloodworms, plus live food (not feeder fish), snails and other meaty foods.

I mean this in a kind way, and am saying it for the benefit of both you and your fish - it would be best to stop buying fish you that you don't know how to care for.

Research is very easy on the net. Just go to Google and type in the name of the fish you're interested in and find out all about what it needs first!

Why would you want anything to "get" a pleco?

Allie

No, frozen blood worms.

Allie

Thank you Barberella. People on this forum do what is BEST for the fish...not what`s best for you and the pocket book.
If you aren`t going to listen to people advice DarkRevolutions, then there is no point in asking questions. Not once did anone mention freeze dried anything.

pinkfloydpuffer

DarkRevolutions, I believe you've been given the same info many times.
Puffers need live and frozen foods, but NOT feeder fish. Feeder fish carry disease, and they also don't give the puffers the nutrition they need. You can find frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, tubifex worms, plankton, daphnia, krill, etc at almost any LFS. It will only cost a few bucks, and your puffer will benefit greatly from the nutrition.
And as I have said a billion times, the dried bloodworms may make a good treat after a while, but to get them to eat you must start them on frozen and live foods. Most puffers are very picky eaters.
It really sounds like you didn't do your research. Before I got my first puffer, I did weeks of research and made sure that I had absolutely everything that they would need. A puffer isnt' a fish that you buy just because and then use trial and error to figure out their care.

DarkRevoultions

I can see that, but the man told me that they won't want to eat the food for a few days because they are kind of shy.

The place where I would have to go is about a 30-1 hr of a drive because the pet store here the freezer isn't fixed yet.

I did some research, but the only thing is that I only have the dried blood worms, fish flakes, and no idea where to get feeder guppies since the place where I bought them they feed them some small tetras, and guppies, but they don't sell feeder guppies.

The Brackish ones eat goldfish, and I know mine wont.

Either I might have better luck feeding them feeder guppies, but I might buy a whole bunch to put in my tank or just stick to a few small ones. I put them in my old ten gallon tank that I used as an old hospital tank a long time ago...

I don't know which ones I should do. Keep a whole bunch in with 2 puffers or keep about 4-6 guppies with two puffers....

Lucy

Dark, the members who have been trying to help you have answered this question for you and are trying their best to help.
Asking again about feeder fish is not going to change their answers.

Please don't use the excuse that the store is too far to go to get your pet the proper food. Many of us, including myself live in rural area and travel just as far to get supplies.
(Unless of course, you have no car, no one to give you a ride or no public tansportation available)

I don't keep puffers nor do I know much about them so
I went to this site, perhaps it'll help.
http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/

Good luck

Barbrella

You just quoted pinkfloydpuffer in your reply, yet you are totally ignoring what was said, yet again.


You have three choices:
1 - Take the puffers back to the store
2 - Take the car ride and get them what they need to live
3 - Do nothing and watch them starve to death.

I have a feeling none of these tanks were cycled before you started getting all these fish, but that's another story.

Agree. These questions are just upsetting people, since it appears you will not take any advice.

Just yesterday he/she reported taking a 40 minute bus ride to buy some rams.