Radcliffe

I am now the proud owner of small green pufferfish. The care requirements include very small snails as part of their diet. Any ideas on where I can get snails for them? All the sites I seem to be finding are about how to get rid of them, not how to get them in the first place. Apparently the ones I need are pretty tiny.

Thanks guys!

--R

griffin

usually, i fyou go to a petstore and ask, they will give them to you free. once you get them, you can start breeding them as opposed to going back all the time. i'm sure someone on the forum would also be happy to unload those on you :P just don't harvest too much at the beginning so you have a constant supply

Radcliffe

Oh thats a thought! I am in Kansas USA and would happily pay shipping and handling for teeny pest snails :-)

I will check the pet store too. I ordered a handful of java moss on ebay that came with "free snails" which I am assuming means they have them and can't completely get rid of them. My little pufferfish would enjoy both parts of that deal, I imagine!

--R

griffin

yep the java moss with snails would do it - i would take a few snails out and then keep those separately just to breed too

i just thought of this, but by small green puffer, do you mean a fig 8? if i recall correctly, i think those are brackish --> full marine when they are adults.

bbfeckawitts

Is it a green spotted puffer?
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fres..._P1555_med.jpg
Or a figure 8 puffer?
http://members.tripod.com/extreme_sk...g8puffer_5.JPG
Most pet stores will give you "pest snails" free, which is what you need. They breed incredibly easy, even in a "betta bowl".
Both species need some salt in their water as adults.
Green spotted puffer (saltwater) need SG 1.018-22
and figure 8's (brackish) need SG 1.008-10
Good luck, Brianna

Radcliffe

Yeah that is what I am hoping to do with the java moss. I doubt I will have a problem breeding the snails. When I get my 55 gallon set up (sitting empty in the front room at the moment) the snails will likely become food for clown loaches.

I have 3 tiny green pufferfish, not figure eights, and they are in a species brackish tank. I rescued them from walmart and when they need a bigger tank I can take them to a safe and healthy home at my lfs. Or, if I simply can not bear to part with them, there is the option of the 55 gallon. They were just too cute and too doomed at walmart for me to be able to resist trying to raise them. So far they are eating frozen bloodworms, and soon they will surely notice the ghost shrimp hiding from them. Adding snails to their diet is my next step, as well as slowly raising the salt content (they were in freshwater at walmart).

--R

griffin

cool - they are interesting fish