Feeding a Puffer, Endler, or Betta?

According to my last post, these three fish are my best bet for my son's 3 gallon aquarium set up (putting one of the three in the tank): Dwarf Puffer, Endler, Betta.

What is the best food to feed each of these three types of fish?

Thanks again for all your help!!!

TripleB

 

Hi!

I suggest a Trio of Pygmy gourami for that tank as well.

Betta: Easy to feed. HikarI Bio-gold is the best out there - 3 pellets several times a day. Antison's Betta food is OK as well. It's best to give your Betta a pea every so often as well.
Dwarf puffer:I'm no expert here - but they are carnivorous.
Endeler's:A typical Livebearer. Omnivorous, easy to feed with small pellets and crushed flake food.
Pygmy gourami:I'm no expert here - but I do believe they are like Endeler's to feed.

 

I disagree on the Hikari. It is the best of the foods that use fish meal, but it still uses fish meal. Omega one uses no fish meal, therefore has more complete nutrition.
Like Hatchet said, a piece of pea once a week (I have heard that daphnia does the same thing, or you can do a day of fasting)

Puffers are more difficult to feed. They will not eat dried foods, and often won't eat frozen foods. They love to eat snails and shrimp, but will also take worms.

Endler's, as Hatchet said, can be fed by your favorite general-purpose fish food.

With all fish, but especially with the betta and dwarf, I would suggest giving treats of various sorts, such as freeze-dried bloodworms, krill, bits of norI (the seaweed wrap used for sushi), etc...

 

The "Pygmy gourami", or sparkling Gourami - trichopsis pumila -

The information I can come up with on this fish, is that it is shy, grows to between 3 & 5 cm.....and that a pair need 10 gallons....

 

Well, it looks as though I asked about 2 too many fish. I went on a search to see who in my area carried Puffers, Endlers, and Bettas....everyone in the world carries Bettas (although I did see a couple varieties that I hadn't noticed before) but nobody in my area has any Endlers or Puffers

A thousand other kinds of fish but no Puffers (what my 11 year old was hoping to get) or Endlers.

Thanks for all the advice anyway!!!!

TripleB

 

Hi!

Susitna - what I've been told on Pygmy gouramis - 3cm, don't need an overly huge tank - extremely peaceful. There's a lack of info on this species - who knows? I've seen them listed as Nano fish a few times before.

Hey - if you really want a Dwarf puffer then don't give up on your first trip! You can ask your LFS to get them in for you (I do it at my LFS all the time!), or order them online! I think a Betta would be a really cool fish for your little tank - if you really can't find the others. Take a trip dwn to the 'Betta fish' forum on this site and you'll instantly be in love with these great fish.

 

puffers are vacums give them the right things and they will go crazy. the hard thing is giving them the right thing.

The easyetst thing to feed puffers are pond snails breed in a different container. (Dont worry about breeding the snails if you but 2 next to each other they are breed) the puffers chase the snails and cruch them (or slurp them if the snail is to big) Then you also feed red worms, live or frozen. they get slurped to.

 

what I've been told on Pygmy gouramis - 3cm, don't need an overly huge tank - extremely peaceful. There's a lack of info on this species - who knows? I've seen them listed as Nano fish a few times before.

I understand the idea that they're getting at, but remember that many of us have been told that bettas can live in little .5g (or smaller) bowls. Stores and aquarists make many claims; some are meant to sell more fish, others are just continued misinformation (such as when PetSmarts say that Glassfish need aquarium salt).
Pygmy guorami may be peaceful, and they may be able to survive being in a 3 gallon tank, but this doesn't necessarily mean they'll thrive, just like a betta being able to survive in an undersized tank or bowl doesn't mean that it will thrive.

 

I find Petsmart will get Dwarf Puffers in often. If you have one locally, you could find out if they know when they'll get more in.

Endlers are less commonly found and you'd probably only find them at smaller local stores or Endlers breeders. We'll be shipping out young Endlers starting next month.

 

I love puffers and mine really like freeze dried plankton.Just try to make sure they are never REALLY hungry. One of mine lost his mind and went after the other fish.All is well and I think you will get a lot of enjoyment out of your puffer.