How do you know if Puffers are eating enough?

How do you all know they are eating enough? So far cannot get them to touch blood worms. They do eat the snails though. I just do not know how much each one is eating.

I wonder how many pest snails I am throwing in have hidden before being eaten so the puffers did not eat all I provided for the day.

How many a day should they be eating?

Am I overthinking this?

With the tropical fish, I put out a pinch or 2 of flakes for the fish then some logs/discs for the bottom dwellers and mystery snails and they eat them till they are all gone. None of it can hide so as to not be eaten. I put it in a bowl (cept the flakes) so I can monitor how much is left.

Is there any flake or dried thing they will eat. I have dried brine shrimp, may try them.

They are so so tiny, so so cute, adorable. They stalk and hunt, it is so darn cute.

Oh also, they don't really eat the shells so what do they trim their teeth on really? Do you ever pick out the shells or leave them in there?

 

In my experience they eat mollusks and shrimp. If the snails are small enough they do eat the shells. If you are having issues with overgrown teeth maybe look up a YouTube video on how to trim them(it's a very delicate process) one positive thing about puffers is they don't just constantly eat like other fish. They will also pick at and harass mystery snails and ghost shrimp. The dried brine shrimp may be a good call but also live ones aren't a bad option just not very nutritious unless you grow them out and feed them well before feeding to your puffers. Mine ate frozen bloodworms but didn't care for any freeze dried foods. They also love live blackworms.

 

In my experience they eat mollusks and shrimp. If the snails are small enough they do eat the shells. If you are having issues with overgrown teeth maybe look up a YouTube video on how to trim them(it's a very delicate process) one positive thing about puffers is they don't just constantly eat like other fish. They will also pick at and harass mystery snails and ghost shrimp. The dried brine shrimp may be a good call but also live ones aren't a bad option just not very nutritious unless you grow them out and feed them well before feeding to your puffers. Mine ate frozen bloodworms but didn't care for any freeze dried foods. They also love live blackworms.

These are brand new baby puffers just got this past week, so no idea if their teeth are too long, just a question I had. I do not see them eating the shells yet of the pest bladder snails and ramshorns I am feeding them. They just seem to suck the snail out and the shell just sits there.

When you say live black worms, where do you get them, where do you keep them, or do you mean frozen? I am not going to keep a worm house, LOL. So far I have tried frozen bloodworms and the feeder pest bladder snails and ramshorns, and they ignore the bloodworms so far.

They are just too cute, cannot stand it, LOL. I just put an anubias plant from my 40G into the puffer tank, because it has bladder snails all over it, and they are just in their glory now hovering, stalking all the bladder snails. Hope they get them all.

 

They may be too small to crunch the shells right now. Do you know what species? As far as blackworms the only place I've gotten them from was my fish store but they do sell them online. They're not a bad addition to an aquarium if your puffers don't eat them tho, they are filter feeders and will help keep your water clear.

 

They may be too small to crunch the shells right now. Do you know what species? As far as blackworms the only place I've gotten them from was my fish store but they do sell them online. They're not a bad addition to an aquarium if your puffers don't eat them tho, they are filter feeders and will help keep your water clear.

According to the place I bought them, That Pet Place, they are
Malabar Dwarf Puffer - Carinotetraodon travancoricus

 

Dwarf puffers won’t eat the shells of snails- they’re too small and they’re hunting tactic is to suck the snail out from the shell. If they’re eating even one snail a day they’ll be fine until you can get them eating blood worms. (Also try brine shrimp or any other meaty frozen food). These puffers don’t need live food but it can make the transition easier.

Here are my suggestions for getting them on blood worms or any other frozen food. If you can get a vitamin supplement to add to the blood worms that would be great because it’s not a very nutritious food on its own.

Method A-

1. Get a batch of live black worms (not a huge fan of this food at all but usually it does the trick to get them eating).
2. Get a worm feeder cone or pipette, and put it in the water. The puffers should come up and explore it.
3. Once you’ve got their intrigue, slowly try to feed the live black worms (just 3-4 per puffer)
4. Once they are used to eating black worms, mix in some thawed frozen food. In the same cone of pipette have the live and the frozen food. This way it’ll smell the same(ish) and it’ll be coming from something they’re used to eating from.
5. Phase out the live black worms.

Method B (for if you absolutely cannot handle having live worms)-

1. Get the live food you want to feed and soak it in either garlic or water with crushed snails in it.
2. Get a feeder pipette and suck up the blood worms.
3. Put the pipette into the tank and you’ll eventually get the puffers’ attention. Slowly swirl the pipette and slowly release the frozen food. Try to make it look like it’s swimming out of the pipette. These guys are more apt to bite if they think it might be alive.

Keep in mind that some puffers just refuse to ever eat frozen food, especially if they’re wild caught. But I had many healthy puffers that only ate live food and it was annoying but since you have a surplus of snails you’re set.

You’ll never need to cut their teeth, that’s for larger puffer breeds. Again these guys are too small and because they don’t eat shells in the wild they have evolved not to need constantly growing teeth.

 

Ah ok. Alykat is right on that stuff. They stay pretty tiny. But do note they are a very aggressive fish towards other species so it's best to keep them in a species only environment. Unlike leopard or figure 8 puffers which tend to be aggressive towards their own species. Also just random stuff they are exclusively freshwater so no need to make their water more brackish as they get older.

 

Dwarf puffers won’t eat the shells of snails- they’re too small and they’re hunting tactic is to suck the snail out from the shell. If they’re eating even one snail a day they’ll be fine until you can get them eating blood worms. (Also try brine shrimp or any other meaty frozen food). These puffers don’t need live food but it can make the transition easier.

Here are my suggestions for getting them on blood worms or any other frozen food. If you can get a vitamin supplement to add to the blood worms that would be great because it’s not a very nutritious food on its own.

Method A-

1. Get a batch of live black worms (not a huge fan of this food at all but usually it does the trick to get them eating).
2. Get a worm feeder cone or pipette, and put it in the water. The puffers should come up and explore it.
3. Once you’ve got their intrigue, slowly try to feed the live black worms (just 3-4 per puffer)
4. Once they are used to eating black worms, mix in some thawed frozen food. In the same cone of pipette have the live and the frozen food. This way it’ll smell the same(ish) and it’ll be coming from something they’re used to eating from.
5. Phase out the live black worms.

Method B (for if you absolutely cannot handle having live worms)-

1. Get the live food you want to feed and soak it in either garlic or water with crushed snails in it.
2. Get a feeder pipette and suck up the blood worms.
3. Put the pipette into the tank and you’ll eventually get the puffers’ attention. Slowly swirl the pipette and slowly release the frozen food. Try to make it look like it’s swimming out of the pipette. These guys are more apt to bite if they think it might be alive.

Keep in mind that some puffers just refuse to ever eat frozen food, especially if they’re wild caught. But I had many healthy puffers that only ate live food and it was annoying but since you have a surplus of snails you’re set.

You’ll never need to cut their teeth, that’s for larger puffer breeds. Again these guys are too small and because they don’t eat shells in the wild they have evolved not to need constantly growing teeth.

I have the cone thingy, gonna try again later, but honestly they must be full. I have been throwing snails in there pretty much all day. Good thing I do not have to cut their teeth, phew.

Ah ok. Alykat is right on that stuff. They stay pretty tiny. But do note they are a very aggressive fish towards other species so it's best to keep them in a species only environment. Unlike leopard or figure 8 puffers which tend to be aggressive towards their own species. Also just random stuff they are exclusively freshwater so no need to make their water more brackish as they get older.

This tank is all theirs, just the little puffers, and the snails I feed them. Not sure if any have escaped and hidden, but if they have I am sure they will have their own self-replenishing supply soon.

I think when they first arrived anytime I went near the tank they hid, but they are getting more used to me. They realize when I come on over to their tank, I am bringing those yummy snail things they like so much. So, maybe they might check out the frozen worms now.