Pea Puffers seem to be morbidly obese

[Kuebeecee]

I have a 55 gallon, very heavily planted tank. I’m letting the setup dwindle so I can make some major adjustments to the tank at some point so there’s currently:

A few Ottos
A few Corys
A few Rasboras
One Dwarf Gourami
A few Pea Puffers

I had a fairly large Ramshorn infestation maybe a year ago. I put in Assassin Snails which did nothing because for some reason they all died off within a couple of months.

I ended up putting in Pea Puffers (I think maybe eight - one died.) They did some serious work on taking out the Ramshorns. The bottom of the tank became a massive graveyard littered with empty shells. They are currently doing a fine job of controlling this population.

I noticed that two of the Pea Puffers are HUGE. They look like giant floating heads. I would say they have been this size for a few months now. Every day I check in on the tank and I am waiting to see them laying at the bottom but they are still cruising through the tank. They seem to camp out in specific areas where I’m assuming the snails are plentiful.

I suppose the question is, what do I do? I have not put one additional piece of food in the tank for them…ever. They are solely alive from hunting Ramshorns. So therefore, I can’t really “cut back” on their feedings unless I somehow eliminate every snail in the tank and then supplement food for them.

It’s really quite funny seeing them up against a “normal” size puffer. But I also know it’s a bad thing. I’m stumped…

 

[Demeter]

Photos? If they are in breeding condition then they will be more plump which would be normal, not saying they will spawn but it has happened in captivity before and fish can become gravid and skip the actual spawning. Seems odd that they would become obese off of hunting for their food though.

 

[Kuebeecee]

Photos? If they are in breeding condition then they will be more plump which would be normal, not saying they will spawn but it has happened in captivity before and fish can become gravid and skip the actual spawning. Seems odd that they would become obese off of hunting for their food though.

It was difficult getting a clear picture. I took a picture of the “normal” size one and then the fatty. You can kind of compare his size to the Corydora below him…

 

[Demeter]

Both look good to me? I’d say they are simply well fed. Like you said, they live off of what they hunt so you cannot regulate their intake. If they act normal then nothing to worry about IMO.