New puffer biting tank

[DesertBandits]

You see your fish reflected in the tank's glass because you are looking through two pieces of glass (through the front pane onto the side pane). The fish who looks through one pane of glass does not see its reflection like you do. Whatever the fish could see of itself would be very faint if anything. Go into a well lit area and look into a single pane of glass for proof.

 

[Jasonanatal]

Soundgeek I once had a Brittle Sea Star in the tank and the puffers would nip at it every chance they got. I would no recommend it but depending on the temperment on the Puffer you might be able to get away with it.

 

[sean48183]

RNelson you were asking about a cleanup crew? Get a large hermit. You have never seen the kind of scavenging these guys can do. If your rocks aren't that big you might not want one. They can move some rocks around but will go through your substrate continously. And when I say go thru it I mean go thru it. And best of all your puffer won't go near him.

 

[rnelson]

sean48183,

Good idea.....do you know where I could find one?

BTW, my puffer is eating like crazy.....I was trying to hand-feed my Zebra Eel and my puffer would swim all the way across the tank before I could get my hand down to the bottom to feed the eel. These puffers are amazingly fast! They don't look that quick, but they really pick up speed when there's food to be found !

 

[zemuron114]

Puffers do this to try and file down their teeth. Feed him clams WITH shell or anything with a hard shell (crabs to) If their teeth get to large for their mouth they will starve them selves and slowly die and manual filing is a must!

 

[stevebydac]

I second the hard-shell feeding idea. I got away with large supermarket shrimp still in the shell. That kept my puffer's teeth down. Plus I noticed he munched on the rock I had in the tank. I don't know if he was getting food off the rock or just trimming his teeth. Whatever, it worked.

Gorgeous puffer, BTW, I forgot to say that before.

 

[Jasonanatal]

I personally like to drop in live Fresh Water Fiddler Crabs to help grind down the teeth and to give my puffers alittle bit of exercise in the process. It's like watching my own personal Animal Planet show.

 

[Dubbin1]

My S&S never once tried to take a bite out of the tank. Just make sure you feed him things that will keep his teeth filed down.

 

[rnelson]

DesertBandits, good point about the glass. Maybe he was either grinding his teeth or just testing the sides to get a feel for what he's now living in. He's got 8' to swim in, so hopefully he'll be happy.

zemuron114, thanks for the feeding advice.

stevebydac, I fed him several pieces of unpeeled shrimp last night....he loved it. Thanks for the compliment.

Jasonanatal, is the fiddler crabs just a treat or is that his regular menu item?

Dubbin1, he's quit doing it now.....hope it stays that way!

 

[Jasonanatal]

Rnelson, the fiddler crabs are just a treat/exercise. I usually feed them Frozen Krill, Silver Sides, Squid. The live food are just treats to make them feel like their back home in the ocean.

 

[rnelson]

I fed him about 8 pieces of krill tonight....he really has an unbelievable appetite...I hand-fed him, he doesn't seem to mind my hand and hasn't tried to bite it (yet )

 

[LRS078]

This is why puffers and acrylic don't mix

My golden giving everyone a "smile"

 

[stevebydac]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6768376#post6768376 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rnelson
I fed him about 8 pieces of krill tonight....he really has an unbelievable appetite...I hand-fed him, he doesn't seem to mind my hand and hasn't tried to bite it (yet )

He's always going to want to eat a lot because he is growing into a big fish. And you usually don't see puffers biting as a sign of meanness. Usually they get you while pulling the food from your hand. But even if it is an accident, it gets your attention. My big boy was 11" when he got me on the finger and it wasn't pleasant. :eek1:

 

[LRS078]

Also keep in mind growth/size in a puffer is at least 2.5x the caloric intake of other fish like tangs/angels/etc as they are so thick...think mass versus just length. Also explains why they make such a mess of a tank so quick.

The "teeth" thing is almost never aggressive, its just how they express excitement. Also, being a puffer, they experience the world via their mouth so think underwater infant in that respect...

Oh, one thing I found helps keep them occupied and is VERY good for them...fresh mussels. Get him a pound of those and drop at least one in the tank daily. Depending on puffer size either open it up totally and let him pick it out or just get it started and let him finish it up. The shell will also help keep beak worn properly (way better than shell on shrimp)

Congrats on a very cool fish...

 

[Jasonanatal]

Lrs708, beautiful Puffer.

 

[LRS078]

Thx Jason...we are quite fond of him.

 

[rnelson]

Last night I was feeding shrimp in my FOWLR tank.....I have a Blue Head Wrasse in there, so I shred a few pieces of shrimp for him, since he has a smaller mouth. I hadn't fed anyone in the tank the day before, so the inhabitants were a little hungry. I was on a stool, shredded the shrimp and then stuck my hand into the water to release the pieces. Well, I forgot to account for Puffy, my 9" Stars n Stripes puffer. He must have been really close, because my hand was in the water for maybe 2 seconds and he bit the everloving crap out of my finger. He's usually very gentle when I feed him by hand, but I guess he was just really hungry. It bled for about 10 minutes. The worst part was the surprise about getting bit. I never saw it coming. Hopefully I won't make this same mistake again. He left a pretty good set of marks on my finger, OUCH!

 

[I like Triggers]

about how long are the teeth on that guy?

 

[rnelson]

I don't really know....his uppers extend down past his upper lip, but not by alot....maybe by 1/8" at most. Like I mentioned earlier, he is usually pretty gentle about taking food from my fingers. I've hand fed him from the first day he was in the tank. He's been in there about 3 weeks now. Do they file their teeth down on the live rock, or if not that, do I need to give him something to eat that has a shell on it?