So i just got a dogface puffer yesterday and got some San Francisco bay krill and then read that they will need more than just that. So today i bought 4 muscles and 4 jumbo shrimp. I got home and threw in the muscle on a half shell and he ate most of it and then i gave him some krill and he also ate most of that. Question is how long should i leave the half shell in there for? He keeps coming back to nibble on it so thats why i ask. Also what should i feed him each day?
Puffer feeding questions
- Thread starter Adam S
- Start date
Stuart60611
New member
Remove the mussel shell once he has eaten most of it. You do not want it to rot in the system and negatively affect your levels. You definitely do not want to just feed your puffer krill because he will develop the vitamin deficiency of lock jaw. Generally, everything in the below thread applies except your dogface will likely refuse pellets. Feed your dogface a variety of larger marine flesh items with an emphasis on crustacean meat soaked in a vitamin supplement once daily so that his stomach becomes nicely rounded but not like a golf ball. See the below link for some ideas. Pretty much anything from the ocean will work but stay closer to crustaceans and avoid faty fish.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1864723&highlight=feed
Stuart60611
New member
Yes, you always want to freeze any marine items you feed so as to kill any bacteria, parasites, or other pathogens. I know this hobby can be very expensive. The good news is a vitamin supplement (vitachem or selecon) costs around $10.00 US and should last many months. You only need a small amount (drops) per feeding. So, as far as expense goes in this hobby, not on the expensive side.
Stuart60611
New member
I do not think either petsmart or petco caries the vitamin supplement. You need to go to a higher end LFS or get it on line.
There are two ways to go about feeding in this way that I find to be the best. First, you can purchase a bunch of varying marine meats, freeze them, and defrost some of each. You then cut up all of the varying meats into appropriately sized bites and then soak the cut up meat mixture for a while in the vitamin supplement. You can then take this soaked mixture of meat, place it on a cookie sheet in a thin layer or in an icecube tray and refreeze. You then can break off a frozen chunk or defrost a cube of the mixture for feeding whenever you need to.
Second, you can take a chuck of different meats, defrost, cut up into bite size pieces, and soak in the supplment for about 1 hour and feed. With this approach, you only take out enough meat for defrosting and cut it up to use for 1 feeding. Obviously, this process needs to be repeated daily.
ok great, thanks for all the info...i guess ill be going to get some vitachem tomorrow. So just to get this right, i should get like krill,shrimp,scallops and watever else and chop it up and soak it in the vitamins then freeze it. After that i have muscles so how often should i throw those in on half shells? It seems like my puffer was biting on rocks and now i noticed that he ate the aptasia lol so i dont know if he just wanted those.
Stuart60611
New member
It is real good that your puffer is biting on the rocks. The only reason you need to feed shelled food is if your puffer starts to literally get long in the tooth. Many dogfaces, including mine, like to do their own denistry by biting the rocks so shelled food is not necessary. It will be real obvious if this is an issue for you. Just note to look at his beak daily and see if it ever starts to get long. When it does, you will likely see him bite on the rocks and then the beak will be filed down and much shorter. Otherwise, you will have to feed him shelled food probably weekly. Most of the time this is unnecessary if you have a good amount of rock in the tank, and your puffer learns his denistry.
As to the rest of your post, you understand how to make the food correctly. When i feed clams or mussels, i just scoup out the meat out of the shell and chop it up and soak it the mixture with the other meats.
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Also when i give him shrimp i should take the shell off the shrimp right? And will he be alright if i feed him just shrimp and krill soaked in vitamins for a while or do i need to get him scallops and other stuff as well? I will get the scallops and other things like squid later on but for now will the other 2 do? thanks
Stuart60611
New member
I just cut the shrimp shell and all and feed it in pieces with the shell on. The shell in not very thick on the shrimp, and puffers consume the shell which is a very good source of calcium. I really think you need a couple of other items also to provide good nutrition. Table shrimp and krill alone, even soaked in a vitamin supplement, does not provide enough variety. One of the keys to good fish nutrition is variety. We can never even come close to feeding the variety of items a puffer in wild will consume. However, we need to at least sufficiently vary the items fed to avoid nutritional deficiency. Many fish ailments or shortened life spans can be traced to poor nutrition. You can certainly just feed these two items soaked in a vitamin supplement exclusively for a bit. But I would not do so for any extended period.
Stuart60611
New member
I would stay away from bloodworms or other fresh water organisms. They generally do not have the appropriate nutritional profile and sometimes can be very high in fat and cause serious health problems and shortened life spans of marine fish. There are exceptions, such as PE Mysis (which is too small a food item for your puffer) and others, but this generally holds true.
reefergeorge
New member
My dogface loved to eat my favorite zoas. 
How big is he?
I feed my porcupine puffer four times a week until he has a little bulge is his belly. He mainly eats mussles, and clams soaked in vita chem or selcon. Vita chem is a vitamin, and selcon is for fatty acids. Both should be at any decent LFS. I leave the shells in the tank until he starts to ignore them. I would encourage him to bite on the shells to help with his teeth.
I also mix it up with silversides, shrimp, squid, or the large NLS pellets, (if he goes for them)
As for the krill. It isn't horrible for them, or going to kill him over night. It just shouldn't be the main food source.
How big is he?
I feed my porcupine puffer four times a week until he has a little bulge is his belly. He mainly eats mussles, and clams soaked in vita chem or selcon. Vita chem is a vitamin, and selcon is for fatty acids. Both should be at any decent LFS. I leave the shells in the tank until he starts to ignore them. I would encourage him to bite on the shells to help with his teeth.
I also mix it up with silversides, shrimp, squid, or the large NLS pellets, (if he goes for them)
As for the krill. It isn't horrible for them, or going to kill him over night. It just shouldn't be the main food source.
ok good to know. Hes around 4 inches. I just picked up a seafood meadly at the grocery store and its got shrimp,squid,ocopus and probably some crab. Im not sure exactly what i should be looking for to know when he has had enough food. I know i should look for a bulge but how big. Any pictures by any chance?
Stuart60611
New member
Just look for his belly to look rounded but not a major gut. As you get used to him you will get a good sense on how much to feed him. You will also notice he starts to loose some vigor for food when he has had enough. You do not want a lot of food matter decaying in the tank. To be safe and since it is your only fish, there is nothing wrong with giving him multiple smaller feedings until you get a better sense of things.
To save some $, look around and see if you have any fish markets. They are usually the cheapest.
To save some $, look around and see if you have any fish markets. They are usually the cheapest.
ok i think i know what im looking for cause yesterday after i fed him he just rested on some rocks.
Yea once i know where some fish markets are i will check those out but me and my parents have no idea so for now we just got this which should last and then i have krill, trigger formula, jumbo shrimp and some muscles.
Yea once i know where some fish markets are i will check those out but me and my parents have no idea so for now we just got this which should last and then i have krill, trigger formula, jumbo shrimp and some muscles.
Stuart60611
New member
Ok, good, you sound like you are all set up. Congrats and enjoy your new friend.
I go to the grocery store and save! to feed all my big guys
octopus bag of 12 whole babies is $8
scallup
uncooked shrimp huge bag $7
tilapia fillet 8 for $6
whole beef heart (fw) $1
octopus bag of 12 whole babies is $8
scallup
uncooked shrimp huge bag $7
tilapia fillet 8 for $6
whole beef heart (fw) $1
