switching food for a porcupine puffer

[Maaka]

I have a Porc puffer about 5 inches long who only seems to want to eat goldfish and brine shrimp.

the puffer i had before loved to eat krill, but this one will not touch it.

I was just wondering if there was any advice on getting him off of goldfish and on to a better meal?

 

[tanksfishtank]

Soak the krill in garlic guard. It should attract him to the krill and it is good for their immune system. Hope this helps.

 

[Maaka]

Thanks i'll try that

 

[SkullV]

Krill is a bad food for them. Very fatty and causes lockjaw. Try scallops, fresh table shrimp, fresh clams and mussels soaked in garlic.

 

[Maaka]

Good to know thanks man.

 

[Fish Bowl]

If it's available live shrimp of some sort (or stuff that looks like shrimp such as crawfish) are good starts to getting them on something nutritionally better and at the same time, wearing down their teeth decently until you can get them on clams or other marine based foods (clams,mussels,squid,etc).
Or even better would to offer it a small tank terrorist (Assorted small hermit crabs best use) and see how it reacts to that.

 

[Maaka]

I tried garlic guard and frozen squid but nothing just bites it and spits it out. He will eat snails and crabs but they are to expensive at my lfs to make a steady diet, he will eat crayfish but once again expensive at my lfs. can i try raw shrimp from the grocery store as long as it doesn't have any bad additives?

 

[anbosu]

Just get raw shrimp and freeze it before you feed it to the puffer. You could also get live mussels and clams from the seafood counter to feed your puffer - they are way cheaper than pet store prices.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Is he used to getting his way and being fed his favorites when he refuses new foods? Let him go hungry for several days if you have to, it won't hurt him.

 

[Maaka]

If I let him go hungry will I have to worry about him going after the smaller fish in the tank?

 

[anbosu]

If I let him go hungry will I have to worry about him going after the smaller fish in the tank?

Possibly. Porcs are voracious eaters. I had one eat a 7" lunare wrasse. He was given away after that.

 

[MrTuskfish]

If I let him go hungry will I have to worry about him going after the smaller fish in the tank?

You have to worry about that anyhow. Keeping a predatory fish fed isn't going to stop his predatory instincts. If you have him with fish he can eat, he will sooner or later.