Feeding frozen Krill to puffer & lion...

[zeromus-x]

I've been feeding my (blue-spotted) puffer and (dwarf) lion small pieces of krill along with their regular flake diet every few days (the lion won't eat the flakes, so I drop a piece for him more often). The directions say to melt it in water and pour it in. However, I've been giving my puffer a frozen piece of krill so that he can bite into it for a few minutes; I've heard they need to chew solid things to keep their teeth down. I've been feeding the lion about double that portion -- about two pieces of krill frozen together. He's only about 2", but he typically swallows it whole.
Is this bad? Should I be melting it? They seem to be enjoying it, and eat it constantly whenever it's fed.

 

[ophiura]

Personally, I would thaw it out and diversify the diet. Flakes are not really suitable for either of these fish. Try shrimp, squid, silversides...all can be purchased frozen. With the shrimp get some with the shells on for the puffer. But I don't think feeding them frozen shrimp is the best thing for it.

 

[zeromus-x]

Sorry it's been awhile but I figured I'd ask here. Shrimp/etc... I've been told to just get them at the local grocery store. But there are so many kinds! Raw, cooked, salted, shelled, unshelled, large, small... I'm not a seafood person so I don't know WTF the difference is between them. I'd hate to dump a huge piece of shrimp in there and have them not eat it, or worse, get sick because it's the wrong kind.
Any recommendations? Even brands would be good. I also have no idea what silversides are.

 

[lion_crazz]

I would always thaw out the frozen food for my puffer when he was young, but now that he is quite large, on the days when i feed him krill (his absolute favorite), I leave it unthawed so that he can wear his teeth down and chew something. It seems to work nicely. Anything else I give him though (frozen plankton, squidd, clam), I thaw first for him.