How can I get my Golden Puffer to start eating?

[Jeffrey Merlette]

After wanting a golden puffer for about 6 years, I finally pulled the trigger and had my lfs order me one. I brought him home 2 weeks ago and he seems to be right at home in my 240 gallon fowlr tank. The ph is stable at 8.3, salinity at 1.022, nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia at 0. The problem I am having is that he is refusing to eat. Since I put him in the tank, he has devoured any and all chocolate palythoas that were growing on my rocks (which I am fine with). He has nipped at some leathers and Kenya trees (which I am also fine with) as I just put extra stuff from my reef tank into this tank when it becomes overgrown. I have tried feeding him fresh seafood such as clams, shrimp, and squid but he refuses all of it. There is always a fresh supply of nori in the tank but I never see him touch it. I even tried feeding him live ghost shrimp but he won't even look at them. I put a piece of sponge from my reef tank on my feeding tongs and he immediately ripped into it as soon as I placed it in the tank, but spit it out and lost interest. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to get him to start eating? There are plenty of snails and hermit crabs in the tank as well but he doesn't even look at them. He is being housed with an Australian Harlequin Tusk, an Emperor angel, a powder brown tang, a hippo tang, a pair of cleaner wrasses, and a pair of percula clowns. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated!

 

[jay0705]

Most puffers are carnivores. So the fact yours like corals is intresting. Is the golden usually a coral eater? I would guess rt now hes not eating bc u had enough in your tank for him to eat already

 

[silverado61]

Anything I've read about puffers is they are not reef safe. Which is sad because I would love to have one.

Other than that, I agree with jay. Why hunt when you've got a buffet laid out for you?

 

[jay0705]

I would think not reef safe, would mean inverts and such. I wouldn't have thought they would eat corals lol I've never got one bc I fig they would eat my shrimp

 

[Jeffrey Merlette]

Most puffers are carnivores. So the fact yours like corals is intresting. Is the golden usually a coral eater? I would guess rt now hes not eating bc u had enough in your tank for him to eat already

Well, at this point he has pretty much wiped out everything except for the leathers and some Kenya trees. I don't put anything of value in that tank because the Emperor would devour pretty much any and all corals. I am hoping that maybe he will start eating some prepared foods once he really starts getting hungry? I knew going into purchasing him that he would most likely go after corals as I have seen several videos on you tube of these fish in the wild voraciously scouring corals off of rocks on the reef. It was never a concern as this is really more of a predator tank and I don't keep anything of value in there coral wise.

 

[jay0705]

In that case, or should I say worse case u do have a food supply for him lol

 

[silverado61]

Until that food supply runs out. And at the rate it seems to be eating them, it won't be long. Just be careful, he might get so used to coral being in his diet, when that runs out he might refuse to eat anything else and starve.

Just a thought.

 

[silverado61]

I would think not reef safe, would mean inverts and such. I wouldn't have thought they would eat corals lol I've never got one bc I fig they would eat my shrimp

Coral are considered inverts because they have no vertebrae. And coral are what build reefs.

 

[jay0705]

Good point, generally puffers arnt picky eaters so I would say he ll be fine. Just keep at it, try varies foods

 

[Jeffrey Merlette]

Until that food supply runs out. And at the rate it seems to be eating them, it won't be long. Just be careful, he might get so used to coral being in his diet, when that runs out he might refuse to eat anything else and starve.

Just a thought.

Good point. Well, I guess I should find out soon as there isn't really anything left.

 

[Jeffrey Merlette]

Good point, generally puffers arnt picky eaters so I would say he ll be fine. Just keep at it, try varies foods

Will do. Thanks for the tip!