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rickyrcd
Guest
hi I just got a porkcupine puffer 2 days ago and he's not eating
and being very shy is this normal please let me know thanks
and being very shy is this normal please let me know thanks
kittykitty
Member
You probably got a shy one. Don't worry, he will perk up in a while, and eventually, he will get used to you and become very friendly. They are the coolest fish, IMO.
stacyt
Active Member
What have you tried feeding? I feed mine frozen shrimp, fish, squid, and silver sides. You may want to start off trying to feed it krill. Seems most puffers love it, and can't resist. Also he will outgrow a 55, if that's the tank that you have him in, so be prepared to da an upgrade in the future, or find a new home for him. You'll probably be able to keep him for a couple of years, depends on how fast he grows.
chandler04
Active Member
55 Gallon is plenty of room. you guys are always like this. You need to chill a little bit. Some people, like me, happen to have limited $$$ and cant get a huge 240 gallon tank. I'm 15, I mow lawns to maintain my tank, It is 55, and my fish have plenty of room. If I wasn't too lazy to clean my tank and not let the cleaners clean the filth, I would get a puffer. But the puffy would eat the snails, so I cant. Puffers are great, and definitely shy at first, and I agree with Kitty, they are awesome. They will swim around, chill out, go up and down the tank. They know when u come in the room and what time it is to eat. I had one that would never puff, totally fearless. But also try feeding him silversides. That beak of his can definitely bite out those little fish. Dont underfeed him though. I underfed mine once to try and lower ammonia and nitrates. He chomped my angel, killed my little koran:nope: But that was way back when. He will perkup though, they all do. Have fun with yer fish, and dont worry about yer tank size. It's fine. Just get good filtration cuz he will eat and poop ALOT. LOL:yes:
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rickyrcd
Guest
thanks everybody for your input i just hope he perks up this is the
third day and he is still not eating and just laying on the bottom
of thank and thanks again
third day and he is still not eating and just laying on the bottom
of thank and thanks again
chandler04
Active Member
But that's in a couple of years though. i know that they get big, and yes, I have seen huge ones, but if he gets too big, sell him back, get another little one and start over again. It's as if you cant get any fish without having to get rid of em anyway with a 55. All the fish I want, its as if I cant get em. I thought 55 was big, but I GUESS im worng then. Spent a whole summer saving up to get it, now my summer has been ruined. thanx a lot guys. im just a kid trying to make it in this hobby. I have had these fish, they dont grow that big for a while. Plenty of time to enjoy him. K?????
barry cuda
Member
Chandler, nobody's trying to be critical of you or tell you that you can't enjoy the hobby...it's just that some fish need a certain amount of room to flourish. A 55 isn't small, but it isn't really that big either. Kind of a medium-sized tank in my opinion.
None of these people would be doing you any favors if they said "Yeah, go ahead, put whatever you want in the 55, it'll be great." They're just trying to give advice that will result in the best care for your fish and the best experience for you as a fishkeeper. I know a larger tank costs more money and it's not always easy to come up with enough cash for what we'd like to do. That doesn't mean you shouldn't take the constraints of your setup into account when picking livestock. Believe me, even with a somewhat larger tank, there are still constraints. I really want a volitans lion, but we plan to have cardinals, clowns, various shrimp/hermits and a number of other bite-sized critters in this tank. So, no lion. And even with a 100-gallon tank, I still don't have room for some of the things I'd like. Panther grouper? Nope. Queen angel? Nope. Tangs? Questionable...maybe 1. IMHO it's just something we have to live with as aquarists.
I know it's frustrating, but don't let it stop you from enjoying the hobby. In the end, you'll SAVE money by not having to replace fish that wasted away in too small a tank and didn't make it. There are so many absolutely fascinating aspects to this hobby that don't require a monster tank to enjoy...don't be put off because you have a medium-sized setup. You can still have a kick-a$$ tank in that size, or any other.
Just my $.02
None of these people would be doing you any favors if they said "Yeah, go ahead, put whatever you want in the 55, it'll be great." They're just trying to give advice that will result in the best care for your fish and the best experience for you as a fishkeeper. I know a larger tank costs more money and it's not always easy to come up with enough cash for what we'd like to do. That doesn't mean you shouldn't take the constraints of your setup into account when picking livestock. Believe me, even with a somewhat larger tank, there are still constraints. I really want a volitans lion, but we plan to have cardinals, clowns, various shrimp/hermits and a number of other bite-sized critters in this tank. So, no lion. And even with a 100-gallon tank, I still don't have room for some of the things I'd like. Panther grouper? Nope. Queen angel? Nope. Tangs? Questionable...maybe 1. IMHO it's just something we have to live with as aquarists.
I know it's frustrating, but don't let it stop you from enjoying the hobby. In the end, you'll SAVE money by not having to replace fish that wasted away in too small a tank and didn't make it. There are so many absolutely fascinating aspects to this hobby that don't require a monster tank to enjoy...don't be put off because you have a medium-sized setup. You can still have a kick-a$$ tank in that size, or any other.
Just my $.02
dicemanj
Member
Chandler, I understand where you are coming from. before I went to SW, I had a 55 with Oscars in it. I would buy two and about 8-12 months later they would outgrow my tank. I would sell them back to the store and start all over with two little ones. I had a blast doing this for about 3 years, it was neat to see the different personalities of the fish. Keep in mind that it may be hard to find a LFS that has room for an 12inch puffer.
On the flip side, people on this site give very sound advice for the long term fish keeper. They are giving people the correct information. One other thing to keep in mind, ask questions, get lots of opinions and research and make up your own mind.
I belong to another SWF message board and at times there are topics that have complete different opinions on topics. For example, quickrete play sand, most people on this site do not recomend it, on the other site most people do recomend it. For the most part I believe this site has more experience and knowledge.
On the flip side, people on this site give very sound advice for the long term fish keeper. They are giving people the correct information. One other thing to keep in mind, ask questions, get lots of opinions and research and make up your own mind.
I belong to another SWF message board and at times there are topics that have complete different opinions on topics. For example, quickrete play sand, most people on this site do not recomend it, on the other site most people do recomend it. For the most part I believe this site has more experience and knowledge.