New porcupine puffer, shy and not eating

drake94

drake94

Member
I just got a porcupine puffer about a day and a half ago from my LFS, however he is not eating (which I know is sometimes normally for new puffers) and is so shy! All he does is lay in the corner of the tank. When I walk by the tank or look at him he gets scared and go the other direction. Did I get a lazy/shy/non-eating puffer? Or will this eventually all go away?
Thanks!
Drake
 
drake94

drake94

Member
I only have a domino damsel in with him and i have offered frozen krill for two days. Will he always be shy?
 
nicetry

nicetry

Active Member
Originally Posted by drake94
I only have a domino damsel in with him and i have offered frozen krill for two days. Will he always be shy?
They're actually pretty social fish and should be out and about much of the time. You want to improve the diet. Krill is overused as a food for predators and should not be a staple diet. Get some chopped mussell, clam, squid, shrimp with the shell on, and scallops. Rotate these and use supplements like selcon or zoe. Watch your water parameters too. Some fish will appear listless if things are out of whack.
 
nicetry

nicetry

Active Member
Originally Posted by drake94
ok. how much longer should I expect my puffer not to eat?
It may take a few days. It should start showing interest in food fairly soon. Is it an adult fish or a juvenile. Did you see it eat at the lfs or was it mail ordered?
Again, offer some different foods and see what happens. If the fish is otherwise healthy and the not being stressed, it should accept food in short order.
 
drake94

drake94

Member
It's juvenile. The guy at the LFS said that he fed it right before we bought it so I assume it was eating in the store. Also what would be the best kind of trigger to put it with? I like the blue line, clown, and picasso.
 
nicetry

nicetry

Active Member
Originally Posted by drake94
It's juvenile. The guy at the LFS said that he fed it right before we bought it so I assume it was eating in the store. Also what would be the best kind of trigger to put it with? I like the blue line, clown, and picasso.
I would not add a trigger in with the puff. In many cases, the two do not get along and I think you'd see the trigger harass the puffer. All three of those triggers have the potential for a great deal of aggression. What size tank do you have?
 
leftyblite

leftyblite

Member
My puffer hid in the corner for a few days too when I got him. Now he swims all over the tank. Juveniles seem to spook more easily. Mine fed off of a stick after a few days and now he is hand fed. I would not recommend a trigger. I put a niger trigger in with my puffer that was about half the size of the puffer and the trigger constantly harrassed the puffer. Luckily my LFS let me return the trigger. Good luck.
 
sandi

sandi

Member
My Proc. Puffer was very shy in the beginning but after he gets used to his new surroundings I am sure he will be fine. These fish are great. They have such cute personalities. Mine will come to the top of the tank as soon as he sees me come in the room. He will swim back and forth until I come over to the tank and say hi. At feeding time he gets excited and spits water. I swear they have the cutest personalities of any fish I have ever had. He reminds me of a dog the way he relates to me. Anyway I hope you enjoy this fish. I very much enjoy mine.
Also, I have had my proc. puffer in my 125 gallon tank with a niger trigger for 5 years. I am not saying it will always work, but mine are the best of buddies.
 
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