Porc Puffer Not Eating Krill

ballzee

ballzee

Member
Hi all,
I have a porcupine puffer that has eaten without being finicky. I have only ever fed it krill. The last few days, it acts like it wants to eat by swimming up to where I feed it and then goes after the krill but will not eat it once it tastes it. I thought the krill might have gotten old, so I bought a new package from the LFS. However, it still acts the same way. It acts like it is going to eat but doesn't like the food.
Is there something else I should try? Our LFS is closed today, so is there anything I can get at the grocery store?
Any help/advice would be appreciated.
 
tikitorch

tikitorch

New Member
Fresh fish or squidd or shrimp from the market. CHOP IT UP!! Then feed it to the pork meister. Maybe he likes it fresh is all...
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member

Originally posted by Tikitorch
Fresh fish or squidd or shrimp from the market. CHOP IT UP!! Then feed it to the pork meister. Maybe he likes it fresh is all...
:scared: Please DO NOT feed you Puffer SQUIDD...:scared:
Squid (sp) is OK but Squidd would not be OK with the "chopping and feeding"...
Besides...Squidd is too old, tough and chewy for your Puffer...
:D
 
ballzee

ballzee

Member

Originally posted by Squidd
:scared: Please DO NOT feed you Puffer SQUIDD...:scared:
Squid (sp) is OK but Squidd would not be OK with the "chopping and feeding"...
Besides...Squidd is too old, tough and chewy for your Puffer...
:D
I probably can't find Squidd at the local grocery, maybe Squid. Guess I will have to experiment with different meaty foods.
 
fishman830

fishman830

Active Member

Originally posted by Squidd
<<<<<I've been known to hang out at the locl grocer..That's what scared me...:D
 
ballzee

ballzee

Member
Bought clams and fresh shrimp at the grocery. Still wouldn't eat, although he rushed up to both and then just acted uninterested. He rushes to the spot he always does when I move around the room. Looking for me to feed him, really weird.
I wonder if something else is wrong.!>!
I am going to clean filters and do a water change tonight. Although there is no appearance of a problem. Going to LFS tomorrow for garlic and some squid, not squidd.
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
How long have you had this Puffer...?
How does his mouth/beak look...?
In the wild they eat a varity of hard shelled crustations and that "wears" down their teeth or beak...
Sometimes if they have been fed softer foods for a period of time the teeth get too long and it's hard for them to eat...
If thats the case the beak can be filed down, but should be done by a professional or someone with experiance or at least a good bit of knowalage and confidence...
Second question...How long has he NOT been eating...? Maybe hes not hungry or not feeling well at the moment...
A couple days of not eating won't hurt him but a week or more would be cause for concern...
In the mean time you could do some water tests and water changes to see if that helps...or if there is a problem...
 
ballzee

ballzee

Member
I have had the fish for roughly 6 months. Mouth and Beak are not the problem. I have looked very closely at his mouth. He takes food in the mouth fine, just acts like he doesn't like it. It has not been eating for around 5 days now.
 
I

irenicus

Guest
Has the puffer endured any real stressors, ie rearranged tank, moved for one place to another?
Have you tried soaking in garlic?
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member

Originally posted by Ballzee
I have not tried soaking in Garlic.

:nope: Not YOU...the FOOD...:D
 
ballzee

ballzee

Member

Originally posted by Squidd
:nope: Not YOU...the FOOD...:D
you're on a roll!
I bought some ghost shrimp at the LFS I saw him eat at least one and chase several others. I had water checked and everything is normal. I put some activated carbon in to see if there is anything that is out of the ordinary. Guess I will wait and see what happens.
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
At least he ate something...that's a good sign...
Maybe he just got tired of krill day after day...
"What's on the Menu today...?"...."KRILL !!! AGAIN!!!"...
Actually, feeding a varity of foods is better for the overall health of your Puffer anyway...
Keep offering different meaty foods and keep switching it up...
Just cause he ate ghost shrimp today, don't switch to ghost shrimp day after day...
"What's on the Menu today...?"..."GHOST SHRIMP!!!AGAIN!!!":D
 
ballzee

ballzee

Member
I have tried feeding clam, squid, shrimp, krill, and ghost shrimp. The only thing he would eat was the ghost shrimp.
Wouldn't look at the clam.
Wouldn't look at the squid.
Wouldn't look at the shrimp.
Will act like he wants the krill but will not eat it. I started moving it back and forth and he would come up and nibble. Would even pick at it on the sandy bottom, but not eat.
Ate one, maybe more, ghost shrimp.
Guess I will purchase some more ghost shrimp today and keep trying different approaches.
This fish is very comfortable with me. I can pet it, it will even swim in my hand. So when I say I am trying to feed it, the food id being stuck right to it's lips.
 
ballzee

ballzee

Member
Update:
I came home yesterday with some more ghost shrimp. The puffer ate several. But I noticed that he was holding it's tail in toward it's body. I watched the aquarium closely VERY closely all night. What I found was one of the blue damsels was nipping at it's tail. It wasn't often but when it happen it was pretty hard. Obviously it has gotten progresivly worse over the last week. There was no tail damage until yesterday. So, I caught the damsels(I had two), and took them to the fish store this morning. The puffer had all night last night and all day today without the damsel. This evening the puffer still acted like it wanted food as it had over the last few days, however tonight it SWALLOWED the food. It is acting TOTALLY different. So now I have a 125 gallon aquarium with nothing but a porc puffer. The water is PERFECT, no probalems at all. I had the water tested at the LFS to make sure my tests were acurate, and they were.
I am going to begin to add some fish now. I have waited for months, to add any more fish. I have had the aquarium set up for four years without moving but have had problems with the stock until I added a protein skimmer.
So anyone got advice as to what I should add? I am going to quarantine at my office.:happyfish
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
Damn those Damsels...:D
Glad you found the stressor and your puffs back to eating...:yes:
Triggers are cool but can become a terror as they get bigger...
Something like a Box Fish or a Long Horned Cow fish is a slow, non-aggressive, different then most type of fish...:thinking:
Also very "personable" eat out of your hand, follow you around the tank typ of interaction...:yes:
 
L

lionfish18

Guest
Yeah my box fish is very cute and will always eat right out my hand and he sometimes even nibbles on my fingers haha.
 
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