porcupine puffer feeding...he wont eat!

[robbie59]

got a porcupine puffer last week and i have tried to feed him everyday. Even tried to get him intrested in the food by putting it in his face with a feeding stick. Sometimes he takes some of it and then spits it out..
I am feeding kreel and squid..
Also he lays down all day and only swims at night,,,is this normal..
I will try to soak the food in garlic..
tanks is perfect and all the other tank mates are eating good..
Any takers?

 

[cincyreefer]

If it doesn't even eat food off the sand then you might want to try some live food to stimulate its appetite. My recommendation is to feed some ghost shrimp and then go to strictly frozen once it starts eating more aggresively.

 

[junbug1970]

i have the same problem. i just got my porcupine puffer yesterday, happy as he can be, but he wont eat. trying to drop some on the sandy bottom, or put it str8 in front of his face, but just wont take it. The same time i put my lion fish, he already ate 3 guppies, but the puffer won't eat.
I know puffer is nocturnal, but i only have sandy bottom and some ornamental corals so he has no place to hide. He is happy and swim like crazy, but tend to stir up my sand and get too excited. he swim fast and always bumping into the glass with his lips.
any advice how to get him to eat. I tried feeding him live or dead guppies, or some shrimp pellets, or flake or even frozen brine.
any advice out there?

 

[robbie59]

just tried goast shrimp and they landed on his face...still not eating, but looks happy, going on day 8
????

 

[lionstorm]

If the garlic doesn't work try some frozen brine shrimp. If at all possible try live brine, my puffer loves live brine shrimp.
What was your LFS feeding him before you bought him?
You should find out ASAP I had a Maroon clownfish die on me because my lying SOB LFS lied and said she was eating fine, when I got her home she wouldn't eat anything I tried with her.
If they aren't eating garlic soaked food it could be a problem with stress. You should see if you can get some rocks for them to purch on, Puffers litterally spend all day just laying around rocks or in crevices in the wild, and mine is no exception.
You don't have to go overboard with live rocks, you could also just get something similar (don't get a plastic coated decorative freshwater item though, the salt will corode the plastic and put not good things into the water)
That's all I can think of. SOrry guys.

 

[junbug1970]

Mine still won't eat. But happy. My wife even let him lay on her palm and tried to put guppy in his mouth. all he did was too a bite and spit it out.
I called my lfs and told them about it and he said to give it couple days and if he still not eating, to bring him back

 

[lionstorm]

he may not be around in a couple of days.
Jun what else have you tried feeding your pufferfish/lionfish other than guppies? Just curious.

 

[junbug1970]

the lionfish has eaten 6 guppies in 2 days. he is all well, but i've ried feeding the puffer (frozen brine, live brine, shrimp pellets, frozen shrimp chunks, flakes) i've soaked the frozen shrimp and guppies is garlic, but still wont eat. he let my wife hold it and she even place the food directly in his mouth. he'll nip at it but spit it out.

 

[lionstorm]

see if you can get some squid or octupus or oysters or scallops for him and shread them up and soak them in garlic, see if he takes to any of that. My only other advice would be to try krill, if it works great but don't use it as a long term source of food.

 

[junbug1970]

what is krill?

 

[lionstorm]

oh wow. umm....im not sure now that you mention it. A type of fish food?
Its like....small....animal....I really don't know I'm not going to try to bluff my way out of this. I don't feed it to my fish but I think its a type of shrimp, someone correct me if I'm wrong I have no idea honestly.
A lot of puffers will eat it though. If you can get a hold of some try it, what could it hurt?

 

[junbug1970]

i would, but i have no idea what krill is and where to even begin to buy it. lol
does a local grocery store carries this?
i'm going to try buy some frozen squids tonite and see if it will work

 

[stacyt]

Most LFS sale krill, or can order it for you. It's basically a really small type of shrimp. My puffer really loves the krill, but I think it lacks a lot of nutrition. Silversides are also a good choice. Small frozen fish from the ocean.

 

[lionstorm]

yeah silversides are good. krill does lack nutrition i think.
Try your LFS's frozen food section, you should find something there he will eat.

 

[robbie59]

well still nothing..
hes not eaten anything in over a week but he looks happy.
I have tried everythign except the garlic.
maybe hes just not hungry, lets hope..hate to lose a fish to this,

 

[junbug1970]

mine still wont eat either

 

[junbug1970]

i bought some krill, formula 1 and frozen squid, but he still wont eat

 

[junbug1970]

any idea? hows yours doing robbie?

 

[lionstorm]

so you guys know porc puffers always look happy....it's just something about their face. I rarely see mine 'frown'
Have you found out what the stores you bought them from fed them?
I would really recommend trying garlic soaked food, it stimulates fish's appetite as well as strengthens their immune system.

 

[junbug1970]

well, i've tried everything from garlic soaked to anything you guys had mentioned. still wont eat. since the lfs just got him in a week before i bought it, not sure if he was eating before i bought him.
anyway, he is going back to the lfs today.