Feeder Critters

[darb]

Helllo all,

I have decided to jump back into the hobby after an absence of many years and decided that a puffer will make a wonderful pet.

Feeding is an obvious issue with them and I figure that for the first part of their lives shrip is an obvious solution.

Which shrimp species are easy to breed and where can I find them locally?

Brad

[Melody]

:Welcome: If you're looking at feeding babies, most hatch Brine Shrimp. Otherwise, Ghost and Cherry Shrimp would be options.

Snails are the usual choice for puffers - the shells keep their teeth in shape.

Where is 'locally'? I'm sure you can find people with pest snails to get a colony started.

[mdfa.ca]

Hi Brad, and Welcome!!!

[darb]

yes, I am also going to have a dedicated snail tank, but was looking to have a variety of foods available

local being Vancouver, profile updated ... isn't everyone from Vancouver?

full grown brine shrimp may be large enough to feed to a small puffer, but are too much to raise work IMHO and am looking to establish a steady and easy long term food source

[Noctame]

What about scuds...are their shells too hard core for a puffer's crunch? They can apparently survive anyplace

[Melody]

Shrimp cohabitate with snails well, as long as the environment is clean (not always easy with snails). CanadianAquatics.com is local and they have various Shrimp species. Gutload them up and you'll have a tasty, nutritious Puffer snack.

I'm about to do a massive pest snail attack any day now, so if you want to seed that with a couple of species or so, let me know. Death by Melody or Puffer? I'd choose puffer :laugh: . I also have Gammarus, although they can be elusive little buggers.

[susankat]

Puffers will also eat bloodworms pretty good.

[Ursus sapien]

since puffers eat most of the janitorial staff- snails, shrimp and tubifex- is there anything besides daily vacuuming to help deal the stray bis of food? Very messy eaters, these fish.

[Melody]

Feed less, feed slower and buy a good DVD on dinner manners. :Angel:

I have cut WAY back on my maintenance by feeding tiny amounts, several times/day like I do with fry. They can only utilize so many nutrients at one sitting, so it results in a much higher rate of absorption overall.

In the larger tanks with more fish, it's difficult to tell if I've fed them enough or not. Yet if I feed more, a bunch hits the substrate. I feed them, stand there and when they appear to have eaten the majority, they get a little more. Since nutrients are lost so quickly to the water column when feeding processed food, it also ensures that they get that many more nutrients.

Janitors come with their own waste, so you shouldn't end up much further behind. Their biggest contribution is breaking down leftovers more quickly than would happen if the food sat in the tank.