Dogface puffer feeding

[thepudge]

Hi all, I just bought a very small (2 inch) dogface puffer from petco. He's a cute little guy, actively exploring the tank this morning and is eating already (krill this morning, I intend to feed a variety of foods however). The tank has many small snails and some medium-sized hermits walking about. He is welcome to any of them if he can eat them.

I've read up on their feeding and I know I need to offer hard-shelled items to wear down their teeth. However, I wanted to hear from people who have dogfaces -- what do you feed yours? Does it keep their teeth worn down?

Thanks!

Alex

 

[Bob 1000]

Zoos and other expensive polyps...

 

[thepudge]

:smile: Its in a FOWLR, so not too many expensive zoos lying around. I suppose I could toss some in from my reef tank from time to time.

 

[Dj Orion]

i usually feed my doggy prosalt krill and silversides (flash frozen). I do keep snails in the tank also, but he usually never messes with them. I think that feeding them hard shelled foods really isnt necessary IMO because they are usually biting the rocks for fun anyways. I have dropped a few clams in the shell in the tank from time to time, and the puffers never really go for it anyways...

 

[Awibrandy]

I feed mine a variety of things. Mine eats everything, including nori.. Like you I've read the same to feed shell fish(like shrimp) to keep their teeth worn down. They will pick on corals and such, but that is not necessary.

 

[thepudge]

Thanks! They are seriously cute fish. My fiance named it "S'mores".

This little guy is trying to steal my cowfish's "most adorable fish" title.

 

[Awibrandy]

And he will. My fowlr is right up against the couch where I sit, and my puffer is always right next to me. Every now and again he will spit water out at me.lol

By the way go check out the last page on my fowlr thread. There pics of him/her all puffed up..

 

[Dj Orion]

This little guy is trying to steal my cowfish's "most adorable fish" title.

be carefull with that cowfish and aggressive fish, that thing can nuke your tank if it gets stressed out by other fish. My girl wants one so bad but I am too scared to get one in my FOWLR:bigeyes2:

 

[thepudge]

Yeah, I've done a lot of reading on the cowfish and I'm well-acquainted with their toxin (years ago in my younger, less-experienced days I had one die and release. It actually failed to kill my fish, although they did not look too happy). My present cowfish has been with me about 4 months, and has grown about 2 inches in that time. He is unafraid of anything and eats aggressively and constantly.

My cowfish is now about 3 and a half inches with horns, and about 1/2 inch bigger than the dogface (not including horns). From what I've read (and seen thus far), juvie dogfaces are fairly docile and people have had success with puffers and cowfish together, although not always. I am going to keep a VERY close eye on the arrangement. If it looks like there is aggression, the dogface is gone.

Only other tankmate is a metallic foxface, which does not bother anything.

 

[thepudge]

And he will. My fowlr is right up against the couch where I sit, and my puffer is always right next to me. Every now and again he will spit water out at me.lol

By the way go check out the last page on my fowlr thread. There pics of him/her all puffed up..

LOL! Those are great pictures! What set your puffer off?

On another note, has anyone experienced a lot of aggression from their puffers?

 

[Awibrandy]

I for one have never witness any aggresion from my dogface puffers. They are very friendly, and more like a dog then you'd think.

Actually nothing set him off. I've seen him/her puff up a couple of times for no apparent reason. And as you can see he is still very much alive. There is also out there that they will die after puffing up. I've had a couple of dogface, and none died from puffing up. One died when my tank got decimated by the threaded ich. And another during the move to this house(boiler went down, and I couldn't get anyone out to fix it cause it was the weekend). The other one I actually traded him to petland cause he attacked the tail of the shark as it was hatching out of it's egg. Stupid me didn't research enough before I added the shark egg. They will attack anemonies, star fish, corals etc...

 

[Lenny718]

I feed mine silver sides or cut up squid, mine are on the large side though. Great fish and personality to match!