Feeding Information on Aquarium Puffer Fish
Aquarium puffer fish are notorious for being both messy and boisterous eaters. They generally require a balanced, yet diverse diet, and do not do as well as most fish on a pelleted or processed diet. Live, fresh foods make the best meals, and plenty of options will keep your puffer fish happy and healthy. There are several different types of aquarium puffer, and all require slightly different types of food and feeding techniques to achieve the best results.
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Variety
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Wild puffers will eat almost anything, from snails and shellfish to other small fish. Offer your aquarium puffer fish an assortment of food, and try not to get stuck in ruts of feeding only one thing for a prolonged period. Puffers, like most other fish, can develop preferences, but providing a variety of foods is the best way to ensure balanced nutrition. Foods like feeder snails and crabs should be fed along with a quality frozen carnivore diet. You should also make sure that none of your puffer's tank mates are small enough to fit into the puffer's mouth.
Frequency
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Smaller puffer fish need to eat more frequently than larger puffers, but with correspondingly smaller meal sizes. Puffers smaller than 2 inches in length should be fed daily, while those in the 2- to 4-inch range should be fed every other day. Large puffers require just a few meals each week.
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Water Quality
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Puffer fish are known for being messy eaters, especially where live food is concerned. Bits of crab and snail shell will invariably become a part of your tank's landscape when keeping a puffer fish--an important fact to consider if you desire a pristine tankscape. Additionally, captive puffers may be disinclined to scavenge like their wild counterparts, leaving bits of food debris littering the tank. Change the water often to keep good water quality when feeding a puffer.
Puffer Teeth
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Puffer fish teeth grow throughout their lives, similar to the way that rodent's teeth develop. Because of this, puffer fish need to be offered an assortment of hard-shelled foods, such as crabs and snails, in order to help keep their teeth ground down and in good shape. Puffers fed an all-soft diet can develop irreversible tooth problems that can eventually lead to a slow and unhappy death for your fish.
Overfeeding
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Puffer fish, with their cute, round bodies and big, staring eyes are often excellent beggars. They will often hover near the surface of the water or the front of the glass when their recognized feeder is nearby, seeming to plead for a quick treat or snack. It is very important for the health of your fish and your water quality to plan a feeding schedule and stick to it. Puffers are often overfed in captivity for this very reason. Don't confuse typical foraging behavior for a starving fish.
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References
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- Photo Credit puffer fish image by Rich Johnson from Fotolia.com
