What is the best food to feed a puffer fish?
Q. I just purchased a Valentini Puffer two days ago and have yet to see him eat. I fed him some brine shrimp and some flakes - the other fish love them - but my puffer still isn't eating. What is the best food to give them?
Asked by jenn - Tue Feb 20 14:16:35 2007 - - 5 Answers - 0 Comments

A. It isn't uncommon for puffers not to eat for the first day or two in the tank. They are getting their surroundings down. I really hate to be the one to tell you this but your puffer probably will only eat live fish. Forget the flake food. I have yet to have or see a puffer that will eat flake food...pellets are a push. Mine did the same thing when I brought them home. (dogface and porks). None of which would eat anything but live fish. You have to realize these fish are mostly caught wild. They aren't use to seeing pellet or flake food swimming around. Puffers are agressive and prefer their food to be moving. If you have a power head in your tank, try a little at a time, putting frozen brine shrimp in front of it. This way it… [cont.]
Answered by danielle Z - Tue Feb 20 16:19:51 2007

How much is a green puffer fish?
Q. Ok im planning to buy a green puffer fish and umm i wanna know how much they cost and what supply they need and i need to know how to take care fo them please help me. Thanks!
Asked by Kelly - Tue Apr 7 21:35:40 2009 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Assuming you mean Green Spotted Puffer, you can usually find them for about $5. Petco and Petsmart sometimes carry them, but these aren't the places I'd recommend buying them, as they are usually kept in freshwater, which is not healthy (these are brackish fish). If you can find a private store that carries them, that would be ideal, as they're likely to take better care of the fish. If not, plenty of places online sell them. As for care, maintain a salinity around 1.008-1.010, which you'll need to monitor with a hydrometer. I'd recommend a 20 gallon tank at the very least, which should last for the life of the fish. A good filter is absolutely essential, as is a routine schedule of maintenance (water changes). Meaty foods like… [cont.]
Answered by nosoop4u246 - Tue Apr 7 22:39:52 2009

How come my puffer fish turn dark?
Q. I just bought a new green spotted puffer fish. But after putting the plastic bag in the tank to get an even temperature before letting the fish out, the fish started to turn to a dark colour. And it also started to jump out of the water. Now its just resting at the bottom of the bag. Is this normal? Is my fish under stress? What to do now?
Asked by stacey - Wed Oct 3 07:12:39 2007 - - 3 Answers - 0 Comments

A. The puffer turning a dark color is a sign of stress. This may be normal, especially during acclimation; however his trying to jump out of the tank is less than normal. What are your tank conditions? Green Spotted Puffers are brackish and need hard/alkaline water with salt; I personally would not recommend them for any other tank than a tank set up for brackish water fish. For more about these fish, please read this article: I would suggest a pH of at least 7.8, Salt at least 1 teaspoon per gallon, A KH of at least 125 ppm + And a GH of at least 250 ppm. The GH is important for providing Calcium which is necessary for osmoregulation in all fish, but very important for Green Spotted Puffers. Please read this article for further… [cont.]
Answered by Carl S - Wed Oct 3 11:01:57 2007

How can you tell the sex of green spotted puffer fish and how can I breed them if I wanted to?
Q. I have a few green spotted puffer fish, which have a brownish color and green spots. When they feel scared they can puff the body up to look like a pourcipine. I would like to know how to tell the sex of them and how to breed them. I don't think it is by the fins either. Any info will help, thank you!
Asked by jroberson77 - Sat Mar 25 00:14:01 2006 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Sexing and Breeding: Sexing is difficult as there are few visible differences between male and female fish. But normally the males will have brighter colours than the female. The female will have less green and more brown but there are no other differences. Breeding is very hard and rare you can't make it happen it just happens by suprise. The signs that they have started breeding are: spawning occurs in brackish water. The eggs are laid on a substrate or stone,and guarded by the male. Hatching takes about a week. Heres some more things: They need a good amount of room, I suggest a 200+ liter tank.Green Puffers are always hungry, and they will eat themselves to death. They can grow large and live a full life, if you take care of them… [cont.]
Answered by twilight! - Sat Mar 25 04:25:39 2006

Can i put a puffer and goldfish in the same tank?
Q. The puffer is 2 inches and the gold fish is 4-5. Both are still growing. Can i put them in the same 5 gallon tank. WIll one of them get killed?
Asked by April - Mon Jan 21 13:11:22 2008 - - 6 Answers - 0 Comments

A. absolutely NOT. there is no species of puffer or goldfish that can live in a 5g tank. even dwarf puffers need about 10g, and goldfish need 20. also, they live at totally different temperture ranges.
Answered by FishRfine - Mon Jan 21 13:15:44 2008

What color sand would be best to bring out my dwarf puffer, black or white sand?
Q. It is a 5.5 gallon tank with just one dwarf puffer. It has 3 artificial plants and 2 small caves. Should i get black sand or white sand? If i do get black sand, i will get a black background and if i get white sand i will get a white background. OH, and also will black sand fade?
Asked by here_4_1_day - Thu Oct 16 16:51:47 2008 - - 4 Answers - 0 Comments

A. black would look very cool. It would definitely help to bring out your puffer
Answered by bbstar1122 - Thu Oct 16 17:31:45 2008

What happens if you use a puffer and you dont even have asthma?
Q. Okay, when i was younger, around 7 or 8 years old, i couldnt breathe for a while and my doctor told me to get a puffer. When I got my puffer, it didnt help with the breathing. So now that im older I was wondering what happens if you use a puffer and you dont even have asthma?Does it affect your lungs or anything??
Asked by Cutie Patootie - Sat Sep 20 01:32:55 2008 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Yes it would affect you, dilating bronchioles or bronchi when not necessary, then that tissue could become dependent, and shrink without the inhalers, and give you an asthma-like disease.
Answered by Doc - Sat Sep 20 01:38:07 2008

Can I house a puffer with a gulf toadfish?
Q. I have recently got a gulf toadfish and today I was offered a puffer. I'm not sure what type puffer he is. I don't mind if the toadfish eats him, only if he will attack the toadfish.
Asked by Jake H - Thu Jun 28 19:29:11 2007 - - 4 Answers - 0 Comments

A. You might want to consider two tanks - and if the toadfish would eat the puffer as well. These fish could contain tetrodotoxin (found in the skin and internal organs) which makes the fish poisonous: So it wouldn't be a great idea for either of them to get a bite of the other. And since the toad is a predator and puffers are aggressive and nippers, this would almost certainly happen at some point.
Answered by copperhead - Fri Jun 29 02:47:19 2007

How much of the apple snail will the puffer eat?
Q. I own a figure 8 puffer, and I recently learned that I must feed him snails for his teeth. It attacks the snail sometimes but doesn't eat all of it. Should I leave it in until it eats more of it? How much of the snail will it eat? Do I remove the snail when it's dead? When should I remove the snail?
Asked by J. - Wed Aug 5 19:59:42 2009 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Don't leave the snail in there after the puffer has fed--it will pollute the water. If you want to save the remains put them in the freezer and feed him the rest of the snail a few days later. The serving of snail per meal should be no bigger than the puffer's eye. Remove the snail immediatley after the puffer has eaten a sufficient amount, if you leave a whole snail in the tank--unless it's really tiny--the puffer will eat until it's so bloated it sinks to the bottom of the tank, occasionally they can eat themselves to death.
Answered by Anna - Wed Aug 5 20:06:46 2009

Is it ok to feed a green spotted puffer snails fomr back yard?
Q. Umm i just got a juvinielle Green spotted puffer fish. i heard u can feed it snails. so i went to my back yard to collect some and wash of the dirt. Well is it ok to feed them regular yard snails?
Asked by Love Cream - Sun May 18 21:11:06 2008 - - 4 Answers - 0 Comments

A. No there to much of a risk. when you think of all the chemicals in run off water and other chemicals that could be in your yard you just dont want to do it. Beside most pet shops have snails free or cheap as most times there seen as pest.
Answered by greg x - Sun May 18 21:50:18 2008

Does a freshwater puffer fish get along with cichlids & plecos?
Q. I went to the pet store & seen some really cute puffer fish. I want a few, but I have a 55 gallon tank with 3 plecos & about 8 cichlids & a few other odd small fish (I'm sure wouldn't do any harm). Will the puffer fish get along with what I already have in my tank? The guy at the pet store wasn't sure.
Asked by Amanda W - Sat Feb 23 22:33:17 2008 - - 8 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Do not mix puffers with cichlids, plecos or any other fish. Freshwater puffers belong in separate specimen only tanks.
Answered by Finatic - Sat Feb 23 22:37:58 2008

How should i decorate my 6 gallon tank so that it really brings out my indian dwarf puffer?
Q. Since the dwarf puffer is so small i thought i would be hard to see it in a 6 gallon tank. Im thinking black sand with a black background. Do you think this would work to help bring it out? Also, maybe 1 or 2 artificial plants and a small cave? What do you think? Any other suggestions?
Asked by here_4_1_day - Tue Oct 14 20:27:41 2008 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Well, when keeping puffers especially you need LOTS of hiding spots. They are very smart critter's and need something to interest them and explore. Also, the more hiding spots you have, the more comfortable the puffer will be and the more often he will be out and about in his tank so you can see him!
Answered by Some1 who loves BETTAS!! - Tue Oct 14 20:43:47 2008

How many fish can I keep in my two gallon tank? Dwarf puffer?
Q. I have a male betta, and two small 3/4" orange fish, also a 3/4" cory catfish. Can I add another orange fish? Also, would they get along with a dwarf puffer?
Asked by nirnaeth_arnoedad - Sun Nov 19 16:25:58 2006 - - 10 Answers - 0 Comments

A. That would be too many fish for a 2 gallon tank. There is going to be overcrowding. A dwarf puffer only gets the size of a dime but is fairly aggressive for a small fish. They will definitely without a doubt nip those other fish and stress them out constantly. You need a dwarf puffer in at least 20 gallons.
Answered by thoro_dream_queen - Sun Nov 19 16:36:01 2006

Can I have a bumblebee goby and figure eight puffer tank?
Q. I want to set up a 5 to 10 gallon brackish tank with bumblebee gobies and figure eight puffer(s). Can they share a tank this size? And if so, how many of each?
Asked by Ben A - Wed May 9 22:10:29 2007 - - 4 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Please see below for figure 8 compatibility from badmanstropicalfish.com I have found the Figure Eights to be fairly easy to care for. They are generally not picky eaters, consuming most anything you drop in the tank. They are extremely adaptable to rapid changes in salinity, and it appears that they do very well in full marine conditions if properly acclimated. Although I wouldn't go as far as to say Figure Eights are Community fish, they are docile enough to have tank mates in most cases. I have kept my Figure Eights with other Puffers, including Green Congos, Ceylons, a South American and other Figure Eights. There were a few instances of the Figure Eights chasing one another, but that is common in most any species of fish. There was… [cont.]
Answered by Barb R - Wed May 9 22:46:15 2007

What kind of fish can i put with green puffer?
Q. I have two green puffer fish (Fresh Water Tank), they killed the first 2 snails we had with them, and attacked the other fish. Right now they are in a tank all alone. Is there an algie eater that i can put in the tank, that they would leave alone...and is there any other fish i could put with them>
Asked by RED - Sun Jul 6 02:12:42 2008 - - 3 Answers - 0 Comments

A. As long as you do plan to slowly adjust them to brackish water as they mature, Bumblebee Gobies would be ideal choices. These fish won't draw much attention from the Puffers, and are very capable of escaping into small cracks if need be. Also, Bumblebees will be fine in freshwater, and do VERY well with the raised salinity you'll eventually need for the Green Spot Puffer. None of the common algae eaters will be able to tolerate the Puffers' bullying, nor will they handle the brackish conditions they'll need later on.
Answered by nosoop4u246 - Sun Jul 6 04:23:47 2008

What fish can I put in with a Fresh water Green Spotted Puffer Fish?
Q. Who can give me a good list of Fish or Aquatic Animals that I can put in a tank with a Green Spotted Puffer Fish? FreshWater only. Also, if I make a "mangrove' tank could I put aquatic frogs in the tank? Thanks.
Asked by Jennifer - Tue Oct 14 13:09:11 2008 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. That site will give you a whole list. Just enter what kind of fish you have and it'll give you a whole list of fish that you can put in there saftely. =]]] Hope it helps! I was looking around again, and I found something on about.com "They need bigger fish(preferably brackish)that are peaceful so they don't tick off their aggressive tank mate. Good ones are like monos, scats, archer fish, and knight gobies. NO live bearers. They are dinner for them. No tetras. Maybe try some rams or gouramis. Some catfish (no plecos though. The salt will kill them.). Puffers prefer being alone. Not much works with them. They eventually get ticked and bite their tank mates. Sorry, but there's not much to go with the little guys. "
Answered by Rin - Tue Oct 14 13:14:21 2008

Puffer seems blind and eyes are white after treating for ich, what should i do?
Q. I have puffer, and got white salt like dots on his body, which seemed like ich, so i took him out of the tank for 3 days and treated him with Nox-Ich which has Sodium Chloride, and Malachite Green. It seems like that got rid of the ich from what i can tell, but now the puffers eyes are white and he doesnt seem to really be able to see. Is there something i can do to help him? or is he going to just be blind now? Doesnt seem like he can really see as he just runs into thing, but he can tell light still. Any help would be great.
Asked by jeffman79 - Sun Sep 24 20:29:34 2006 - - 3 Answers - 0 Comments

A. I hope you treated him at half the reccomended dose since he has no scales. For the time being, there isn't much you can do but reduce the stress by lots of small water changes, and leaving the lights off. Reduce what you feed the tank in general so there is less fish waste in the water to irritate him. A
Answered by iceni - Sun Sep 24 23:02:57 2006

What Can I Feed My Green Spotted Puffer Fish?
Q. I Dont Know What To Feed My Green Spotted Puffer Fish. I Know That He Eats Live Brine And Ghost Shrimp. But Can He Live On Just Flakes. Im Just Wondering, If He Cant Then I Already Have Some Shrimp.
Asked by demon_possessed_child_666 - Sun May 4 20:39:31 2008 - - 3 Answers - 0 Comments

A. He cannot survive on what you're giving him now, flakes, brine shrimp, and ghost shrimp all lack the proper nutrition to keep a GSP healthy. They need a diet of hard shelled meaty foods, such as clams, crabs, scallops, oysters, crayfish, and snails. Also make sure you do a lot of research on him, GSPs need very specialized care. -Hannah- greenspottedpuffer.net
Answered by greenspottedpuffer.net - Tue May 6 01:51:36 2008

Can someone give me a good site about puffer fish info?
Q. Im doing a project about the puffer fish and i need to find out info about its digestion, circulatory, and reproductive systems, Could someone please find me a good site. please dont say google.
Asked by Fifa L - Mon Dec 15 17:39:12 2008 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. here try this website
Answered by J.L. - Mon Dec 15 17:50:52 2008

How much and what kind of salt do green puffer fish need?
Q. Will salt kill the other fish in the aquarium with the green puffer fish? such as kissing gourami, mollys, angelfish, cichlids,platys,gouramis in general all types...
Asked by frog girl - Sun Sep 30 01:30:43 2007 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Your green puffer needs to be in a tank of it's own. He needs marine salt, at a level (at least eventually) that most of the other fish won't be able to tolerate. Even the ones that could tolerate the salt shouldn't be kept with puffers - as they mature they'll be aggressive and eat the fins of the others in the tank. The amount of salt that's needed will depend on the age of your fish. I'm assuming that the one you have is still a juvenile, so start by adding a tablespoon of salt per gallon of water in the tank(dissolve this in water before you add it to the tank) over the next few days, then add another tablespoon per gallon each following week until you get the salinity to 1.015 (you'll need to buy a hydrometer to measure this). … [cont.]
Answered by copperhead - Sun Sep 30 01:54:03 2007