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I have recently added 2 figure 8 puffers to my tank, i got them to take care of a snail problen i had. now that the snail problen is taken care of i need info on what and how to feed them. i have read they love clam's, do i just drop a clam in the tank for them? and let them chew away at the shell, do i open it up? any help with this would be greatly appriciated.

I'm fairly sure that clams should be offered on the half shell, with one side already broken open. I don't think the puffers will be able to bust open the clams themselves.

Other foods you can try are krill, worms (tubifex and bloodworms), and small shrimp. Feeder ghost shrimp work pretty well provided the puffers notice them. You can also see if a local lfs will let you have pest snails from one of their tanks. If they are readily accessible, the nicer employees shouldn't have a problem getting some for you. You can even raise your own in a seperate tank.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

frozen brine shrimp should be accepted. when i had dwarf puffers all they ate was brine shrimps.

Well, they exterminated your snails nicely ... and now, you're being told to obtain snails and cultivate them ... an irony that should not be lost on you.

But seriously, that's the way to go - cultivate what other people call 'pest snails' and feed them to your Puffers. It's not as if pest snails are hard to cultivate, you can cultivate them in unlimited numbers when you DON'T want them!

Small 'critter keeper' type plastic container, airstone, some source of heat, chuck in a nice big handful of pest snails, then keep adding small amounts of shredded lettuce and flake food for the snails to eat. You should end up with a seething colony of pest snails in no time, and banquetting a-plenty for your Puffers.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

What type of tank do you have these guys in? Figure 8 do best in slightly brackish water and are more agressive than dwarf puffers. If these are actually figure 8 puffers then nipped fins, dead tankmates, and sick puffers are definitely possible when they get bored and when they succumb to completely freshwater. http://www.pufferlist.com/puffer/brackpuff.php?puffid=13

I cringe everytime I walk by a freshwater tank in the stores and see figure 8 puffers. So many people buy them without knowing anything about their care and these guys end up dying an early death while often taking a few tankmates with them.

Brine shrimp should not be a primary part of a fish's diet. They don't have much in the way of nutrients. Use them as an occasional treat instead.