Fish Toys?

FishFinatic ;) · Jun 16, 2019

I have a little porcupine pufferfish in my tank and I noticed sometimes he seems a little disoriented... he’s all alone in the tank for now and at the moment life is too crazy to add another little guy.... I’ve heard, now hear me out cause this is gonna sound weird, but that you can get little toys and things for the fish to do something? Does anyone know more about this and if so, where can I get some? My little guy seems bored and I want to get him something to keep him somewhat busy (for a fish at least lol) but if anyone knows about this or where I can buy something for him I would really appreciate it

Peace River · Jun 16, 2019

FishFinatic ;) said:
I have a little porcupine pufferfish in my tank and I noticed sometimes he seems a little disoriented... he’s all alone in the tank for now and at the moment life is too crazy to add another little guy.... I’ve heard, now hear me out cause this is gonna sound weird, but that you can get little toys and things for the fish to do something? Does anyone know more about this and if so, where can I get some? My little guy seems bored and I want to get him something to keep him somewhat busy (for a fish at least lol) but if anyone knows about this or where I can buy something for him I would really appreciate it

No you're not weird - you care for your fish. You may want to consider something like a saltwater ghost shrimp which are often in motion and are extremely inexpensive. They can sometimes be found as feeders at LFSs, but realize that although they are the same genus these are different from the freshwater ghost/glass/grass shrimp that are also sold as feeders. One of the interesting things about many puffers is that they tend to look beyond the glass box and pay attention to what is going on around the tank so that could give you the space to consider for some additional options. Good luck!

Not my pic, but I think it demonstrates your point about the curiosity of puffers!

inktomi · Jun 16, 2019

I wonder if you could build a little feeding puzzle for him or her to play with. You could use some PVC and drill holes/etc into it and then use some PVC cement to create little "traps" for food. Something like the dog toys with the treats inside! I think, if nothing else, it'd be fun little crafts project to do.

Sorcha2 · Jun 16, 2019

I have an avacado puffer(Grendel) and he enjoys when his tank is rearranged. When he was smaller I kept him in a tank that I would move from room to room. He gets snails every so often as a treat as well.

FishFinatic ;) · Jun 16, 2019

Sorcha2 said:
I have an avacado puffer(Grendel) and he enjoys when his tank is rearranged. When he was smaller I kept him in a tank that I would move from room to room. He gets snails every so often as a treat as well.

Do puffers eat snails? What kind? Anything specific? I never knew that though! I’ll give it a try, thank you so much!

FishFinatic ;) · Jun 16, 2019

Peace River said:
No you're not weird - you care for your fish. You may want to consider something like a saltwater ghost shrimp which are often in motion and are extremely inexpensive. They can sometimes be found as feeders at LFSs, but realize that although they are the same genus these are different from the freshwater ghost/glass/grass shrimp that are also sold as feeders. One of the interesting things about many puffers is that they tend to look beyond the glass box and pay attention to what is going on around the tank so that could give you the space to consider for some additional options. Good luck!

Not my pic, but I think it demonstrates your point about the curiosity of puffers!

He wouldn’t eat the ghost shrimp? Or would he? I will definitely look into that and I do notice he looks outside the tank... I also have a German Shepherd and when she runs by the tank the puffer fish follows her (well, as far as he can considering he’s in a fish tank lol) but I will add some things outside of the tank too for him to look at... this will definitely help his boredom!

FishFinatic ;) · Jun 16, 2019

inktomi said:
I wonder if you could build a little feeding puzzle for him or her to play with. You could use some PVC and drill holes/etc into it and then use some PVC cement to create little "traps" for food. Something like the dog toys with the treats inside! I think, if nothing else, it'd be fun little crafts project to do.

I will do that too! He’s in a fairly small tank currently, (his big new house is soon to be up and running) but I think all of these things combined will help his energy level and help end some of his boredom until he gets into his new home... I’m going to go to the store this coming weekend and get the supplies for that and build him something along those lines... and boy let me tell you he LOVES his food

Peace River · Jun 16, 2019

FishFinatic ;) said:
He wouldn’t eat the ghost shrimp? Or would he? I will definitely look into that and I do notice he looks outside the tank... I also have a German Shepherd and when she runs by the tank the puffer fish follows her (well, as far as he can considering he’s in a fish tank lol) but I will add some things outside of the tank too for him to look at... this will definitely help his boredom!

I apologize for not clarifying in my earlier post - yes, shrimp are one of the live foods that puffer fish will eat. The chase will help with the boredom - IME it's not like a predator response but the shrimp will disappear eventually. I realize that some people are opposed to feeding live foods - I was only looking at it from the fish's perspective.

FishFinatic ;) · Jun 16, 2019

Peace River said:
I apologize for not clarifying in my earlier post - yes, shrimp are one of the live foods that puffer fish will eat. The chase will help with the boredom - IME it's not like a predator response but the shrimp will disappear eventually. I realize that some people are opposed to feeding live foods - I was only looking at it from the fish's perspective.

No I’m not opposed to that at all... it’s the cycle of life in my opinion... but I agree that the chase will lessen the boredom... thanks for the clarification but no need to be sorry! From the fish’s perspective, he would definitely love that lol

inktomi · Jun 17, 2019

If you do build the little puzzle I think it's required for you to post some video or photos

Katrina71 · Jun 17, 2019

At the LFS they keep a ping pong ball in the puffer tank.

FishFinatic ;) · Jun 17, 2019

Katrina71 said:
At the LFS they keep a ping pong ball in the puffer tank.

Awww that’s so cute I might do that as well

FishFinatic ;) · Jun 17, 2019

inktomi said:
If you do build the little puzzle I think it's required for you to post some video or photos

I think so too... don’t worry [emoji6]

salty joe · Jun 18, 2019

Peace River said:
I apologize for not clarifying in my earlier post - yes, shrimp are one of the live foods that puffer fish will eat. The chase will help with the boredom - IME it's not like a predator response but the shrimp will disappear eventually. I realize that some people are opposed to feeding live foods - I was only looking at it from the fish's perspective.

And if the shrimp had plenty of hiding spots I'd imagine it would keep the puffer occupied a lot longer.

jasonrusso · Jun 19, 2019

Yes, porcupine puffers eat clams, snails, crabs, etc. They have very strong jaws for crunching up shells, in fact they need to eat shells to wear their teeth down.

I'd buy a clean up crew pack from reef cleaners. That usually keeps my guy busy for a few nights at least. I'll be in the other room and hear a loud crack. I'll run in and see him smiling at me (saying thanks daddy) spitting out shell pieces.

inktomi · Jun 19, 2019

I can see why you feed your puffer with tongs!

jasonrusso · Jun 19, 2019

inktomi said:
I can see why you feed your puffer with tongs!

Normally I don't, but I wanted to make sure I could see him with the camera! I usually just toss it in there. I used to hand feed him but I lost my nerve, lol

Sorcha2 · Jun 20, 2019

FishFinatic ;) said:
Do puffers eat snails? What kind? Anything specific? I never knew that though! I’ll give it a try, thank you so much!

Puffers actually need a pretty varied diet of meat and greens to stay healthy. Snails help them keep their teeth trimmed down. Grendel is a freshish puffer so he gets fresh water snails every month or so. Check out the puffer forum for more information. Puffers are my favorite fish.

Mariette · Jun 20, 2019

Google beta fish toys. I assume a puffer would play w those. I had a beta a while back and used to change out a new thing in and around his tank every now and then. A little tank ornament, some new rocks, that kinda thing. He’d check everything out. 1st a quick swim by to ensure it didn’t pose a threat, then a closer more thorough investigation. You’ve gotta try floating a ping pong ball in there and see what happens.

Also feeding live prey is always enriching

ENVY · Jun 20, 2019

jasonrusso said:
Yes, porcupine puffers eat clams, snails, crabs, etc. They have very strong jaws for crunching up shells, in fact they need to eat shells to wear their teeth down.

I'd buy a clean up crew pack from reef cleaners. That usually keeps my guy busy for a few nights at least. I'll be in the other room and hear a loud crack. I'll run in and see him smiling at me (saying thanks daddy) spitting out shell pieces.

What type of snails do you feed your porcupine puffer? I tried once to get mine a few however it was way too hard for my puffer to break its shell. No matter how hard he tried. My porcupine is about 5 inches too. I forget the species of snail since it's not the most common type.