Pea Puffer will only eat frozen bloodworms

[beatlesfan317]

Well, I've had my new pea puffer for a week (3 year established tank) alone in a 6 gallon tank and I got a dozen snails the same day I purchased him. The puffer ate all the snails in 2 days and since then he will only eat frozen bloodworms. The puffer ate a few frozen brine shrimp one time and that was it. Back to only frozen bloodworms. I will get more snails, but not every 2 days and I don't have any other tanks to breed them in. I know puffers like live foods. I'm not an expert but Ive read about pea puffers and their needs.

So I'm not asking for information on the species and what they eat.

I'm just asking, if I try to force a few foods, like frozen brine shrimp and nothing else for a few days, will the puffer take to the brine shrimp and eat them? Surely it won't starve itself? I guess I'm asking if the puffer can be trained to eat a few different frozen foods over time?

[TheSwissAquarist]

Vibra bites are supposed to be good if you can get them. They look just like bloodworms and act like them when they fall. The fact that I can’t get any where I live is stoppping me from getting any. 

[Odd Duck]

I’ve not had any luck getting pea puffers to eat anything but live foods and sometimes frozen bloodworms.  They won’t even eat all live foods, definitely won’t take all frozen foods, and have never even considered any dried or prepared foods.  They just get hollow-bellied if they don’t get their live foods.

[JettsPapa]

Mine does just fine on snails and occasional frozen blood worms.  I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[Guest]

@beatlesfan317 I don't keep any puffers but from what Iv'e heard. They are very picky and won't really eat anything else other than what they like. They are also very difficult to train into anything else iv'e also heard. Good luck to you though! 

Edited November 17, 2023 by Kaiju
My bad, I accidentally deleted the starter for my sentence.

[beatlesfan317]

Thanks for the feedback. I guess that means I'll feed frozen bloodworms, which it gobbled up today, and get snails periodically.

[Rewcolee1]

I’ve tried various live and frozen foods. Mine definitely prefer frozen bloodworms.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Frozen bloodworms and snails for mine. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Could you maybe use vitachem with the bloodworms so they get their nutrients? 

What do you think @Odd Duck?

[Odd Duck]

On 11/17/2023 at 7:42 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Could you maybe use vitachem with the bloodworms so they get their nutrients? 

What do you think @Odd Duck?

I’ve never tried it so I don’t know if it would work or not.  I think variety in the diet is the best thing you can do.