Keeg Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 (edited) Hello there, I've had this puffer for a little over 2 years now. When I first got him, he was a skinny little guy who liked to hide. Now he's a chonker that only swims occasionally and for food. I feed him blood worms almost daily, a couple rams horn snails every once and while, and a clam on the half shell. Water parameters, pH 7.0, nitrate 0, nitrate 5, temp 75.2 degrees F. I upgraded him from a 20g half a year ago to a 40g and with sand. I've tried getting him to be more active by getting new plants and fish, but he just ignores them. Even after I rearrange the tank every week during water changes, he still finds his corner. I use a finnex 36'' light and dose easy green every week (one pump as I do 25% water changes). I have attached photos what what he looks like when he wants to be active. PLEASE NOTE: He likes to stay at the bottom of the tank, he's done it forever. I just wish he was more active/ less bored. His name is also Bob🙂 Edited February 9, 2021 by Keeg 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 Larger puffers seem to be very interested in saving energy. They're pretty much the couch potatoes of the fish world. I suspect that part of that is due to the fact that their typical prey isn't especially elusive. If you can't chase down a snail, well, you've got problems. Snails, crabs, crayfish, freshwater clams, aren't especially elusive and hard to catch so puffers can just hang out and wait for a meal to meander by rather than be off chasing down something fast and hard to catch. They aren't especially streamlined like a barracuda, and speed isn't their greatest asset. Though they can put on a short burst of speed when prompted. They seem to be on the evolutionary path to becoming something like a marine angler fish or frogfish that just sits in one spot and waits for a meal to wander in range. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDukeAnumber1 Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 In this situation, if you aren't doing this already, I would put in the snails at night when Bob is sleeping. It would give him a reason to "hunt" a bit and make scanning his surroundings worth while. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeg Posted February 10, 2021 Author Share Posted February 10, 2021 18 hours ago, gardenman said: Larger puffers seem to be very interested in saving energy. They're pretty much the couch potatoes of the fish world. I suspect that part of that is due to the fact that their typical prey isn't especially elusive. If you can't chase down a snail, well, you've got problems. Snails, crabs, crayfish, freshwater clams, aren't especially elusive and hard to catch so puffers can just hang out and wait for a meal to meander by rather than be off chasing down something fast and hard to catch. They aren't especially streamlined like a barracuda, and speed isn't their greatest asset. Though they can put on a short burst of speed when prompted. They seem to be on the evolutionary path to becoming something like a marine angler fish or frogfish that just sits in one spot and waits for a meal to wander in range. 17 hours ago, TheDukeAnumber1 said: In this situation, if you aren't doing this already, I would put in the snails at night when Bob is sleeping. It would give him a reason to "hunt" a bit and make scanning his surroundings worth while. Thank you both for responding, I am new and I don't know how to give you reputation points. It really means a lot and I am already taking your advice into action. Thanks again 😃 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 2 minutes ago, Keeg said: Thank you both for responding, I am new and I don't know how to give you reputation points. It really means a lot and I am already taking your advice into action. Thanks again 😃 Hi Keeg and welcome! You can give them points by "liking" their posts, using the little reaction button that looks like a heart. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now