Can any one tell me about FIGURE 8 PUFFERS ?

Question

I don't want to know about all puffers. Just the figure 8 puffers. I know they eat frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp and snails. I also heard they Eat ghost shrimp is this true ? And any other infor would be very helpful Thanks.

Answer 1

Yes, they'll eat ghost shrimp. Also "human grade" shrimp, with pieces of the shell left on and krill. Anything that's has some hardness to it so that the beak is kept worn down, plus some meaty items (worms, bloodworms, squid, etc.).

In a way this is just like feeding crickets to reptiles - you don't want to just buy them at your pet store, then put them in with your puffer- you want to have a holding area where you can gutload the shrimp first - feed them nutritious food (including veggies, which your puffer won't eat) first, then give them to the puffer, so they act more like a "vitamin pill" by giving him nutrients he may not otherwise get. In the wild, puffers will eat a lot more varied items than they get in captivity, so they get a lot more nutrients from what they eat. In captivity, we have to improvise a little.

Here's a link to a site with some info on them, and within this site, there's a link to an article about feeding puffers (and they all eat similar items, whether they're from fresh, salt or brackish conditions, it's just the specific food items that vary): http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Biocellatus/

Answer 2

The figure 8 puffer, Tetraodon biocellatus, is a pufferfish found in freshwater and brackish water in Southeast Asia.

Figure 8 puffers grow to about 8 cm long. They are colourful fish, with greenish yellow patterns on their backs. These patterns vary greatly from fish to fish, but the markings either side of the caudal fin resemble the number eight, or eye-spots (earning the species another common name as 'Eye-spot puffer'). Figure 8 puffers are relatively peaceful among tetraodontidae, and have been kept successfully with other fish such as bumblebee gobies and mollies, but as with all pufferfish there is a risk that tankmates will not be tolerated.

Like all members of the Tetraodon family, the figure 8 puffer is capable of inflating itself with water or air when stressed or otherwise frightened.


Diet
Pufferfish are classed as molluscivores and feed mainly on benthic organisms which may include mussels, cockles, oysters and krill. Their teeth, a beak formed from two plates, are capable of crushing shells in order to feed on prey. In captivity many fishkeepers feed snails as a substitute for hard-shelled food since this keeps the beak, otherwise susceptible to overgrowth, trim.


Conditions in captivity

In captivity, figure 8 puffers require a 15 US gallon tank with temperatures between 24°C and 28°C. They are sensitive to nitrites and nitrates and must be introduced into a fully cycled aquarium. Over-filtration is recommended. Water pH will reflect the brackish environment to which these fish are best suited; the addition of marine salt will buffer the pH to a range between 7.8 and 8.3. A salinity of between 1.005 and 1.008 specific gravity (S.G.) has been found to increase the lifespan of this species to as long as 15 years

Answer 3

They love brackish water which is about 1/4 the equivalent of regular salt water but i have put them in complete salt water before and they did great. They are Carnivorous. They love prawn, krill, minnows, mysid shrimp. Make sure you do not put them in with non-aggressive or small fish. They can be very aggressive and love to nip fins of other fish given the opportunity. Hope
I helped.