How to Feed a Sharpnose Puffer Fish

Sharpnose Puffer fish are native to the reefs of the Caribbean, Hawaii and throughout the Indian Ocean. This fish grows to be nearly five inches long and requires a special diet to maintain good dental health. In the fish̵7;s native habitat the puffer feeds on mussels, shrimp and a host of other small reef inhabitants as well as graze on the ocean floor eating algae and sea grasses. This diet is also necessary for captive puffers.

  1. What to Feed

    • Feed a variety of live and frozen foods to provide essential nutrients to captive puffers. The goal is to simulate the puffer̵7;s natural diet to prevent the teeth from growing excessively long. Hard shell live foods such as crustaceans, snails and shellfish are necessary part of their captive diet as well. Other hard-shell variety foods that are excellent to feed are prawn, crab legs and shrimp. An occasional algae wafer also aids in providing a complete and natural diet.

    What Not to Feed

    • Refrain from feeding fish flake food no matter the quality, it̵7;s simply not recommended for this species. While puffers may ingest flake food they cannot thrive on it, which means health problems can occur as the result. A fish diet for your puffer is also not recommended because it leads to fatty liver disease if fed too often. Generally, the only acceptable foods for this species are frozen and live foods selected from their natural diet.

    How Much and How Often

    • Feed small amounts and often. The puffer̵7;s natural feeding cycle begins at dawn and ends at dusk so feedings should take place between those times. While these fish are hardy, they do require small feedings several times a day to maintain a good level of health. Because this species produces a large amount of bio waste it is important to maintain a good filtering system and water changing schedule to keep water conditions clean.

    Dietary Warnings

    • Feeding foods that are not a natural part of the puffer fish̵7;s diet can result in poor health. Dog food, human food or other foods not naturally found on the ocean floor create severe intestinal stress that compromises the health of the fish. Even bread and cheese as harmless as they may seem have been known to cause health problems in several species of marine life.