# Dog Face Puffer's Teeth



## Michael

Hi everyone,

I have read that you have to feed your puffer fish some hard shelled food in order to keep it's teeth from growing too large. I followed the link posted in another topic and read about the sorts of things you can feed a puffer to accomplish this, but it didn't say how many/much.

I haven't been able to find "hard shell cockle" anywhere, so I am going to put some marine snails into the tank and hope for the best. I have a 55 gallon tank with a dog face puffer and a bicolor angel. 

The question is how many snails should I add?

Thanks!
Michael


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## Lupin

They'll keep munching on any inverts, Michael.
10 snails a day is sufficient.


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## usmc121581

If the dog face puffer doesn't eat them they'll keep your tank clean till it's there turn to go.


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## Michael

I bought six snails for twenty dollars. The dog face puffer didn't even gnaw on the shell like he presumably was supposed to... he just grabbed the fleshy part of the snail right out of the shell! Oh well, he ate better than I did that night 

What can I buy Puffy that he can gnaw on so that his teeth will not grow too large?


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## usmc121581

All I can really say is if your feeding him what everything is saying(sounds like you are) to feed. There's really not much you can do but wait to see if he will start to gnaw. Maybe he isn't doing it yet because he is not ready.


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## Lupin

I don't think cuttlefish bone would be fine with you. I know a lot of puffer keepers using cuttlefish bone for their puffers to gnaw.


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## Mel

I am in still cycling my tank however, I will soon be adding the famous dog face puffer and a lion. Will my lil hermits meet their maker? How bout my big snails ? Just wondering its no big deal I would rather have the fish anyhow. :shock:


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## usmc121581

Its a good chance they will.


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## Mel

Okay! He likes to bite chunks out of snails. I have found though that if I keep him fed (he loves mussel) he leaves everyone alone. This fish is too cool!


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## Michael

Aren't they awesome, Mel? Have you seen your puff yet? I glanced over at the tank one day and mine was 3 or 4 times his size! I ran over to it just in time to watch it begin burping out the water- incredible! At first, "Puffy" was very timid. Well, he still is. However, now he seems to come up to the glass when he sees us and sometimes he will even follow our finger. My clown fish are more colorful, sure, but I LOVE this fish!

Oh, and about the snails... I put 6 snails in the tank for Puffy to gnaw on and within minutes he tore the meat from them and left the shell.


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## Mel

Unfortunately I have seen him puff. He puffed going into the tank. He has since developed Ich which I am treating and he has partially puffed due to the fact he is probably itching to death. I figured out he was ramming into the live rock because he is irritated. He is very cool though. We named him Falcor (the luck dragon off the neverending story). I also have come to the conclusion he is a bit constipated if that makes any sense. I have yet to see him poop in over a week and he gets to looking bad when he changes color and curles up under a rock. He is doing fine atm swimming to the "food heaven" and waiting for me to give in. HAHAHA! BTW do these guys ever stop wanting food? :lol:


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## Tracy

Excuse my ignorance, but is the dog faced puffer the marine fish that is chubby and looks like it has bunny teeth? I saw one at an amazing fish store (that I do not work at), and thought it looked like someone had drawn teeth on a cartoon fish. Very cool


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