To be healthy, Fahaka Puffers need to be fed a varied diet which should include snails, clams, worms, mussels, crabs, and crayfish
Crayfish
Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters. They are also known as crawfish, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, mudbugs, or yabbies. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-lik…
Full Answer
What do Fahaka puffer eat in the wild and as pets?
In an aquarium, Fahaka Puffer fish will readily accept fresh or frozen hard shelled foods. They can be fed live fish foods just as well. Snails, crabs, crayfish, and shrimp are all favorites of Fahaka Puffer. What Does Fahaka Puffer Eat in the Wild?
What do puffers eat?
In the wild puffers feed on insects, shellfish, spineless species, therefore snails, crabs and crawfish are just the right thing for this fish. In the tank it may feed on small fishes and frozen krill meat. You should feed juveniles every other day, as they are getting older the number of meals should be decreased up to 2-3 times a week.
How do you take care of a Fahaka puffer?
Give the fahaka puffer a warm tank with water temperatures between 75 and 78°F, to mimic the tropical climate of their natural habitat. Fahaka puffers are sensitive to soft water, so you should keep their water between 10–15 dGh, and with an acidity of 7.0 to 8.0 pH.
Can Fahaka pufferfish breeding at home?
Breeding Fahaka Pufferfish at home is a difficult and practically impossible task, which is associated, first of all, with the increased aggressiveness of representatives of this species. Sexual dimorphism in fish is not pronounced.
What do baby Fahaka puffers eat?
Their natural diet consists of snails, crabs, mussels, and clams. In captivity, Fahaka Puffers eat snails, worms, crabs, and other shellfish.
What do you feed Fahaka puffer?
What do Fahaka pufferfish eat? The Nile puffer is a carnivorous species that are known as molluscivores. In nature, the fishes' diet includes mollusks, insects, and crustaceans. In captivity, the fish can be fed snails, crabs, shrimp, and crayfish, and they can sometimes be acclimated to eat freeze-dried krill.
How fast does a Fahaka Puffer grow?
The Fahaka has an initial growth spurt, in which it grows very quickly. You should expect a healthy Fahaka to grow at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) every four weeks for the first 10 months of its life, with the remainder of its growth being achieved in the following 12 months.
How do you care for a Fahaka puffer?
If you want to keep Fahaka Puffer fish, you will need a tank that is at minimum 100 gallons. Fahaka Puffer fish require their water to be at a temperature of around 75°F to 82°F. Fahaka Puffer fish are sensitive to soft water, and do best when kept between 10 and 12 dKH, and 7.0 to 8.0 pH.
How long can a Fahaka Puffer go without food?
Dwarf Pufferfish can go for 5 – 7 days without eating. A healthy Dwarf Puffer can go even longer. If your Dwarf Puffer has stopped eating, try tempting them back into feeding by offering live bloodworms, blackworms, or small snails.
Do Fahaka Puffer need brackish water?
Notes: The Fahaka puffer is a freshwater pufferfish that is often found in brackish waters in the wild and will readily acclimate well to low-end brackish conditions in the home aquarium. These are large, messy fish and require large tanks and filtration of about 8-10 times the tank turnover per hour.
How can I make my Fahaka grow faster?
The more often you feed your Fahaka Puffer, the quicker it will grow (providing you don't overfeed it of course). A young Fahaka Puffer will need to be fed small amounts of food, 4 or 5 times a week. A juvenile Fahaka Puffer, which will be around 6”-8” (15cm – 20cm) in length, will need to be fed 2 or 3 times a week.
Do Fahaka puffers need sand?
Fahaka Puffers do best when kept on a sand substrate. Fahaka Puffers like to bury themselves, especially when they are smaller, and a sand substrate facilitates this much easier than gravel.
Can puffer fish eat carrot?
Do Pufferfish Like Carrots? Yes, pufferfish like to eat carrots. Pufferfish will usually eat anything, but if you want to move them off of their go-to food (bits of algae and crustaceans) and onto something new (carrots), be sure to use a red one!
How big do Fahaka puffers get?
Fahaka pufferfish can reach up to 43 cm (1.4 ft) in length. Like all puffers they have the ability to inflate when threatened and carry the toxin tetrodotoxin. Fahaka pufferfish, like other molluscivores, feed mainly on benthic organisms which may include freshwater mussels and snails.
Are Fahaka puffers poisonous?
Are Fahaka Puffers Poisonous? Yes, Fahaka Pufferfish are poisonous, but only if eaten. Certain parts of the Fahaka Puffer fishes body contain the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin. If consumed in sufficient quantities the neurotoxin causes paralysis and eventually death.
Do Fahaka puffers need sand?
Fahaka Puffers do best when kept on a sand substrate. Fahaka Puffers like to bury themselves, especially when they are smaller, and a sand substrate facilitates this much easier than gravel.
What fish can you keep with a Fahaka puffer?
2:203:34Top 3 Fahaka Puffer Tank Mates - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipUm tiger barbs tin foil barbs. Actually a tin foil barb is probably the best choice because they getMoreUm tiger barbs tin foil barbs. Actually a tin foil barb is probably the best choice because they get pretty big they keep to themselves. They're so they're always moving.
How big do Fahaka puffers get?
Fahaka pufferfish can reach up to 43 cm (1.4 ft) in length. Like all puffers they have the ability to inflate when threatened and carry the toxin tetrodotoxin. Fahaka pufferfish, like other molluscivores, feed mainly on benthic organisms which may include freshwater mussels and snails.
Are Fahaka puffers poisonous?
Are Fahaka Puffers Poisonous? Yes, Fahaka Pufferfish are poisonous, but only if eaten. Certain parts of the Fahaka Puffer fishes body contain the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin. If consumed in sufficient quantities the neurotoxin causes paralysis and eventually death.
What is the best food for a Fahaka puffer?
Unsuitable foods can result in stunted growth and poor health. Suitable foods for this species include: Large terrestrial and aquatic snails.
How many gallons of water does a Fahaka puffer need?
This translates to a tank volume of approximately 570 litres or 150 US gallons.
Why do pufferfish die?
We have seen Fahaka pufferfish die themselves after attacking their tank mates. These instances include huge ammonia spikes caused by the dead fish in the tank, corydoras and pleco spines becoming lodged in the throat of the Fahaka and disease caused by injuries and stress.
What plants are affected by pufferfish?
Fahaka are plant biters and plants with long, thin shoots, such as Tiger Lotus, Crinum calamistratum and Crypt balansae, will likely be decimated by the pufferfish within a short period of time. Even the toughest plants, such as Anubias, will suffer from the occasional attack, so it is important to choose hardy species which can withstand ...
How fast does a fahaka grow?
The Fahaka has an initial growth spurt, in which it grows very quickly. You should expect your Fahaka to grow at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) every four weeks for the first 10 months of it's life, with the remainder of it's growth being achieved in the following 12 months.
How long do fahaka live?
With the correct care, the Fahaka can live to in excess of 20 years. A fish that lives for 20 years will be with you for a lot of changes in your life, so these fish obviously represent a long-term commitment.
Why do pufferfish need filtration?
This pufferfish is intolerant of poor water conditions, so a high level of biological and mechanical filtration is needed to deal with the amount of waste that this fish produces .
What do puffers eat?
In the wild puffers feed on insects, shellfish, spineless species, therefore snails, crabs and crawfish are just the right thing for this fish. In the tank it may feed on small fishes and frozen krill meat.
How long does a Fahaka puffer live?
This is a very large tetraodon – size can be up to 43 cm (17 in) and its lifespan may be up to 10 years.
What is the best substrate for puffer fish?
The best tank substrate for the fish is sand. There’s no need to add any salt into the water, since puffer is a freshwater tetraodon.
What do tetraodons eat?
If the teeth become too long, tetraodon won’t be able to feed and you’ll have to cut its teeth yourself. The die t changes with the age of fish – the juveniles feed on snails, prawns, frozen feed, however, you should feed the adult (over 16 cm long) with large prawns, crab legs, fillet.
Where do puffers live?
Fahaka puffer is a tropical freshwater demersal (bottom-living) fish which inhabits in large rivers and other surface waters in the West, East and North-East of Africa. The fish can be encountered in the river Nile basin including White Nile, Turkana lake, Lake Nasser reservoir (Sudan), Baro River (Ethiopia), Lake Chad basin, ...
Do you need salt for puffer fish?
There’s no need to add any salt into the water, since puffer is a freshwater tetraodon. For tank setup you may also use smooth rocks, snags and sandstones. The fish is very likely to damage any tank plants, so don’t waste your time on planting them.
Can a Fahaka puffer kill other fish?
Its very likely that puff er will kill or hurt other fishes that will inhabit in the same tank with it.
General Information
The Fahaka Pufferfish is a large ornamental fish that can grow up to 40 cm in length under suitable conditions. The size of the Fahaka Puffer can differ while keeping in a tank because it needs a large aquarium.
Fahaka Pufferfish Drawback
The fish has one “drawback” – increased aggression towards other aquarium inhabitants.
Appearance
The Fahaka Pufferfish has an oblong, pear-shaped body up to 40-45 cm long. In the head part, two large protruding eyes are distinguished, which can rotate independently in any direction.
Habitat
The natural habitat of Fahaka Puffer is numerous reservoirs of western, eastern, and northeastern Africa.
Fahaka Pufferfish Aquarium Requirements
To keep Fahaka Pufferfish, you need a spacious aquarium with a volume of 200 liters or more.
Fahaka Pufferfish Care
It is necessary to ensure good filtration (you will need a productive external filter) and aeration of the water (a powerful compressor will help).
Fahaka Pufferfish Tank Mates
Due to the aggressive nature of Fahaka, Keeping them in common aquariums is practically not possible.
