r/Aquariums • u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 • Jun 02 '24
Gilbert "patiently" waiting for food Saltwater/Brackish
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u/Semarin Jun 02 '24
My first thought when the video started was, ehhh water is kinda low. Nope. The water level might still be a little too high lol!
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u/manchagnu Jun 02 '24
"patiently". lmao. motherscratcher almost jumped out to snag it from your hands. super cool lil dude you got there! 😍
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u/Pleasant_Ocelot_2861 Jun 02 '24
Lol…he looks huuuuungry!
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 02 '24
He always is even though I feed him till he has a round belly haha
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u/CrusherDestroyer90 Jun 02 '24
What species of puffer is he?
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 02 '24
Topaz/ceylon puffer!
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u/CrusherDestroyer90 Jun 02 '24
Very cool. So it’s a brackish puffer that you are keeping in full salt? (Assuming from the corals).
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 02 '24
That is correct started all the way at 1.002 and now at about 1.025 for the past year. First 2 years was just slowly moving up and keeping at 1.012 ish for a while. Then when I moved continents I started a new tank for him at 1.020 and went up from there. Wanted brackish but then learned there is not much you can keep, wanted macro algaes and that turned into a couple corals as well.
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u/BlobfishBoy Jun 03 '24
Damn they let you travel between continents with him?
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
I studied in Belgium and bought Gilbert and Tater (my potato puffer) there. When I moved back to the US I had them shipped by plane. Let me tell you it was a major pain to get it all done, but it was worth it. They became more than just fish I was keeping. They are pets.
If you are interested I made a video about the journey a while ago on YouTube.
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u/badpeaches Jun 03 '24
If you are interested I made a video about the journey a while ago on YouTube.
How are you going to say that and not post a link?
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
You make a valid point
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u/Regular_Committee946 Jun 03 '24
Can't imagine how much splashing Gilbert did after being fasted for his journey if this is him on a normal day. I bet he was FURIOUS!
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
He fasted for a good week for the journey. Don't worry I fed him well the first few days!
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u/amynicole78 Jun 03 '24
They're totally pets. I had to be evacuated for two weeks due to a fire two years ago, and the first thing l did when l got home was save the fish that l could. I still have my cichlid that survived for the two weeks without food and 8 days without any power.
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
Wow I am sorry to hear that. That chiclid had a will to live! Glad you still have one of them around!
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u/CrusherDestroyer90 Jun 02 '24
That’s awesome, I had been pondering such a set up myself for a green spot. Maybe one day lol
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u/Samuel-Darnold Jun 02 '24
Wow this is so cute I had no idea fish could act like this!!
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u/ontour4eternity Jun 02 '24
Puffers are THE BEST!!! I got 6 dwarf pea puffers 2 months ago, and I have never been so entertained! They are like little dog wet pets!
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u/KG_Modelling Jun 02 '24
He is extremely patient. What a distinguished gentleman waiting to be served his dinner ;)
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u/SbgTfish Jun 02 '24
He’s like a murderer trying to smash his way through a door or chasing down his victim.
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u/IceLapplander Jun 02 '24
Fish with character is a big part of what drew me into the hobby. This little guy has that in spades!
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Jun 02 '24
How many/how often do you feed him?
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 02 '24
Typically feed him daily sometimes skip a day. Cockles I give him 1 or 2. Other foods depends, earthworms typically 1 maybe 2 if small. Roaches I give him 3 or 4 small to medium dubia. Sometimes give him 1 Hikari frozen silver side. And very rarely give him a chunk of a shrimp.
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u/nottwelvewhatisthis Jun 02 '24
Such a dog ! Has he ever had worms? I read that is common
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 02 '24
Possible, I treated for worms twice in the first weeks so not sure haha. But with puffers I suggest you always deworm them
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u/nottwelvewhatisthis Jun 08 '24
Are puffers happy solitary? Does he have any teammates he leaves alone?
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 08 '24 edited Jun 08 '24
He is a loner. I originally ordered a figure 8 and had a tank setup with mollies and guppies as well. So long story short they shipped me Gilbert and 6 months linving in peace with them it eventually turned into a blood bath.
He is basically a murder machine. The only 2 animals that have survived with him are tiger conch snails and pin cushion urgin.
Edit: I didn't really answer your question, some do better solitary then others just because of their aggression levels. Pea puffers for example are kn the other end of the spectrum and like be big a bigger groups.
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u/OldskateDad Jun 03 '24
People say fish are dumb, they dont recognize peole or paterns, they dont have emotions to those people i say watch this and tell me how this animal dosnt feel and isnt smart looks jus tlike a dog excited for his food super cute
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
I completely agree with you!
His pattern for attention/food goes even beyond this. My home office is one room over. And if the fish room door is open he can see my shadow move in the hallway when I am walking out of the office. As soon as the shadow hits the hallway he starts junking just like in this video.
It works because I immediately walk over to say hi to him because of this. I think he has trained me more than I have trained him haha 😅
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Jun 02 '24
Why is this NSFW?
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 02 '24
I am going to guess one of the mods flagged it for feeding. But if I am not mistaking it's only for live food. These cockles have been in my freezer way to long to still be alive.
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u/squeakytea crusher not flusher Jun 03 '24
It's hard to tell when we're modding from the mobile app, so we err on the side of caution. Thanks for clarifying, we've removed the tag.
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
All good!! That does explain it! I have gone trough this before so try to tag it appropriately!
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Jun 02 '24
That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Even if it were alive how is that NSFW??
Tags like that should be reserved for blood and porn.
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u/baby_savage Jun 02 '24
Iirc the snake subreddits also mark live feedings as NSFW. I think it’s because some keepers have morals against live feeding
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u/pigeon_toez Jun 02 '24
Believe me when I say, I’ve seen some unnecessarily GRAPHIC live feeds on Reddit, it is best to NSFW them all, you can’t just say but worms are ok, because then where do you draw the line?
Flagging this for a dead mollusk is a little far, but I think it’s been since removed.
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 02 '24
Not sure been flagged in the past in this sub for that very reason 🤷♂️ (snails, roaches and earth worms) nothing to crazy I think.
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u/otterboi123 Jun 02 '24
What foods did you feed him when he was smaller, my topaz is only eating snails.
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 02 '24
Really about anything he could bit into too. I got lucky with him that he eats everything I offer him. Including the mollies and guppies he used to be with.
Edit: snails are good though I have noticed this puffer species has pretty quick teeth growth.
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u/inxider Jun 03 '24
Where you been you need to post more Gilbert daily feeding!!
What a great video made my day Thank you!!!
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
Thank you! I took a break for a bit from social media including reddit. But i have been posting a lot again specially on Instagram.
My insta is linked on my reddit profile.
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u/junesiebug Jun 03 '24
His splishy-splashy and bubbles make me laugh! And omg, I just listened to it with the sound on this time...and it's EVEN BETTER!!
I can see why you have to keep the water level lowered.
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u/Special_Preference58 Jun 03 '24
Does his teeth grow? What do you do to keep them down, if so?
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
Yes and pretty quickly. The cockles are probably the best. Not because he can break them or crunch them because ge cant. But in his free time he likes to check 200 times that there is no food left. And during this process he grabs the shells and bites them. So he kind of takes care of it himself, also sometimes likes to bit the rock or kind of sift trough the Sand and pic up old snail shells.
Other foods I feed him that help are snails and duvua roaches.
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u/One_Strain_2531 Jun 03 '24
Me eating arbys last Thursday then dealing with gas pain for the rest of the day because I ate half a beef and cheddar in under 20 minutes
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u/eiscuseme Jun 03 '24
Used to have that same type of flame algae in my tank, it grows so fast sometimes it’s not even funny
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
Yes it does! Although the caulerpra (think I spelled it right) is like a weed, good nitrate sponge though.
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u/eiscuseme Jun 03 '24
For sure, just make sure to keep it in check or maybe find a fish that wouldn’t mind eating it all lol
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
Yeah I pull some out from time to time. Problem is Gilbert doesn't mind eating other fish, he is a lone wolf
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u/eiscuseme Jun 03 '24
Easiest solution: get a second tank with enough room for some herbivores and use Gilbert’s tank as a seaweed farm! Free food, double the fish, absolutely no downsides whatsoever!
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
That actually sounds like a great idea. Going to need a bigger fish room though!!
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u/eiscuseme Jun 03 '24
Finding that balance between too little room and too many tanks is always the worst part of reef keeping
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
I could add more tanks but the biggest thing I am scared of is that it's on the second floor of my house. I think I am near the limit with 2 40 gallons, 1 35, and a rack of 6 10 gallon tanks.
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u/eiscuseme Jun 03 '24
Ooh yeah better safe than sorry with all that. I keep telling myself once I’m financially stable enough to have a reef again I’m only going to have a small tank with 2 clowns but I know that’s a lie I tell myself to cope with not having one right now haha
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u/Borthwick Jun 03 '24
Wow you could honestly probably condition a simple trick or two with such clear food motivation, thats so interesting
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u/Rabid_Platypus_195 Jun 03 '24
Is that a baby mba? Omg so cute!
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
Nope it's fully grown topaz / ceylon puffer it's a brackish species
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u/Rabid_Platypus_195 Jun 03 '24
A brackish puffer is life goals, atm I'm doing a free to good home 55 gallon long acrylic show tank I resealed and am turning into a river bottom. It's live planted, I use sponge filters and a high flow top current canister- Magnum is awesome. I have dojo loaches, corys, a single squeaker cat, two dwarf bridtlenose pleco, five chinese ghost cats, five buenos aires tetra, two amazing blood parrot cichlids. I'm a research online make sure they're compatible and drop it in and see what happens. I get a lot of shit but most of my fish are 6-10 years old and very happy :) It's going on 15 years now.
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 03 '24
Sounds amazing that is the next tank I really want to build, a long skinny high flow river tank. One day it will happen!
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u/Here-for-kittys Jun 03 '24
I was half hoping he'd just stare at it mindlessly after you dropped it in
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u/BrianaNanaRama Jun 03 '24
Also, don’t forget that he’s reacting appropriately after seeing the food… throwing himself against the glass 😂😂
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u/Swinups Jun 03 '24
What a cute one! As kid I wanted one and seeing your cute puffer brings those feelings all back.
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u/Septopuss7 Jun 03 '24
I've never seen a more sassily eaten clam he's like "tHaaaANks, IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH"
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u/Rabid_Platypus_195 Jun 03 '24
If you get it right your fish will speak for themselves lol, much like this cutie. He's obviously very happy :)
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u/Bolkohir Jun 03 '24
On the notification thumbnail it looks like he's stuck in a whirlpool 😂 needless to say, it wasn't too far from reality. Holy crap!
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u/Shungus_Bobungus69 Jun 03 '24
And now Gilbert can repurpose those shells as an apartment complex for Shell Cichlids lmao
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u/Tolerinn Jun 04 '24
Very cute ! A real water puppy.
Genuine question : you seem to have opened the clam for him, can he not do that on his own ?
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u/Raindrops_Tickle 🥔🐡 Jun 04 '24
He has troubles with. The clams are typically all the way shut since I freeze them when they are still alive.
So I open them first a little just so water can get in and thaw out the meat.
One thing I am also scared of is that when they clam is partly opened he just tries to force his way into the crack and don't want him to damage his eyes or anything.
Sometimes I just give it to him on a half shell and that eliminates all these problems haha
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u/Uncommon-sequiter Jun 02 '24
I'm not an expert but I'd say Gilbert is highly motivated by food