Figure 8 Pufferfish

Question
My boyfriend and I just bought a Figure 8 Pufferfish and I've been doing some research on them. I keep seeing that you need to feed them snails to keep their beak trimmed down (much like in rodents), but I really would rather not have snails in my tank due to bad experiences with them in the past. I have also been reading that they will eat clams and crabs? What kind of clams/crabs would this be?

Thanks!

Erin

Answer
Dear Erin,
Snails aren't really too bad to have in a aquarium. Several of my aquariums are well populated with dozens of snails. Fortunately they actually do more good--than harm. Really the only time they become a pest and overpopulate a tank is if they are recieving too much food to cause a population explosion (much like with any other animal) if there is a overabundance of food, populations will rise greatly.

It is very true that the lovely Figure eight pufferfish should recieve snails very regularly to keep their beak-like mouth trimmed down for if this is neglected, they (like rodent teeth as you mentioned) will become overgrown and cause the puffer to have trouble eating properly. Fortunately there are other foods you can try besides snails (Although I still recommend snails if you can manage it) are- Mussels, shell on shrimp, and prawns are all excellent choices.  Sometimes though, puffers may still need their beak trimmed. I hope you will never have to deal with this with your puffer.

I really hope this helps!
Enjoy your Figure-eight puffer they are very unique fish!
Karen~