[luv951]

I read this post with great interest as I love puffers and lions and have only recently had success in keeping them alive for more than about a year and half. I thought that I would add my pair of pennies in here so that maybe it can help someone out.

Years ago - about 1996 or so - when I first got into the hobby, I fell in love with both puffers and lionfish, and all of my tanks have included them. Problem was that, after about a year and a half or so, they would all die. It was very all of a sudden and with no signs of sickness or disease. After going through about three of each, with the same thing happening, I gave up.

I got back into the hobby, after reading about proper husbandry and care for these animals on the net. I finally figured out what had been killing my fish. The LFS had told me that feeder goldfish were the best diet, and I believed them. What a great scam - they sell me the fish, sell me the feeders, and then sell me the replacement fish a year and a half later when their feeding advice has killed my fish.

Heres what I do now. At the local super market, I buy:

1 pound of cocktail shrimp
1 pound of jumbo shrimp
1 pound of talapia filets, or cod
.5 pound of mussels
.5 pound of real crab meat
Nori - about six to seven sheets

At home, I put that into the blender in batches, with a little saltwater from the tank to get the blender mixing. I leave some of the cocktail shrimp out to be added back whole. Of course, the mussels have to be shelled (its the worst part). Once I have a nice mixture with pretty good size chunks still left, I add back the cocktail shrimp.

The mix is then placed into ziploc bags and shaped to form a sheet about 1/2 inch thick. I put it on a cookie sheet and place that into the freezer. When it comes time to feed, I break a hunk off, thaw if for a bit, and drop it in.

The fish are thriving now!!! My tangs, and damsals love it as well.

THE BEST PART - last time I did this, was in November of 2005. It cost me about $35 for all the ingredients. I am just now running out of food. So, $35 for about eight months of food!! I don't think that can be beat. I do feed just Nori about every second or third day, though.

Sorry this was so long.