Will Pea Puffers Eat Planaria? Can They Be A Food Source?

Last Updated on February 26, 2022 by cmoarz

Whether you already have a planaria infestation and are wondering if your pea puffers will wipe them out, Or you are thinking about giving them planaria to snack on, You need to know; will pea puffers eat planaria?

Will pea puffers eat planaria?

Most fish avoid planaria as a rule. They don’t taste great and they have very little in the way of nutritional value.

Some fish, like puffers, will eat them if they are hungry enough, but it’s not a food source that most people rely on.

If you thinking of introducing planaria into your tank as a puffer food source, you should reconsider.

Planaria are a pest. They multiply quickly, are unsightly, and in general, are a real pain to get rid of.

Besides, planaria as a food source won’t be a very stable or nutritiously enjoyable meal for your puffers and you should feed them more classic foods such as snails, shrimp, and other proteins.

Will puffers clean up a planaria infestation?

Puffers have no great interest in eating planaria unless they are starving. So if you’ve got a healthy puffer who’s well-fed, they may occasionally pick off planaria, but not in enough numbers to control the population.

If you’ve got an infestation of planaria and you want to get rid of them.

You are better off using the dozens of medications and treatments that are puffer safe and effective.

Pufferfish are not the best solution for getting rid of planaria.

Bottom line, Will pea puffers eat planaria? Yes if they are hungry enough, But they aren’t a good food source and puffers won’t eat enough to control a planaria infestation either.

What will eat planaria?

Not much! No one really enjoys planaria. It was thought at one point that planaria were at the top of the predator food chain (src: Sluys, 1999) because very few things would ever be interested in feeding on them.

This has since changed based on findings of several (land) snails, beetles, and other land planarians would feed on them, However, that doesn’t do you much good when it comes to eradicating an infestation in an aquatic setting.

If you have a planaria infestation, there are better solutions than trying to get your puffers or any fish to eat them.

Consider a planaria trap or medication instead.