How to prevent lockjaw for puffer fish

[Porcupine Reefer]

I had a porcupine puffer a long time ago and I suspected that he got lock jaw before he died. He used to eat a plethora of food krill, shrimp, clams, and even squid. I thought about getting another puffer in the future but what can I do to prevent lock jaw from happening again?

 

[DylanE]

I believe in predatory fish lockjaw is typically a sign of thiamine deficiency. This happens because certain common and cheap meaty foods contain large amounts of thiaminase, which breaks down the vitamin. This includes krill, certain silverside brands (depending on species), and maybe shrimp? I can't remember exactly, but I'd look into eliminating all potential sources of this. I use salmon, scallops and SF brand silversides (which don't have thiaminase) for my eels.