Home Sweet Puffer Home

mylittleopihi · Aug 25, 2005

Hi Everyone!

Been reading a bit around here and at pufferforums.org. Ready to fire away with some questions.

I want to get a GSP.

I have the following:
* 20g tank with cover
* choice of hanging or undergravel filter (currently hanging)
* reliable and convenient source of variety of live and frozen foods (for future GSP)
* test kits for ammonia and nitrate (for the tank-cycling process)
* some borrowed feeder fish (8 comets) to get the tank cycle started
* as much patience as it will take to get the tank right

Is this the best approach to make a good home for a GSP?

Is it wrong to cycle the tank as a FW system, then slowly graduate (1 week) to brackish to prep it for the young GSP after the tank has completely cycled?

What would you folks recommend for an ideal substrate? I've got the regular old colored tank gravel in there now, but want to add plants and wood before Mrs. Puff is added.

Thanks everyone!

myfishworld · Aug 25, 2005

if you only have one puffer and it's small, a 20 gallon tank maybe ok. yes, you will want to cycle the water as you do a fw tank but make sure you add your sea salt, too. it needs to be fully disolved before you add your puffer.

i haven't had any luck with plants in my tank. i've tried mangrove trees, java ferns, and micro swords, etc....all kinds of "brackish" plants. they all live but they never look that good.

driftwood is good but it can also discolor your water somewhat.

make sure you feed your puffer some hard foods too. they have teeth that need to be wore down. snails and mussles are what i use.

good luck

wataugachicken · Aug 25, 2005

i would get a hygrometer so that you can accurately see what the salt levels are. test the water from the LFS that the GSP is currently in, and have your levels at that point when you get your fish. then gradually raise the salinity to brackish levels, i think it's .001 per week.
remember that you need marine salt and not regular aquarium salt

if you check the Brack Faq at the top of this forum page, then click on the link, there is a lot of info and a list of good substrates and hardy plants.

RTR · Aug 26, 2005

If you are getting a GSP, follow the instructions given by Pufferpunk in her article on the Puffer Forum or at Wet Web Media.

A 20 is suitable for a starter tank, but too small for long term. It would be better to start with a 30 which can be the permanent home for a single GSP.

Your filters will also do to start, but are likely insufficient for permanent use. The UG should be operated RFUG, and with a crushed coral or better an aragonite substrate.

Feeder fish and fish cycling is not nearly as good as fishless cycling - there are stickies on this forum with full details.

Plants will not survive the transition to brackish water, you might as well start with artificials and stay there.

Check with your LFS and see whether or not they normally get GSPs in in FW or BW, and if BW, at what specific gravity. If they don't provide a good and clear response, cycle FW and after the fish is in raise the density no more than 0.002 per week.

Pufferpunk · Aug 26, 2005

Link to abovementioned article: GSPs

mylittleopihi · Aug 26, 2005

Got that too

Got a hydrometer (forgot to list it)

I read that puffer like to have areas of shade where they can hang out and figured plants and driftwood would make a nice playground/hideout. What alternatives to plants are there for this purpose?

I'm a little confused about where I should go to make sure I get "marine salt" versus "aquarium salt." What's the difference. I live in Hawaii ... can I just go scoop the ocean as long as it's off-shore?

RTR: Can you translate for the newbie? "The UG should be operated RFUG, and with a crushed coral or better an aragonite substrate." I got the ultimate goal part, but ya lost me with the RFUG and aragonite.

My LFS (got that one

) have a half-dozen young ones in brackish. I'll get their water specs before moving day and make sure the levels are stable for a couple weeks.

Not sure about the fishless cycling, as I've had a heck of a time trying to find an ammonia source, but I'm not ruling it out as an option.

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the help! I've printed a whole boat load of stuff from here and a couple of the forums you guys reference. Seems like keeping a puffer isn't ideal for a brackish beginner, but the stores fling these fish outta there like it's nuthin. Sad.

But I'm happy to have a new hobby and this place to help me out!! My husband has has SW and still has a FW tank, so I've got support at home, too.

Cheers!

Jayhawk · Aug 26, 2005

Aquarium salt is just normal NACL/plain salt. Marine salt mix is what you use to make a full SW tank (you just add less salt for BW).

HTH,

Eric

Puffernewbee · Aug 26, 2005

mylittleopihi said:
Got a hydrometer (forgot to list it)

I read that puffer like to have areas of shade where they can hang out and figured plants and driftwood would make a nice playground/hideout. What alternatives to plants are there for this purpose? You can make overhangs or caves with rocks or clay flower pots. You will also be amazed at the many types of artificial plants you can buy.

I'm a little confused about where I should go to make sure I get "marine salt" versus "aquarium salt." What's the difference. I live in Hawaii ... can I just go scoop the ocean as long as it's off-shore? Marine salt such as Instant Ocean should be used, not the plain od aquarium rock salt. I do not see why scooping the ocean would not work but I do not have a full marine tank, just a brackish.

RTR: Can you translate for the newbie? "The UG should be operated RFUG, and with a crushed coral or better an aragonite substrate." I got the ultimate goal part, but ya lost me with the RFUG and aragonite. Reverse Flow Undergravel Filter. Instead or an aerator and bobble pulling water down into the filter, you put a power head on the top and force the water to come up through the gravel. Do a Google search and you will find lots of ways to set these up.

Not sure about the fishless cycling, as I've had a heck of a time trying to find an ammonia source, but I'm not ruling it out as an option. I do not know if there is an Ace Hardware in Hawaii but you can find it there. I have found many threads where people said they found it there as did I when I was looking for it. You may want to try other hardware stores also.

Cheers!

Hope this helps

RTR · Aug 26, 2005

RFUG:

http://www.aquasource.org/CMS/modul...ns&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=17&page=1

That article deals w/FW, but it is my method of choice for BW puffers, as it provides excellent buffering/alkalinity support for these high-bioload fish and avoids dirty gravel issues.

Aragonite is more soluble than crushed coral and available in a better range of particle sizes. It also looks better to me as it is not so uniform (read as: monochrome, same effect as the dyed gravels, totally unnatural looking). But the solubility is the main reason for my use of this material.

mylittleopihi · Sep 21, 2005

Update on set newbie setup

Scrapped the idea of starting the 10g tank for Mrs. Puff - so I've cycled the tank for nothing, as those comets will quickly outgrow it.

My sister-in-law has a 50g tank she's willing to give us, so the Pacu, tinfoil and older comets will move from their current 20g to the 50 and Mrs. Puff will get the 20g.

We've successfully setup a breeding tank for ghost shrimp. So far so good - it's been three weeks and they're all doing well. They're so cute and funny to watch I almost hate the idea of feeding them to Mrs. Puff!

Need a bit of advice on the 20g .. since it's an established tank, would I just need to make it brackish for prep it for a Mrs. Puff?


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