breeding GSPs

Are your puffers feeling a little naughty & lil ones are the result? Post your findings here!
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studmaster
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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by studmaster »

Here's something that might or might not be related to this discussion:

I recently have been lacking on the water changes and tested my nitrates at 20ppm. Not good at all, so for the last 4 days I have changed 30% of the water every other day. (so just two 30% changes). I've been able to bring down the nitrate to roughly 5ppm. When I change the water my pump outtake at the top of the tank probably mimics rain flow for the hour or so it takes me to change 30% of the water.

I have 3 GSP's, that all started at the same size, but one has grown very much bigger than the other two over the course of a year or so. Any ways the important thing I noticed this morning is that someone has created a pothole / creater / nest right down to the glass bottom in the gravel. The one larger GSP has been hanging around that area a bit more than usual today. It's probably nothing, but they have never created a nest like this before. Has anyone seen this nesting before?

Are GPS's live bearers or egg layers? I know nobody has gotten them to breed in captivity before, it's probably a huge long hard to replicate process, but eventually someone will accidentally stumble upon it (of course they will probably not be able to replicate it though)
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Corvus
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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by Corvus »

crater digging: yes, I've seen that, but nothing else happened. I've seen them sleep in these pits. They are egg layers like all puffers.

There are older reports of breeding them, but they have no pictures and generally noone's sure if they are real or fake.

I'm sure you could breed them with specific hormones as it is done in Japan (and poss. China, Mexico) with many other fish (including puffers). Their production in nature is likely triggered by maybe weather, water quality or tides.

Although, they are the most common traded puffers it is amazing how little we actually know of them (except for general aquarium care, which seems to work rather well). We don't know for sure if they are really one species, we don't know exactly their natural lifestlyle, e.g. if they are wandering, where they are breeding, how the larvae look like and how they grow.
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studmaster
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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by studmaster »

More pits are showing up in the mornings, I'm sure it's nothing, just new to me.

Corvus: I think you are right, we know very little about these puffers. Hopefully that will change, unfortunately of the thousands that are sold each year there are only a few people who know how to actually take care of them or try. (people here of course)
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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by Pandora114 »

My theory that I posted long ago:

Along with the seasonal climes, a shift in SG must be made. Since fry and younglings (sorry Starwars fans..) are found in brackish and the adults in full marine, it is pretty much a safe bet that they migrate to estuaries to spawn, then go back to salt.

So..one should definitely set up a second tank, and have a bucket to drip-acclimate the happy couple back to full marine once spawning is done. Of course we have no idea if puffers guard the eggs or not, but, in domestic situations, that is not needed especially with a nursery tank.

AAANYWAY. You do all that temp fluctuation and whatnot in the honeymoon/maternity/nursing tank. (after the eggies are laid you'll probably need a sponge filter....fry aren't really that big and could get sucked up and killed in anything bigger) You'll probably need baby brine shrimp to feed the young...

And about the sexual development of the GSP, that theory is SERIOUSLY COOL!

Damn I love fish, Puffers in particular, I can't wait to learn more about them!
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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by Corvus »

Pandora114 wrote:Since fry and younglings (sorry Starwars fans..) are found in brackish and the adults in full marine, it is pretty much a safe bet that they migrate to estuaries to spawn, then go back to salt.
Any scientific evidence for that?
I believe this is hear-say that developed into some kind of Jedi myth by repetition.

Anyway very interesting and salinity changes to induce breeding is a possibly useful approach.
Had no luck with that however so far.
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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by Pandora114 »

Well the fact that young GSP's are in brackish water instead of full salt is a rather safe observation correct? Who knows, they might even be like salmon. Going all the way up fresh to spawn and the fry/younglings develop in brackish. Why would Juvies be in estuaries if laid in full Marine?

Or the whole sexual development theory that was mentioned earlyer in this thread, that males are juvies, and females are adults, there still needs some form of salinity change for the female to ovulate because she still has to travel to the Brackish areas to find a mate/spawn.

I think mabe taking ONE "Older" gsp that has been in full Marine for a while and putting it into a tank with the puff that has been in brackish for a time might yield some results?

Since GSP's can't even be sexed through DNA (and their genome is fully known) they might very well "fluctuate" with age..starting out all male and then going female as they age.

Man this is why I wanna be a Marine Biologist. lol
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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by Corvus »

Pandora114 wrote:Why would Juvies be in estuaries if laid in full Marine?
That's actually pretty common for many fishes, e.g. snappers, even sharks, Arothron puffers. Less predators in the mangrove belt and better cover.

GSP could be like Common eels, too. Living in brackish and fresh water and spawning at high salinities. The vast majority of all GSPs in nature are reported from freshwater-brackish, few are found in marine. Larvae would not be very obvious and could travel into the estuaries.

The only thing we know for sure is we do not know how or where they spawn and grow.
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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by goby1kenobi »

Just a thought...

Check the underbellies of your GSPs. Look for a marking similar to the following
*|*
*

(the one dot is in line with the anal vent)

When I had a group of GSPs, I had one with that marking. It was the largest of the bunch. Sadly, we lost it due to what we think was a tumor.
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Re:

Post by LilGreenPuffer »

The Fisherman wrote:Whenever I happen into a large sum of money, i'm going to try and breed GSPs.

I could have sworn I've seen this article too.

As far as telling male from female, I have no idea. Maybe it has soemthing to do with the black underbelly coloring? I know some GSPs have pure white underbellys, while others have a constant gray/black underbelly.


Just some speculation...
The gray/black color is a sign of stress. There's really no way to tell apart the genders. The color change is *not* a good thing; if it happens to your fish, you need to check that out.
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Re: Re:

Post by studmaster »

LilGreenPuffer wrote:
The gray/black color is a sign of stress. There's really no way to tell apart the genders. The color change is *not* a good thing; if it happens to your fish, you need to check that out.

I don't know for sure if the darker underbellies is always a sign of stress. I have 3 GSP's and only one has a dark underbelly,(99% of the time) and he is by far the one with the healthiest appetite and is now about 5 times larger than the other 2. If he is stressed out and the others never are I have no idea why....he could eat anything else in that tank.
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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by Nick »

I have found as Shakespeare gets larger, he has a dark belly more often, not black, just darkened brownish gray.
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Re: breeding GSPs

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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by Myaj »

Yes, this is being discussed in the General section. More details can be found there.
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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by Myaj »

I moved this over to the breeding section and "stickied" it so we don't loose it :)

Left a "shadow" topic over in General if anyone's looking for it.
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Re: breeding GSPs

Post by Aquarist »

Sorry to bump an old topic, but I got this translated.

The breeding of ball fish requires a little fingertip feeling, as well as required time. He who credits himself that, should test the conditions - and do not despair if it not equally functioned. There cannot be say must an exact prescription, for like one again and again: Animals are no breeding machines!

Basin: A 60 l basin suffices for adulte animals of this type. Ground reason out of fine gravel. Cliff filter to the water movement (is according to dimensioning not all too strong in the current). The basin should not be all too strongly illuminated (floating plants such as water lenses grow very to the annoyance of many Aquarianer, also in the Brackwasser such as weeds). Planting with the usual vegetation: Anubias, thick tufts horn herbs (can evtl. also as a substrate serve).

Water: At the beginning water out of the Hälterungsbecken. Later then deviating values. Use Aufbereiter. Brackwasser is condition to the breeding!

Possessed: To distinguish who is in a position, the green ball fish sexually a couple should set into the basin. Perhaps help along here the notice of the size difference in same age: large fish = female, small fish = male. That possessed is must with only a couple an unconditional because other fishes endanger the spawn.

Further decoration: A large grotto, cave, was subordinate. Substrate such as wool or other suitable substrates. A slate as a potential Ablaichplatz - the animals will choose itself the suitable.

Temperature: 26-28°C

Feeding: Varied with clawed, shrimps shell meat and snails. These seem to be to the breeding especially importantly. Just as mealworms (small) and earthworms suit themselves to the lining conditioning. Also vegetable nourishment should in the form of salad and überbrühtem spinach passed become. Add vitamins and mineral materials the frost lining. Mornings and evenings to line is recommended.


Shorten weekly water change intervals in good and strong feeding on two-day water changes. Quantity vary. (Beginning with 20% each week, raise on 40%, then every three days 20%, increasingly until 40% by subsequently possible 60 - 70% of the water every two days change to can without that the fishes damage take). The fresh water should not colder than {than° THAN} and not warmer than {than° THAN} be. Variations in temperature are just as important as the varying concentrations in the salt salary. The salt salaries should remain into the weekly water change rather constant in order to show variations with increase of the intervals. One can determine the salt salaries by means of the density well. Hydrometers are simple remedies. The device should gauged its (is then however more expensively in the acquisition) because the values to be measured move in the area of 1,000 - until 1,030. Pure lake water concentrations are not endured of the green ball fish. The value of the exit water should be measured in any case and count as a quick point in appearing problems (dark coloring of the fishes, apathy, eat dislike etc.).

If a couple is available, an Ablaichen should result soon. At the same time one can determine the sexes - and after the Ablaichen the female remove. The male should operate brood care.

The slip does not result within three to five days (if the spawn verpilzt, because it either is unfertilized, or simple the water not correspondingly is). Also here the slip is dependent on the water temperature. If the first spawn gear verpilzt, one should to sit a preparation to the disinfection the water (previously test, like the fishes on that react).

As a first lining, Artemia Nauplien and fluid first nourishment are suitable for these absolute Winzlinge very well (z. B: Liquifry® for egg spawn, also fluid nourishment for Artemia is suited). Continuation of the feeding with minced frost lining (rt. Mosquito larvae, Tubifex).

It is not just simply this Winzlinge to raise - and if the male makes institutes to consume its new generation should it back into the Hälterungsbecken. To the raising, the motor filter recommends itself then also no longer! This sucks the boy fishes graceless a (above all, if it are yet very weak). A filter of that with the air siphon system works is suited very well to the raising. Lining remainders must be drawn daily so that the water conditions do not deteriorate themselves.

Abrupt mass extinctioning has usually a reason: Bad water quality or fungus attack. Therefore a thorough care is necessary in the raising.

The disadvantage in the after breeding is: it will not be to be to found has arrange very hard for this kind of buyer, for everyone the place and the desire a Brackwasserbecken to can. The breeding gives actually only the caretaker of the fishes information about the conditions and the type, like the fishes ablaichen. This the reason is exact why I started at that time only an attempt. Paragraph possibility immediately zero - and where with 30 surviving green ball fish?

Brackwasser=brackish water, I assume.Good luck to anyone trying to breed them, this was the best I could translate.
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