Success with my Puffers and Corals!
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JustinPSmith
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:21 pm
5 inches! He's huge 
I think the 125g sounds cool. Mine is about 2 inches at the mo, and his tank is quite deep (60cms / 24 inches), so it's really cool watching him dive-bomb his snails when I drop them in. I'm not entirely convinced that 30g is adequate for when they're fully grown and that's why I've been hoping that I could eventually get him a tank mate when he goes marine. Didn't want to have this huuuge tank and I have to play Spot-The-Fish!
What fish did you have with your GSP when he was still brackish?
I think the 125g sounds cool. Mine is about 2 inches at the mo, and his tank is quite deep (60cms / 24 inches), so it's really cool watching him dive-bomb his snails when I drop them in. I'm not entirely convinced that 30g is adequate for when they're fully grown and that's why I've been hoping that I could eventually get him a tank mate when he goes marine. Didn't want to have this huuuge tank and I have to play Spot-The-Fish!
What fish did you have with your GSP when he was still brackish?
70g coldwater - ornamental goldfish, and two big apple snails (with loads of babies on the way)
35g brackish - Puff Daddy, the green-spotted puffer
25g paludarium - cardinals, harlequins, rummy-noses, and more apple snails
10g snail breeding program
35g brackish - Puff Daddy, the green-spotted puffer
25g paludarium - cardinals, harlequins, rummy-noses, and more apple snails
10g snail breeding program
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JustinPSmith
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:21 pm
Yeah, I think he is maybe full grown now at 5 inches, not sure if he will get much bigger...
My tank is also 24 inches tall. I really love tall tanks. Right now, my 65G has about 120 lbs. of Live Rock, so its quite full but the rock is piled up about 20 inches in one spot, so I have been able to use the height effectively. They also have a lot of open swimming room too though...The rock was originally aquascaped this high because of space but Im now glad I did because I do not have great lighting on the tank and lots of corals that need to be high up. I am debating adding a metal halide pendant I have laying around for more light but I hate how it looks hanging from the ceiling unless they are the only lights Im using and there are three hanging side by side.
When I first got my GSP, I actually got two. They were added to a 180G brackish tank with 3 monos, a scat, an archer and a bunch of mollies. The monos killed one of the puffers quickly, so I moved the other into his own 40G. A few days later, I added a few mollies to his tank and they all stayed together for about a year and a half...
Heres a video of that tank...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCnIkzbCsDM
My tank is also 24 inches tall. I really love tall tanks. Right now, my 65G has about 120 lbs. of Live Rock, so its quite full but the rock is piled up about 20 inches in one spot, so I have been able to use the height effectively. They also have a lot of open swimming room too though...The rock was originally aquascaped this high because of space but Im now glad I did because I do not have great lighting on the tank and lots of corals that need to be high up. I am debating adding a metal halide pendant I have laying around for more light but I hate how it looks hanging from the ceiling unless they are the only lights Im using and there are three hanging side by side.
When I first got my GSP, I actually got two. They were added to a 180G brackish tank with 3 monos, a scat, an archer and a bunch of mollies. The monos killed one of the puffers quickly, so I moved the other into his own 40G. A few days later, I added a few mollies to his tank and they all stayed together for about a year and a half...
Heres a video of that tank...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCnIkzbCsDM
That's gorgeous!! You had some hectic current going there
I'm going to try some mollies. My GSP (Puff Daddy) is a little smaller than yours in the video, and he's a lot more shy. So I'll see how it goes ...
I'm going to try some mollies. My GSP (Puff Daddy) is a little smaller than yours in the video, and he's a lot more shy. So I'll see how it goes ...
70g coldwater - ornamental goldfish, and two big apple snails (with loads of babies on the way)
35g brackish - Puff Daddy, the green-spotted puffer
25g paludarium - cardinals, harlequins, rummy-noses, and more apple snails
10g snail breeding program
35g brackish - Puff Daddy, the green-spotted puffer
25g paludarium - cardinals, harlequins, rummy-noses, and more apple snails
10g snail breeding program
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Nick
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 3231
- Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:47 pm
- My Puffers: Mine:
GSPs - Shakespeare and Jillybean
F8 - Velvet
My fiance:
DP - Emma Goldman
Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike - Location (country): Northeastern USA
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Contact:
I tried a molly with Shakespeare once, and it followed him around like a trained dog, which seemed to scare the hell out of poor shakespeare. The molly is now in retirement in my GF's 55 community tank.
No matter how magnificent your successes or devastating your failures, the worlds' approximately 5 billion impoverished people could not possibly care less.
in retirement, is that from guard duty?-
puffergeek
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 179
- Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2005 11:41 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 7 Carinotetraodon travancoricus
1 Carinotetraodon irrubesco
1 Dichotomyctere nigroviridis - Location (country): US
- Location: Greater Seattle Area
I've also had some luck with my GSP and Ceylon puffer and soft corals.
So far, I have mushrooms (several different types), Zoanthids, green star polyps, xenia, and several types of macro algae (in the display since these tanks do not yet have a sump/fuge). They've nipped the Gracilaria but have otherwise been well behaved. I'm almost ready to frag my finger leather and try some of that...
I have not tried any LPS or SPS corals yet. Has anyone had luck with SPS? I may be able to get some free Acropora frags from someone in our reef club. I am thinking of trying it with my ceylon puffer, but am worried he might try to chew on it.
As far as fishy roomates are concerned, my ceylon is a meany and will not tolerate roomates.
My GSP, on the other hand, is as sweet as (a puffer) can be. I had a neon wrasse in with him, but came home to the wrasse dried up beside the tank. I still don't know how he got out; I've covered every space in the tank with eggcrate. He must have really worked to squeeze out of the tank
So far, I have mushrooms (several different types), Zoanthids, green star polyps, xenia, and several types of macro algae (in the display since these tanks do not yet have a sump/fuge). They've nipped the Gracilaria but have otherwise been well behaved. I'm almost ready to frag my finger leather and try some of that...
I have not tried any LPS or SPS corals yet. Has anyone had luck with SPS? I may be able to get some free Acropora frags from someone in our reef club. I am thinking of trying it with my ceylon puffer, but am worried he might try to chew on it.
As far as fishy roomates are concerned, my ceylon is a meany and will not tolerate roomates.
My GSP, on the other hand, is as sweet as (a puffer) can be. I had a neon wrasse in with him, but came home to the wrasse dried up beside the tank. I still don't know how he got out; I've covered every space in the tank with eggcrate. He must have really worked to squeeze out of the tank
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puffergeek
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 179
- Joined: Sun Jun 05, 2005 11:41 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 7 Carinotetraodon travancoricus
1 Carinotetraodon irrubesco
1 Dichotomyctere nigroviridis - Location (country): US
- Location: Greater Seattle Area
Oh yeah... I'm also having luck in both tanks with turbo snails! I always make sure they are a variety with a small foot, and haven't lost any after two or three months.
My ceylon leaves hermits alone, but my GSP is relentless in eating any hermit I put in the tank... no matter how much camouflage I use.
My ceylon leaves hermits alone, but my GSP is relentless in eating any hermit I put in the tank... no matter how much camouflage I use.
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JustinPSmith
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:21 pm
I have no sps, as the lighting on this tank is not enough (192 watts PC only), although I am adding a 175 watt metal halide pendant next week, so might try some.
I do have a few LPS corals like frogspawn which can sting them, so they leave it alone and candycanes which they dont seem to care about. I have still been expecting to come home to a ruined reef one of these days but so far not any problems. They pick at the LR all anound the corals but take no interest in even trying the corals themselves.
As for the xenia that my GSP was always watching, since adding more and more corals, he has kinda stopped staring at it BUT he has taken a new interest in staring at a colt coral! Looks just as cute actually...
I still have about 10 more corals that I need to acclimate to the puffer tank but I am going to wait a few more weeks to see how it goes. I have not added the corals that I thought would be the most likely to be picked at yet. Those being the zoos, mushrooms and a few of my smaller leathers.
I do have a few LPS corals like frogspawn which can sting them, so they leave it alone and candycanes which they dont seem to care about. I have still been expecting to come home to a ruined reef one of these days but so far not any problems. They pick at the LR all anound the corals but take no interest in even trying the corals themselves.
As for the xenia that my GSP was always watching, since adding more and more corals, he has kinda stopped staring at it BUT he has taken a new interest in staring at a colt coral! Looks just as cute actually...
I still have about 10 more corals that I need to acclimate to the puffer tank but I am going to wait a few more weeks to see how it goes. I have not added the corals that I thought would be the most likely to be picked at yet. Those being the zoos, mushrooms and a few of my smaller leathers.
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JustinPSmith
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:21 pm
Here I thought I was the only one testing the waters with a reef and GSP. Glad to see I'm not alone and others are having luck too.
I just posted an update on Wasabi so I won't repeat everything but I have him in with softies, gsp, flower/rock anemones, a large RBTA my maroon clown hosts, and a tiny bta. So far everything is going great, even hermits & snails are left alone.
Since adding all this he is much more of a hunter/lurker and rarely out just swimming around, my nonfish guy husband wants more activity in the tank so I've been thinking about what other fish I might be able to add. Considered some sort of wrasse but most get to large and I don't think a 6 line would be agressive enough? Also had people recommend chromis which I see here does work... few also recommended a dwarf angel?
Anyone else with sucess keeping GSP's and other marine fish please let us know what's worked for you... so far my maroon is the more aggressive one in the tank (but only if Wasabi gets to close to her anemone).
Thanks
I just posted an update on Wasabi so I won't repeat everything but I have him in with softies, gsp, flower/rock anemones, a large RBTA my maroon clown hosts, and a tiny bta. So far everything is going great, even hermits & snails are left alone.
Since adding all this he is much more of a hunter/lurker and rarely out just swimming around, my nonfish guy husband wants more activity in the tank so I've been thinking about what other fish I might be able to add. Considered some sort of wrasse but most get to large and I don't think a 6 line would be agressive enough? Also had people recommend chromis which I see here does work... few also recommended a dwarf angel?
Anyone else with sucess keeping GSP's and other marine fish please let us know what's worked for you... so far my maroon is the more aggressive one in the tank (but only if Wasabi gets to close to her anemone).
Thanks
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JustinPSmith
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:21 pm
it is nice to hear how many people are able to keep their pufers in a reef and with tankmates!
You know whats kind of weird is, my GSP, Don Juan, has also really changed his behavior lately. He swims around a lot but seems to have more purpose and I rarely, if ever, see him pacing the glass anymore unless he wants food but even then, he just kind of hovers, waiting for it. I really like the change in his behavior, as it seems much more natural to me. He is up and active before I am up each morning and then likes to lay around mid day for about two hours. He will get up again after his little rest and then is very active until lights out. He has quite the routine going! The Valentini Puffer is similar actually. He is not usually up though when I get up, he is still sleeping on his rock. He will also have a rest for an hour or so and then is up till lights out.
As for fish, I have had luck with chromis, they kill each other though, and my Valentini. I am adding a clown fish or two and I am going to try a Yellow Watchman Goby. They are slow moving bottom fish but my mandarin was in the puffer tank for about a month before she got her own tank and they left her alone. She is much less aggressive than a watchman goby too. I have never had a problem with tankmates for my GSP in the two years or so I have had him! Hes very gentle....
You know whats kind of weird is, my GSP, Don Juan, has also really changed his behavior lately. He swims around a lot but seems to have more purpose and I rarely, if ever, see him pacing the glass anymore unless he wants food but even then, he just kind of hovers, waiting for it. I really like the change in his behavior, as it seems much more natural to me. He is up and active before I am up each morning and then likes to lay around mid day for about two hours. He will get up again after his little rest and then is very active until lights out. He has quite the routine going! The Valentini Puffer is similar actually. He is not usually up though when I get up, he is still sleeping on his rock. He will also have a rest for an hour or so and then is up till lights out.
As for fish, I have had luck with chromis, they kill each other though, and my Valentini. I am adding a clown fish or two and I am going to try a Yellow Watchman Goby. They are slow moving bottom fish but my mandarin was in the puffer tank for about a month before she got her own tank and they left her alone. She is much less aggressive than a watchman goby too. I have never had a problem with tankmates for my GSP in the two years or so I have had him! Hes very gentle....
Hey Justin,
Did you GSP ever show any interest in your chromis? I just added a small school and so far I'm questioning my decision. Wasabi took the trouble of making an appearance when I put them in (he is normally never seen, maybe once or twice a day he'll come out of the rockwork for a quick snail snack)... he chased 2 a bit before they grouped together... he's swam at them a couple times (they move away together as a group) and then he seemed to give up and go back to his rocks... I don't know if he was just checking them out or if he was sizing them up. I also added a 6 line and he didn't seem at all interested in her.
Did you GSP ever show any interest in your chromis? I just added a small school and so far I'm questioning my decision. Wasabi took the trouble of making an appearance when I put them in (he is normally never seen, maybe once or twice a day he'll come out of the rockwork for a quick snail snack)... he chased 2 a bit before they grouped together... he's swam at them a couple times (they move away together as a group) and then he seemed to give up and go back to his rocks... I don't know if he was just checking them out or if he was sizing them up. I also added a 6 line and he didn't seem at all interested in her.