Should i get a gsp

[Nick]

Egg crate is fine.

[GSP]

Hello all

I am going to have an empty 20 gallon long soon and was thinking, should i get one gsp with no other tankmates for it?

Now i know that a minimun of 30 gallons is required but i dont have that (yet). I would get the fish from walmart since that is the only place i see that sells it and the puffers there are still only about 1.5 inches. I went there yesterday and there was a gsp that had no ripped fins, and a very white belly. Probably new shipment. If i got one though, i would upgrade to a 30 gallon, probably during christmas this year. Many people say that gsp should be kept in full marine at a full grown age but is it really necessary? Full marine would mean me needing to get liverock and there should be atleast 1 lb per gallon of water from when i read and the lr here costs about 7-8 dollars a pound.

Is this a good idea/plan?

Btw, i have a question about cycling brakish water tanks, is it pretty much the same process as freshwater with the same bacteria and all. Like will the bacteria live in those ceramic cubes that fw bacteria can live in or is it like sw with bacteria in live rock. This is because i have an aquaclear 30 right now running with fw bacteria. If i got the gsp, i would use that filter and some other powerfilter on both sides of the tank but i dont know how the fw bacteria would help the cycle...

there are some other things i wanted to ask about but i cant remember it right now and i have to go.

Any input would help

thanks.

btw, this is just like a planning thread. Even if i decided to get a gsp, it would still probably take a few weeks/months

I cant speak for much but I can tell you after buying GSP's from walmart you are definatly better off NOT doing it. Your in for heart ache as most of my puffers died. If you must get a GSP from Walmart than ask when they get their shipments of fish in and be there that day to buy your fish. I know that the 1 out of 3 GSP's of mine that lived was purchased that way. Walmarts filter system is not maintained and horrible! If they are in there for any length of time they are seriously contaminated and doomed.

I recomend buying dwarf puffers (Fresh water and you can have more) online instead, dont buy GSP's from Walmart unless you absultley have to.

Good luck

[Bettaboy]

hm, i might ask them what day they get their shipment in.

Im just scared of keeping dwarf puffers because they look so small and i'm scared i wont be able to take care of them.

Are there any good online stores that have good puffers but cheap (but still good) shipping?

[GSP]

hm, i might ask them what day they get their shipment in.

Im just scared of keeping dwarf puffers because they look so small and i'm scared i wont be able to take care of them.

Are there any good online stores that have good puffers but cheap (but still good) shipping?

The problem with online is the fish might be cheap but the shipping isnt, it an run you upward of 25-30 bucks to ship it.

The up side is you get a good fish.

I know my next purchase will be Dwarf Puffers. You can have many in a 20 gallon which will provide you and others more amusement than say a 55 gallon tank with one puffer in it

Anyway, my recomendation get the dwarf puffers, they're cool and they are much less maintence (No salt = less $ and upkeep)

[Bettaboy]

well, the wierd thing is i dont see a lot of dwarf puffers around here.

My lfs has one i think, and a petco that is pretty far away has like 2.

How much can i fit comfortably in a 20 gallon long though?
The only thing im afraid of is being able to feed all the puffers and not have one eat more than another.

About the maintence thing, i dont mind. I have a lot of freshwater tanks so i wanted to try something new xD

Oh yeah, i already set up a snail tank. I took a plastic bin (can hold 5 gallong but i put only about ~4 gallons) and took a cycled zoomed 501 canister filter. Then i took what looked like ramshorn snails, it seems to be a smaller variety since the biggest i have seen is probably 1/2 inch, and put them in the tank. Its about 25 i think. I had some silk plants so in they went, along with some java moss. Then i found a leaf of anubia that had about 8 sacs of eggs on it and in it went too.

Is this a good setup? Before when i wanted to exterminate the snails, i pressed them againts the glass and it was pretty easy to smush them. I'm sure a gsp would handle it without any problem.

[Nick]

You could put about a half dozen DPs in a 20.

[Jase]

About the maintence thing, i dont mind. I have a lot of freshwater tanks so i wanted to try something new xD

just so you know, the only difference in brackish I've seen so far is more money and hassle...
unless you were doing it so you could start a SW tank soon, then that would be new and interesting

[Bettaboy]

not trying to argue or anything but what is the expensive thing about brakish? From a few quick calculations, a bucket of instant ocean should last me about 10 months-1 year. Am i forgetting anything?

Haha, i really wish i could do saltwater. Its better to go big but going big is expensive. Its cheaper to go small but going small means more problems. To me, its like being caught between a rock and a hard place

maybe when im older and have a reliable source of money. Right now, im pretty much living of birthday, report cards, and holiday money

[Jase]

haha, well I have a job and I still scrape by with those things

the three things that come to mind a the salt cost (more than FW) and the hassles of precise water changes, and salt creep ( i know not all have it, but my filter keeps me busy with it)
I guess it's not much, but FW is definately easier

[Happy_Puffer]

When I got a gsp I never knew that it would take so much time and money. The salt isn't expensive but the prime gets expensive and the food. You have to buy it somewhere that sells frozen or freeze dried foods, since they won't eat flakes for long. Mine do but I don't feed them flakes, some people get picky puffers. Also you need some sort of breeder tank for gut loading shrimp and breeding snails. Unless you can get the snails free. I can only get the ice cream cone shaped snail free and I can hardly ever find snails. I mean its not a fortune but it can get expensive if you don't have a job.

[Nick]

I suggest putting your prime in a dropper bottle to use it, I found I was wasting 75% of the prime I was using measuring with caps instead of by drops

[Jase]

where would one find said dropper bottle?

[Happy_Puffer]

When I bought my first bottle of prime it can with a dropper top. It was a tiny bottle about 1.7 oz. and I think the top fits on every bottle or so I have heard I haven't tried it yet.

[Nick]

I refill an empty bottle of bettafix or betta water conditioner, which I swipe from my job once empty, pick the label off, and write PRIME on it with a sharpie marker.

[Jase]

I'll see if that stuff is swipe-able