Adopted a GSP in need, but it's my first. Please help!

[freddyfish]

I took a GSP home from a dance Friday night; they had the fish in individual glass bowls, a terrible thing to do to them. I wasn't expecting there to be live fish there, nor was I familiar with GSPs before Friday. I got the feeling that the other people who took fish home will probably be careless with them, so I wanted to save one and take good care of it. He is making it so far, but I'm not entirely sure how to care for him and would greatly appreciate some advice. I really like him and want him to live!

Right now he is in a 10 gal. tank. He is about 2-3" in. long. Before putting him in the tank, I washed the pebbles, put in tablets to get the water ready for him, and tested the pH. There are some decorations in the tank, which he likes to explore. He isn't eating as much as I think he should, though... a few (4-5) mouthfuls of dried brine shrimp cubes per day. He is picky and doesn't like much else so far. However he is very friendly and seemingly knows how to ask for food. I have a hydrometer/thermometer, but it isn't working too well. I put a tablespoon of the appropriate salt in the tank, and some stress coat as well. There is a 10 gal. Whisper filter running in the tank.

1. How can I get him to eat more regularly, and what should I feed him? (I think live food is out of the question for a while.) How much/how often is he supposed to eat?

2. How should I clean the water? I don't know if the filter is working the way it should--the water is pretty cloudy and I'm concerned.

3. What is the best size tank for him?

4. What can I feed him to file down his teeth other than snails/live things?

5. Should I get a heater to regulate the temperature?

6. Is it normal for him to hover at the bottom of the tank occasionally?

7. Anything else I should know? I unfortunately didn't have time to do research before I took him home (I had no idea there were going to be live fish there!), but I've been reading all the time since. I'm sorry if these are amateur-ish questions, but I'm getting worried about him and want to help him asap.

Thank you!

[Pufferpunk]

Oh how horrible! Bettas & goldfish given away like that is bad enough but puffers need very specialized care & feeding! Is there anyway you can get a list of the folks that recieved those fish & guide them here?

Start out by reading the GSP article in our Library & the one on fishless cycling, to better understand the biology of a fish tank.

[zombiefetus]

Can I get the phone number or address of whoever organized this dance? This is insane.

1. hard shelled meaty foods are best, things you buy from a grocery store. Clams, scallops, oysters, etc. Or you could go to your local fish store and get either tiny fiddler crabs or ghost shrimp. Tiny snails are also good.

2. If the water is cloudy it could be a bacteria bloom, in which case just let it work itself out, it's probably because the tank hasn't been cycled. Since the tank is small and uncycled, you need to be doing daily water changes to keep your puffer alive.

3. 30gallons is the minimum tank size for a single GSP, a standard 29gallon will work too.

4. (see 1)

5. Absolutely! A heater is essential to your puffer's survival! Get one as soon as you possibly can!

6. Honestly- it's not a good sign. But get him a heater and keep up with water changes and he should be okay.

7. There's a wonderful GSP article in the library here I've also started up my own GSP website (there's a link in my signature)

[freddyfish]

Sadly, people were just running off with the GSPs, so it might be hard to track them down. They wanted to hand them out at the end of the dance, but when I saw people grabbing bowls, I took Freddy before someone else did. I'll talk to the student who bought the fish to see if she knows anything.

Thanks so much for the advice, I'll definitely check out the article.

Oh how horrible! Bettas & goldfish given away like that is bad enough but puffers need very specialized care & feeding! Is there anyway you can get a list of the folks that recieved those fish & guide them here?

Start out by reading the GSP article in our Library & the one on fishless cycling, to better understand the biology of a fish tank.

[freddyfish]

Yeah I was very upset to find out that this student got approved to have live fish in pathetic little bowls at the dance. The poor guy was riled up from the loud music for a while when I got him back.

I'll buy a heater, bigger tank, and new food today. I'm replacing some of the water with new water right now, hopefully that will help. I'll definitely read the article and check out your site. Thank you so much for the advice!!

Can I get the phone number or address of whoever organized this dance? This is insane.

1. hard shelled meaty foods are best, things you buy from a grocery store. Clams, scallops, oysters, etc. Or you could go to your local fish store and get either tiny fiddler crabs or ghost shrimp. Tiny snails are also good.

2. If the water is cloudy it could be a bacteria bloom, in which case just let it work itself out, it's probably because the tank hasn't been cycled. Since the tank is small and uncycled, you need to be doing daily water changes to keep your puffer alive.

3. 30gallons is the minimum tank size for a single GSP, a standard 29gallon will work too.

4. (see 1)

5. Absolutely! A heater is essential to your puffer's survival! Get one as soon as you possibly can!

6. Honestly- it's not a good sign. But get him a heater and keep up with water changes and he should be okay.

7. There's a wonderful GSP article in the library here I've also started up my own GSP website (there's a link in my signature)

[PuffnStuff]

I am glad to see someone cared about those poor fish given away in glass bowls. Kudos to you Freddyfish. I thought people had realized by now that the live fish thing was tacky. Good luck to Freddy!

[Agnate]

Do you happen to know anyone else who keeps fish? If so, get some of the gravel or a currently-used filter cartridge from them and put it directly into your tank (no rinsing with tap-water and make sure to bring it home in a bag of the tank water). This will introduce beneficial bacteria into the tank and help keep Freddy healthier for a bit (cleans his water of toxins).

If you can afford some things, you should probably head to the closest fish store and pick up a few things.

1) A filter designed for a 20-30 gallon tank (or larger). Some examples are AquaClear filters (get the biggest you can afford, as they're great filters and you'll use it for quite a while) or the Bio-wheel ones. AquaClears are my (and many others') favourite, but it doesn't really matter, just as long as it's a hang-on-back filter that's powered by a motor.
2) Pick up some Prime (if its available). You can use it instead of those water tablets (to clear out chemicals in the water), and it will remove the toxins introduced by Freddy's waste (which actually burns him). This will help ease his and your stress until your tank can build up the bacteria it needs.

Like was suggested, you should look into getting a 30 gallon tank (look on used-goods websites or the newspaper to get a good deal). This will give him the space to grow and a decent amount of water volume (which will make your life a lot easier). When you find a tank, post on here before setting it up so that we can guide you and make sure everything transfers smoothly!

It's really sad to hear when this happens, but we're glad you found us in time! Don't hesitate to ask more questions, too, even if you think you're almost-sure! We love helping out our little puffer buddies!