Whats next for me?

[icedragln]

I'm a new Leopard spotted (gsp) puffer owner and want to make sure I have this right.

I just bought a baby gsp, and a new eclipse 5gallon tank with bio-wheel. I have a aquarium heater that I keep set at 78degrees. My water is from the sink but its been dechlorinated and had stress coat and stresszyme added to it. Also in the water is 1tablespoon of aquarium salt. I read that marine salt is recommended, more on this later.

I am feeding my puffer frozen brine shrimp. In the tank with the puffer is a fan tailed guppy and 2 ivory snails. The tank has a good light setup and about 1" of gravel on the bottom. There is a fake plant and a treasure chest cave thing that the puffer likes to hide in sometimes.

Now, being that the water should have marine salt, would it be best for me to add marine salt to my tank? Should I empty the tank completely and start over? I don't want to overstress my fish, who appears to be extremely happy.

I'm aware they need to have 30gallon tanks when they are older, but at the moment the puffer is only 1" and looks to have plenty of room. I am living in a dorm so space is limited, I expect him to be in this tank until I graduate in May, at which point I will move into a house or apartment and will get him a larger tank.

I bought a "Instant Ocean Hydrometer" that measures salinity and SG. My reading looked to be way at the bottom of the scale, with measurements of SG being 1.004 and salinity being 6 PPT.

Based on my current setup, what steps should I take next to ensure the puffer will continue to be happy?

[YBeNormal]

Welcome aboard icedragln! Unfortunately, I have lots of bad news for you.

• -- Drop the stress coat and stresszyme. They are not needed and can actually cause problems.
  -- Also drop the brine shrimp. It has little nutritional value and will foul your tank. Read the GSP articles in the library for other more nutritional foods for GSPs.
  -- Unless you move them to another tank, the guppy and snails probably won't be around for long.
  -- 5-gallons won't be large enough for more than a month or so--if that long. I bought two GSPs in Feb and one of them is about 4" already. If you keep him in the 5-gallon for very long, you can expect him to be severely stunted and his lifespan will most likely be shortened. Also, puffers are extremely messy fish that require pristine water conditions. It would be nearly impossible to maintain suitable water quality for a GSP in a 5-gallon tank. If you do not have funds/space for a larger tank, you should seriously consider taking the GSP back to the LFS.

To convert to true BW, begin adding marine mix with each water change. This will gradually replace the aquarium salt.

[Pufferpunk]

That would be a great tank for a single dwarf puffer (sans guppy)!

[icedragln]

Ok, heres my update. Ive moved the puffer into a 15gallon tank for now, its the biggest I can accommodate until May. I am leaving the snails in with the puffer to clean the tank and also be food for the puffer when he decides hes ready to eat them. I also used marine salt when setting up the new tank. I think this will work out better than my prior setup. I have to stick with brine shrimp for a few days, the LFS is out of ghost shrimp and blood worms for now. Thanks everyone for your input. What should my sg and salinity be ideally? I know I should raise the salinity gradually, but I'm not sure how much and have read posts with conflicting answers.

[Pufferpunk]

Great job! 15g is fine for him until he's around 2". Then you'll need to upgrade again.

How was the new tank cycled?
What kind of substrate are you using?
What is the specific gravity of the tank?

Read my article on them in the Library. Great feeding ideas in there.

[icedragln]

There is about 1.5" of gravel on the bottom, it was washed (no soap) before I put it in. This is the same gravel that was in the prior 5gallon tank. I took the puffer out of his prior home and put him in a temporary setup while I set up the new tank. about 80% of the water from the 5gallon tank made it into the new one. I then refilled the old tank and left it for the guppy.

The new tank was then filled with room temperature tap water, which I dechlorinated and added 2 tablespoons of marine salt to it. I let it run with the new filter and biowheel for 90minutes before adding the puffer carefully back in it. I moved my heater to the new tank also, its set for 81. SG is still low on my hydrometer, 1.008 is the reading.

Your article was very informative!

Im trying to get pics of him but he moves really quickly. I'll have to catch a pic of him when hes sleeping for now, hopefully he will get used to the camera soon.

[Pufferpunk]

Sorry to say, your tank isn't cycled. If you can get a hold of Bio-Spira, this will instantly cycle your tank. Otherwise, your fish will be poisoned by it's own waste. There are certain bacteria that need to develop over time (contained in B-S), that eat fish waste. You should be able to purchase B-S at most reputable fish supply stores. Add it directly to your filter. Also, while you're there, get yourself a hydrometer, that starts at 1.000, to measure the salt. Start the salinity at 1.002, raising it .002/weekly (50%) water change, until you have reached 1.008 (for now...).

[icedragln]

I have a hydrometer also that measures Salinity and Specific Gravity. You mentioned that I should make my salinity be 1.002 but on the hydrometer it measures salinity in PPT's and gives numbers ranging from 0-40. On the scale for the SG it gives a range from 1.000 to 1.032. So are you actually referring to my SG level?

[Pufferpunk]

Sorry--yes, specific gravity.

[icedragln]

My sg is 1.004. This is also what it was in the 5gallon tank. Salinity is saying it is 6

Whats the best way to raise my sg to 1.006 next week?

Vacuum gravel
Remove 50% of old water from bottom
add 50% of same temp tap water
Add marine salt till salinity is 1.006?

Thanks

[Jager]

yes but make sure the same temp tap water is the same pH as well. and do not change that salinity up or down more than .002 sg per water change. you may stress your puffer out too much or kill it.

[Pufferpunk]

There is absolutely no way that 2 tbsp salt is 1.004. It takes roughly a cup of salt/5g to raise the SG to around 1.005. Be sure there are no bubbles in your hydrometer, lifting the arm up higher.

[icedragln]

Sorry, that was a type-o. I meant 12 instead of 2. I did 12 heaping tablespoons because 2gallons of the old water already had 2 tablespoons of salt.

Also, will it be bad for my fish if I do this with him in the tank? Or should i put him in a temporary enclosure?

[Pufferpunk]

Most folks premix salt in a separate container overnight w/a powerhead (still do that for my reef tank) but once I knew exact ally how much salt to add for the 50% I remove weekly, I pour the salt into my HOB filter.

[icedragln]

I dont know if my fish is stressed, but since the tank change he looks to be shedding. I dont know if this is normal when they are growing/angry/stressed or what but I hope he isnt sick. He has some dark spots on his belly also.

On a side note, I went to the LFS and got live brine shrimp for the puffer. He seemed to enjoy hunting them down before they hit the bottom of the tank!