GSP wont eat

[ryanTX]

i have a GSP. when i first got him i fed him a ghost shrimp. then following days i threw in one or two snails for him to find which he readily noticed floating down to the bottom and happily ate. once i fed him a frieze dried shrimp. now he wont eat at all. there are 3 live ghost shrimp living with him and one that is half way alive. i grabbed it and pulled the tail off to make him slower because i thought that maybe they are just to fast. i even wiggled it in front of his face and he wont go for it. what's wrong with him?

its been two days since i added the four live ghost shrimp and i haven't fed him since because i'm hoping he will learn that they are food.

[Pufferpunk]

A good reason might be that you are keeping him in FW, as this puffer does best in BW. Also, how was the tank cycled? How large is the puffer? Have you done any testing on the water parameters?

[ryanTX]

he is in FW right now in a 55 gallon tank, sand substrate, water parameters: ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10

he was in a 10 gallon tank for the first week i had him, i transfered him over on december 5 into the 55 gallon. tank was cycled fishless with a prawn in my fish net. hes about an inch long. was in FW when i bought him.

[Pufferpunk]

He might just be sulking from being moved. Try some live worms. You should start making that BW though. It'll cheer him up!

[ryanTX]

how does that drip acclimation work? i saw you speaking of it before. can i do it directly into the tank since its just FW to begin with? i forgot to say i also have a heater on in the tank and the temp is a steady 82 degrees.

i was reading up on marine tanks and everything seems so complicated. im getting pretty intimidated by all the info. will a sump, refug, skimmer, and everything else really be needed for this fish? i plan to add a clown fish along with my puffer.

[Pufferpunk]

Since your puffer is only 1", you have plenty of time to "acclimate" your knowladge about SW--not to worry!

[Idontknow]

Do you have a hydrometer? Initially just raise the SG up 0.002 so your bacteria doesn't die. To raise 5 gallons up 0.002 you will need a little less than half a cup of marine salt. You will need to play with this amount because some brands seem to be more potent than others. That's why a hydrometer is necessary.

Then with your next water change raise it up again 0.002. Since your puffer is only an inch you can keep him at 1.005 for a while. The article in the library will tell you the what SG your puffer should be at depending on the size.

[Pufferpunk]

Yeah, once yuo get it up a little, you can take you time moving it to SW---like several years.