GSP's Marine or Brackish?

[Iliveinazoo]

I have browsed this site fairly regularly for a while now and have been impressed with the knowledge and expertise of the people who regularly provide advice.

However recently I have become wary of the advice posted on GSP's; they have always been potrayed as mid to high end brackish puffers but it seems that every post seeking advice on keeping these fish ends up with a statement 'GSP will be full marine'. Is it now the opinion of The Puffer Forum that adult GSP's should be kept in marine aquariums?

This is not meant to be a negative post but more a post to gauge opinion and help others (including me) with their knowledge base.

[Pufferpunk]

I totally understand the confusion. High-end BW is so close to SW, you might as well make the tank SW, so you can use SW filtration, IE: live rock/sand, protein skimmer & do less WC, hence using le$$ $alt.

[Iliveinazoo]

I totally understand the confusion. High-end BW is so close to SW, you might as well make the tank SW, so you can use SW filtration, IE: live rock/sand, protein skimmer & do less WC, hence using le$$ $alt.

I thought that you could use live rock and protein skimmers at high brackish, around SG 1.015? I suppose that the draw is maintaining the inverts that occassionally come with the live rock?

[Pufferpunk]

Creatures in LR will die off at a SG that low, causing ammonia. They are marine creatures.

[puffertt77]

Would it be ok to keep 2cm GSP in SW/full marine?

Thanks

[Iliveinazoo]

So the reason to maintain a GSP at marine SG is so that you can use marine filtration techniques and ultimately save cash on costly water changes.

So statements that seem to be cropping up a lot like 'GSP's eventually require marine aquariums' are in fact false and you could maintain them in an aquarium above SG 1.010 as what used to be recommended?

[Woland]

So statements that seem to be cropping up a lot like 'GSP's eventually require marine aquariums' are in fact false and you could maintain them in an aquarium above SG 1.010 as what used to be recommended?

Possibly, (but I think false is to strong a word).
This is an educated guess, more of a consensus than a scientific fact, and as such based on experience whilst keeping specimens in captivity.
As I understand it, one has yet to confirm the habitual occurrence of full grown GSPs in marine conditions.

[Pufferpunk]

I personally wouldn't keep a tiny, 2 cm GSP in SW.

[Nick]

PP, Woland, up until recently, I would definitely have said the same thing... but, according to the group that has finally bred GSP, they are full marine spawners, not by habit, but by necessity - they need very high SG conditions for sperm motility, meaning the babies are born at or very near full marine, and the juveniles and adults wander up rivers to hunt, but must eventually always return to the sea to spawn, if not for other reasons. I currently suspect that it's likely acceptable for GSP to remain at full marine for their entire lives. I'm not sure why younger GSP seem to be able to tolerate fresh water without stress for longer than older puffers, perhaps it's simply a body mass issue?

[Pufferpunk]

I thought they were rarely ever found in the ocean?

[Nick]

I have heard that, as well, but perhaps they are bay fish that wouldn't be found out in the ocean? That would make sense to me, coming from long island, we have many large, calm, shallow bays that are full sw, but are most definitely not ocean.