gsp

[Cathy]

does anyone know why the puffers run up and down the side of the tank all the time? can they really see their reflections? they've been fed and everythings good so they don't need anything. they get plenty of attention...was just wondering.

[trekenk]

It could be boredom, it could be bad water quality, it could be settling into a new tank. Tell us a bit about your GSP, tank size, water parameters, how long you have had him/her ect.
Welcome to The Puffer Forum.

[Nick]

Hmm.
1) can you see the back of the tank? If so, add more decor which is the FULL height of the thank until you can't. This reduces boredom a lot, as they puffers can't do a quick fly over to see changes - it will have to actually look around bit by bit.
2) despite that I have been told the contrary, YES fish do see reflections from their glass. Not only have a watched a number of fish attack EXACTLY the correct position of a reflected food item, but yes, I have, in my youth, immersed my head in a tank to "see what they do."

[pufferpuggirl]

First of all, welcome to the forum Cathy!
I think GSP are very busy fish and need alot of stimulus, as mine are always swimming around looking at this or that.

My nefastus often gets confused because he sees the food coming down into the tank in the reflection and goes for it at the glass. He does it every time too, you'd think he'd learn by now!

[RTR]

The reflection you see on the end glass when looking in from the front is an optical illusion which you see and the fish does not. It arises from the angles of refraction from looking diagonally through the front glass toward the end glass which is at a right angle to the front. The fish is looking only at and through a single pane of glass, not two as the external observer is doing. If you have an underwater periscope, you can easily confirm this.

The behavior is the result of boredom, insufficient visual complexity in the environment, and possibly insufficient current. Tank size, a visually complex environment, and current are all important to the hunter-predator puffers such as the GDP.

HTH

[Cathy]

thnx guys..wow, the info on here is awesome. I have 2 GSP's. a small one(about 1 in) and a big one(3in). We have them in a 38gal tank. We've had the small gsp for about 4-5months and just got the big one yesterday!(was tired of waitin on ham to grow)

[Cathy]

i added a gallery. it's under Cathy..go check it out, just please remember this is the start of our new 38gal tank

[lesleyanndunn]

when im sittin near my tanks is when my gsp comes and surfs up and down the end of the tank in front of me!

gsps are busy fish, always on the go, and need constant stimulation

[pufferpuggirl]

I've just been looking at your gallery and a question comes to mind. Are these puffers in freshwater? If they are, then I would highly suggest taking steps to get them into brackish conditions, which means you would need to remove that corydoras. GSP's do best in brackish water and I could never keep one alive for very long in freshwater, but have had 2 of mine for almost 2 years since keeping in brackish water.
I would also be adding more plants and/or ornaments to your tank, you've got alot of open spaces. Try getting ornaments that they can swim in, under or through. They will enjoy that.
Your biggest puffer reminds me of my "Ying" which is my largest GSP.
GSP's are lovely puffers with a nice personality, at least I think so.

[Cathy]

thnx. yes, we just bought more plants and rock today..and the backdrop. we've had salt in the tank but i was wondering on exact amounts(for a 38gal tank ). how much should i add? I took some pic's since adding new items but they're not up yet, but will post them later tonight.

[pufferpuggirl]

You need to be very careful as to how much salt you put in the tank at once, because it can and will kill your beneficial bacteria that's in your filter if you do too much too soon. I believe there's an article on doing a brackish tank if you go into the brackish topics in the forum. Also, just to remind, you want to use marine salt to make brackish water (pardon if you already know this, some people put aquarium salt in, and it's not the same thing).

[Cathy]

thnx, u can check my gallery now. i've updated a few things(plants, background,rock,etc.) i love ur gallery:)

[Cathy]

i read the article and it says not to add the marine salt directly to the tank...so you'd have to put in the filter,right?

[pufferpuggirl]

No, what I do is mix it up in a container first. I have some big plastic containers, and even if I'm not doing a brackish tank I always put my water in the containers, add my Prime (water conditioner, don't forget to add that - very important), and then if I'm doing a brackish tank, I add my marine salt to the water BEFORE it goes into the tank. You never want to mix it in the tank itself.

I've just been looking at your updated photos, the tank is coming together nicely, but I think I should warn you that your plants will most likely die as you increase the salinity of your tank. What I did was to go to a garden centre and I bought some pieces of slate and then I siliconed together some pieces to make caves and hiding areas -- don't know if you have anything like that available to you though. You can also use cheap terracotta pots, turned on their sides, or upside down with a rock to hold them open so the puffers can swim up inside. Puffers like hiding spots and places where they can retreat to. You might also want to see about getting some plastic plants. They can be pricey, but start out by getting one or two, as you can afford, and just keep adding them because as I said, the natural live plants will eventually die off as your salinity climbs.
I do like the "jaw" ornament though!

[Cathy]

thanks, awesome input!