Preparing for GSPs

[robst3]

Hi everyone, my first post! Hoping to get some more insight beyond what i've read in the articles on keeping GSPs.

Currently have a 4x2x2ft tank housing a Rhombeus piranha. She will soon be going and I will then be embarking on my puffer adventure

The GSPs are housed in FW at the shop, so I will be slowly raising their tank from FW to marine as they grow, as recommended in the articles i've read.

Only question i've got at the moment is: will I need to replace or get any more equipment as I move my tank from freshwater to marine?

I will be switching to RO water before the puffers are purchased but beyond that I will still have my standard freshwater setup (tetratec 1200 external filter and a couple of heaters!)

Any advice much apreciated

Thanks for reading,

Rob

[Pufferpunk]

RO water isn't necessary & not recommended for BW. Once you've moved to full marine, it's up to you but I never did use it for my GSPs & never had algae issues. I definitely use it for my reef tank though!

You'll want to raise the SG slowly:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=19348

By the time's it ~1.018, you can try some live rock & add a protein skimmer. With enough LR, >1.020 (or when you notice the nitrate dropping without a water change), you can remove all FW filtration.

[robst3]

Why is it not recommended? I am using it on my freshwater setup already because I have a problem with phosphates and silicates in my tapwater...

And is it necessary to switch to live rock and a protein skimmer? Could a FW external filter not be used on a marine set up?

Thanks for the advice

[Pufferpunk]

FW filters are nitrate factories for SW. Recommended filtration for SW is live rock & a skimmer. If you use RO water for FW/BW, you must reconstitute the missing minerals removed by the filtration process. It also can get very $$$ & time consuming using RO water for 50% weekly WC.

[robst3]

Thanks for the reply. Seeing as my only other option to stop algae in the tank is to use expensive phosphate/silicate removal chemicals in my filter, I thought it would be better to purchase an RO unit. Then I am setup for going full marine in the future too!

How likely is it that I will lose any of the GSPs through fighting etc? Wondering whether it would be sensible to slightly overstock at first to account for any future casualties...

[Pufferpunk]

If you use RO with FW/BW, you must reconstitute with minerals with a product like, Osmo-Prep. If you don't have an algae problem now, what makes you think you'll have one with the water you are using for the puffers? It's not like you have an algae eater in with the pirahanas, right?

4 adult GSPs will do great in your tank. As long as you add them as juvies, they should grow up without incident together. After it reached marine, you can consider adding a few, small, fast-moving fish like damsels. I'd do a thorough cleaning of the substrate & an 80% WC, before adding the puffers.

[robst3]

That's it - we do currently have a big algae problem. Diatoms caused by silicates/phosphates. Cheers for the advice.

Out of interest what is the largest GSP you have seen someone own?

[Pufferpunk]

Diatoms: library/water-filtration/brownalgaediatoms/

My GSPs were 6": library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/

[robst3]

Thanks, didn't realise that was your article, that was how I found the site! Good read
Hmm all this marine stuff is making me feel a bit out of my depth... Tempted to stick with FW and get a Fahaka. Would love more than one fish though (currently have a solo piranha and have owned her for ~3 yrs)

Have tested our tapwater today and it has highish nitrates - 30ppm. I guess with a SW setup the liverock would get rid of this? But until then I guess RO would be sensible after all...

So with the SW setup with live rock & a protein skimmer, there is no need for any other filtration at all? No wet/dry sump set ups etc? Sounds good!

[robst3]

FW filters are nitrate factories for SW. Recommended filtration for SW is live rock & a skimmer

Why is nitrate a problem in a SW setup when it is okay in low levels in FW?

[Pufferpunk]

If you could remove nitrate as easily & cheaply in SW as in FW (large, frequent water changes) it wouldn't be such a problem.