hi! I'm new and so is my GSP from wal-mart!

[joycemauney3]

hello! i found this forum while looking up info on my new GSP. i am very much in love with him and want to talk about him with others! my husband got him from wal-mart for us about 3 weeks ago. since we obtained him we have found out he is indeed a brackish fish. he was sold to us as a "figure 8 freshwater" but my research proved otherwise! He is tiny and has just a 5 gallon tank for now. We plan on getting him a 15 gallon tank within the next pay period! I read that he needs a larger tank due to the ammonia they give off. since i read that i refreshed his water in his tank to lower the ammonia level just in case! his name is GOBY. he is so shy! we got him a large cave ish looking structure with holes and places to hide but he has yet to go inside! he also has a blue plastic plant (he did have a live plant but he kept eating it and i felt bad for the plant!) he also has another little hideaway that he doesn't use! His salinity level on the hydrometer is just at 1.010 for now because since he was sold to us in freshwater, and it took me a week to realize he needs salt water i have been slowly raising the salinity level! the man at wal-mart told us to feed him some tropical flakies. my research proved again that he was wrong. i got his some feeder snails for free from a petsmart. he likes those but only has consumed 2 and i only got to see him do it once. he ate the snail out of the shell tho, he didn't eat the shell! He is so shy, when i come in to say hello (i do that alot) to him, he runs.. er, swims away! he likes to look at his reflection but not my face! i am hoping soon he will get used to me. I also hope soon that he will go in his cave! i tried feeding him bloodworms also, he doesn't like those. but he actually loves his flakies. He is so weird. I give him flakies and he chases them! and eats them! he loves to chase them and I like to see him happy so i give them to him (along with a snail occasionally) any suggestions or tips on GOBY?! I love him like a new puppy! I want him to be happy! thank you for reading!

[J-P]

Here are some links for you

ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Nigroviridis/

library/category/feeding/

library/category/puffer-care/

library/category/puffers-in-focus/

library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/

That last link is important because now at 1.010 you're entering marine conditions and you have to take things VERY slowly. I wouldn't add anymore salt until you get a larger tank (30 gals)

Welcome to the forum

[jus85411]

lol jp thank god, i had this little thing typed up and was in the middle of finding links to give and i hit backspace on the page and lost what i wrote -_- lmao... basically what JP is saying is what i was putting. welcome! especially take a look at the cycle article, as i have a feeling walmart told you to fill up the tank and put him in. what dechlorinator are you using, if any?

[jus85411]

also, it might seem like you have one heck of an adventure with your new addition, but as long as your willing to open your ears(or eyes since you read here) and take our advice it will be a very fun/rewarding experience and very interesting once you start learning about saltwater

[joycemauney3]

ahhh! thank you!! i read online somewhere that the salinity levels should be between 1.010 and 1.020 but i haven't factored in my small tank eeeep! ok well i took some water out and put in de chlorinated water with no salt in and checked the level only went down to 1.008 but, for now i think that's a safe level, what do you guys think? and thank you for the links! the de chlorinaterr i use is Start Right complete water conditioner -removes chlorine and chloramine. By Jungle. did not get that at wal-mart lol

[Pufferpunk]

Get yourself a good liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite & nitrate & test every day. If you see any ammonia or nitrite at all, do a 50% water change to remove those poisonous toxins. Only acceptable levels are: ammonia/nitrite 0, nitrate ,<20. Get that tank upgraded, ASAP! If you can afford his eventual 30g (minimum tank size recommended), then go ahead & skip the 15g. When he's the size of a Nerf football, you may even want a 55g for him.

[joycemauney3]

that's a great idea i was planning on looking to find an ammonia kit. i really just found out yesterday about the reasoning behind the necessity of such a large tank! will my puffer really get that big!? he is so tiny now! thank you tons!

[J-P]

Please try not to allow the SG levels to bounce around. Steady is the way to go. This is why it is difficult to keep small SW tanks. Evaporation and just a little too much or too little will throw the tank out of whack.

BTW .. what kind of salt are you using? I hope it is marine salt.

[Flutter]

Welcome

I wouldn't worry about salt at all until you get him in a larger tank. It's just going to cause cycling and water quality issues.

[xrayjeeper83]

welcome.

Take what is told to you here to heart and your fish will live a long happy life.

[joycemauney3]

JP yes i am using marine salt! lol and thanks for the salt tips!

anyone have any ideas as to why he doesn't like to go into his cave? or the way he is too shy? will he love me in time? (maybe if i get his water perfect and a bigger tank!?)

[El Scorpio]

He will go in the cave in due time. His shyness will pass as well - everything is still new to him. And yes, Green Spotted Puffers can bond with and recognize their owners. Soon enough whenever he sees you, he'll swim up to the glass and start dancing like a little puppy.

[volcomkrew4life]

you're gunna have a lot of fun with that little guy=] just need to be EXTREMELY careful to test the water VERY often. mine was perfect for about 2 months so i didn't test for about a week and when i did the nitrite levels were through the roof! it involved a lot of water changes and money that i barely had so better to be safe than sorry in the end! he's doing a lot better now.

make sure you feed him snails on a weekly basis for his teeth. they grow very fast and if they arent ground down they can grow to the point that they won't be able to open their mouth to eat. mine loves frozen mysis shrimp (which can be purchased at most pet stores such as petco or petsmart and are much healthier than the flakes) and frozen pieces of raw clams. i also sometimes put in the shells of the clams after the meat is off them and he chews and bites at them which also helps with grinding down his teeth. just an idea you can try.

when you say he's "looking at his reflection" he's probably "window surfing" which means he's most likely bored with his environment. it's probably just due to the small tank he's in. that also could be why he doesn't wanna go in the cave. he already feeds cooped up and crammed, he doesn't wanna go in a place where he'll feel even more crammed lol so definitely upgrade SOON! mine's in a 20g tank right now and seems to like it a lot but when he gets to be about 3 and a half inches i'll probably move him to a 55g tank and then he'll be good for the rest of his life. keep us updated and GOOD LUCK!=]

[Pufferpunk]

Could you possibly post a pic of his tank?

[sevenyearnight]

Volcom, I have to say that waiting for your puffer to reach 3.5" before upgrading isn't a good idea. A 20 gallon still is a small tank, and you may not see much growth, so waiting for this growth spurt could hurt your puffer. You have to remember that tank sizes don't actually hold the amount of water they claim to. Measure the insides of the glass, and run that into one of those aquarium calculators, then subtract further for substrate and decor/rocks.
Get a 55 gallon as soon as you can afford to. I found a custom built tank on craigslist for $50! If you check at the right times, you can find great deals.