Newbie needs advice and help

[Pufferpunk]

Gizmo only lived to 2 years? i think it takes more than that to reach adult size. Why did he die so young?

[jbryandavis]

Gizmo only lived to 2 years? i think it takes more than that to reach adult size. Why did he die so young?

I meant I believe He was about 2 years old when I *got* him. He lived over 10 years in *my* care, I'm really unsure how old He was when I got him. Gizmo is the only GSP that's died in my tanks, He could've easily been 14-16 years old. I'm just unsure, the oldest puffer I have right now is 9 years old but you'd never know as He looks just as good as my 2 year old puffers. I've had relatively good success in keeping them... its' breeding I've had issues. No success, yet.

[jbryandavis]

Cool project. Have you tried varying the SG to simulate the "wet season"/breeding season?

Yes. But as I said, I keep them all in separate tanks. At no time is their more than 2 GSP's per 90-gal, kind of hard when you can't tell what's male and what's female... ya know?!

I really prefer not to put more than 2 individuals in a tank at a time, its' been 3 years of mixing them up to see who's a girl and who's a boy. However, the moment I have belief I have a pair I leave them together, but nothing happens. None of my fish can see any other fish, so its' just them in a tank alone to do what they want. All of my tanks line the walls, considering fish eye sight isn't the best I know they can't see across the room so nothing could be scaring them.

That's the only thing I can think that would cause them not to want to spawn, since a lot of time in the wild a lot of species of fish won't spawn if they feel their brood would be in danger. I'm DEFINITELY all ears if you have any ideas... the more minds, the better. I've got a few friends who work with me... but even my friend who's a marine biologist scratches His head. He's as baffled as me!

[Nick]

I have a way you can try the SG variation, using a simple two tank system. Or 3 tank, if you want to leave the current marine tank as is and cycled, perhaps for other puffers. First, have a 90 gallon fw-low brackish tank set up and fully cycled. Then, install a simple overflow the drains on the puffers tank down into your plumbing, out the window, or into something that can't overfill. Then, add FW (buckets or a python combo-rigged with a drip of dechlorinator ending in output would probably work too, if automated is necessary.) at such a rate that it will take more or less a day to get the SG reasonably close to the tank you have cycled. I think slower than that and new water won't be going in fast enough to counteract the fact that the SG shift killed the biofilter, and faster would probably be very noticeable to the fish.