The Puffer Forum

Good point!

I won't consider it a waste of money on salt if we find out it improves longevity and health. Also I find it easier to mix the water for my SW setup and get the same SG every time in the tank than keeping the BW set up around the same SG. I am definitely thinking of moving Bud and Junior to SW. Bud doesn't seem to be getting bigger and I read in this sticky a previous post where the change to SW cause a growth spurt.

Exactly.. if it doesn't improve health, then there's no need to use the extra salt unless you just prefer dealing with a full marine setup.

If it does improve health, whoo hoo! Anything to make them happier.

if it hurts them, then we know for sure to only step them up at later ages/larger sizes.

Well I think its easier to do at full marine because doing brackish for some people is just to tough. I don't know why they think that but If I had a GSP he might be in salt water.

I don't find BW to be tough at all. Not much different than SW & only slightly different than FW, IMO.

If my tank was doing better right now I might give it a try. I have no place to qt a new fish at the moment. Also everyone gets along so well, I would hate to add a new fish to my tank and have things go down hill. I feel I have been lucky so far with no agression towards each other.
I'll have to think this over. I was not planning to replace Cheech but it may be an option.

I find this thread very interesting and hopeful. I had a bigger GSP that I transitioned from fresh to brachish to SW in a matter of several months. Then I bought two small GSPs(1 1/2 inch)on a whim....just because they're just so doggone cute.....and instead of setting up a new fresh water tank for them I just put them in the SW tank in a matter of an hour. I accumented them to the SW by adding some of the tank SW little by little during that hour. I've had them a month now in SW and they look great and eat like piggies and the bigger one didn't try to eat them which surprises me. In fact, the bigger one was scared of the little ones for a few days. He kept avoiding them and they kept trying to chase him. Now everybodies just one big happy puffer family.

I do have a question of my own. I currently have two red-legged salt water crabs in the tank with them and the puffer seem to leave them alone. Are there any other marine bottom cleaners that the GSPs will leave alone? What other marine creatures can live with puffers?

Don't expect them to leave those crabs alone forever... Eventually, they'll be invited over for dinner.

I suspect the news that GSP can only spawn in full marine bodes well for these experiments, if the fry are born and grow in full marine only, and the adults clearly do well this way, I see no reason the "in between" puffers should not thrive as well.

When i first got Shermy, et was under 1 inch. My water parameters when south very soon after i cycled my tank and i took et to the LFS where we acclimatized and put into a full marine take while my tank at home recycled. Shermy was in full marine for about 3 weeks, i visited et often and et was always white bellied, very curious and had that bright greed dot on the top of head (basically very happy). After my tank recycled i acclimatized et back to brackish and et often shows stress marks on the sides even to this day (3+ years later) despite perfect water conditions .ect i never really see that bright greed dot on the top of head anymore ;-(

The only negative point of having et in full marine was that et got an eye infection (where the eye swells), but i am sure this came from the tank at the LFS (most probably why they had not fish in it!!)

Maybe i should look at moving up to full marine?

et=he/him/she/her

At 3 years old, I'd probably go full marine.

I have seen nothing but good things since having my Green Spots at full marine versus having them at brackish. Yet when I did have them in brackish conditions it was relatively at a lower salinity. Probably about 1.012. I acclimated them over the course of a day with a slow drip to marine after noticing an issue with the tank they were in. I must agree that their coloration is fantastic and I too, have noticed the bright green head spot.

I've had mine in full marine for about 6 months now, I can honestly say he seems far happier and more active since I switched. He spends hours looking over the live rock looking for food which is fun to watch. He's less than 2 inches and is doing great.

When I first got my current GSP, the tank she went into was freshwater. I slowly, over about 8 months, bumped up the salinity to full marine, which we reached about a month ago. Very early in the switchover process her color improved, up to about 1.008, when she started to turn dark olive instead of her usual bright yellow-green. She stayed dark until we got to about 1.020, when her color greatly improved to the point that now she is a very healthy-looking bright yellow-green again. Also, her black stress mustache is gone, and she's quite a bit more active. She is now at about 3.5" and doing beautifully.

Elevator is now in full SW, for about 2 months total now. His colors have never been so good, he has gone through a growth spurt, but that might have something to do with the bigger tank too. He did go through some coloration issues when I changed the lighting, he was used to about 1-1.5 wpg, now he has about 4-4.5 wpg. Basically he just got realllllly pale. The green had tried to turn white for a little while. But now things have settled down, he is doing great. Rarely paces the glass, always exploring the live rock. But all in all, he has never seemed to have done better. And on top of that, I have been able to watch him look for bedding through the whole tank, and now has a constant bed that he sleeps in every night.