GSP in NanoCube

[Myaj]

Well, the nano cubes are expensive because they are compact and they attract people due to the "all in one" concept, nothing extra to buy. But they also make it very hard to add anything or change anything, so if its not the exact setup you want/need, you are basically screwed.

Personally, I'd say resell that Nano Cube (unless you really have some other use for it) and spend a lot less money on a setup that is actually what you need and a better environment for the puffer. An Aqua Clear 300 (now called the 70 I believe) filter would be perfect for a 25-30 gallon tank, and is only about $20 (its a bit noisy but not bad at all if you keep the water level up). Add a heater, some lights, a crushed coral or argonite substrate and you already have the tank (25 gallons isn't ideal but it is a lot better than the 12 gallon). Slap a background on the tank and you can't see the wires or anything, get a little handy and build a stand and canopy if you so desire and it will look as nice or better than an Eclipse system.

Then you can think about what you will do with him as he gets older Ideally you'd want to raise him to full marine, in which case your biggest expense would be a GOOD skimmer. So while you are deciding if you want to keep him or not, start looking into the cost of marine salt and a good skimmer, that sort of thing. The salt isn't really that expensive, but it may be something that will determine if you will want to keep this type of fish or not.

if you do use that 25 gallon tank, make sure you check the silicone and fill it up with water somewhere it won't hurt if it leaks. Just in case. Resealing a tank is pretty simple, so if you aren't sure about it just let us know and we'll tell you how to do it.

[chasey]

THANKS Myaj! That's what I needed to know...what you said doesn't sound too painful...will keep the nano for keeping live food (is that a good idea?) The tank has one of those old-fashioned hood lights (long florescent tube) - is that OK? what's the primary purpose of the light - for fish health or for our viewing pleasure?

What is an Eclipse system?

[Bred]

In fish-only tanks, lights are for viewing pleasure (both yours and the fish's). Lights begin to matter when you are trying to grow plants or corals, and then you have to consider bulb colour temperature (light spectra) and intensity (watts, or lumens).

Marineland makes Eclipse systems... Not sure if they're the exact same thing as a Nano-Cube (was there a name change at some point?) but they are nearly identical at least.

[Myaj]

Yes, the lighting is just for viewing, unless you want plants/corals. That can get expensive but a simple tube light is perfect for what you want right now.

Eclipse systems are either hoods or full tank setups that are just like a nano cube, everything built into the hood. You can add the hood to an existing tank, but IMO, they are way overpriced and the filtration is often not nearly enough for what is really needed (for puffers and many other fish, a flow rate of 10x the gallons is recommended, so for a 30 gallon tank, you'd want 300ghp). And its the same problem as the nano cubes, you can't really add on since everything is sealed up and if you want to customize something like adding more biomedia, you usually don't have that option.

[chasey]

please help!! my tank leaks...have to get a new one. I went to LFS and asked for advice on what I needed and also for marine setup(stupid me!) they said GSP is brackish and did not want explain the marine setup. I said many times about reading comments on this site and others, and he just laughed. Needless to say, I'm very frustrated! I've been reading lots of sites on aquariums and unfortunately I'm so dumb at tech and bio explanations, I don't understand if I will be getting ripped off or not getting the appropriate parts.

[Pufferpunk]

How big is your puffer?

[Bred]

The difference between a Brackish setup and Marine setup is, at the simplest, the presence of a Protein Skimmer. You don't need one right away, but will want one once you hit full marine.

For a single GSP, you'll probably want the following:

- 30 gallons (US) or greater tank
- 200 W or greater heater
- AquaClear 300 (also known as AquaClear 70) Hang-on-Back filter, or next step up: AquaClear 500 (also known as AquaClear 110)
- Crushed coral or Aragonite substrate

For tank maintenance and water changes you will need the following:
- A hydrometer
- A bucket of synthetic marine salt mix
- A separate container (rubbermaid works) that you will use to pre-mix your water for water changes.
- A 50W or 100W heater for your pre-mix container
- A small powerhead or pump to circulate water in the mixing container

I don't think I'm leaving anything out, but someone can help if I am... Oh. I guess you'll probably want something to light the tank too.

[chasey]

THANK YOU! i'm printing this off and taking it to the store...

[chasey]

...wait...how much should I be expecting to spend on the new set up? I really don't want to replace anything later. so is this stuff good enough for when I move to marnie? Actually, when do I have to do that? my puffer is 1 1/2 inches now...(he's a very happy guy considering I've been adding water every other day due to the leaking - it's not major but is losing water...besides, I think he deserves a new home...plus I don't think the old filter is very efficient - it's the kind with stuffing and carbon)

also, do I have to do the above (mix salt, heat water) every time I do a change? even if it's 1/3 each week? I was just sprinkling the salt all over the tank and it dissolved within minutes...yikes?

can/do puffers eat insects?

[Bred]

Please check http://www.bigalsonline.com for prices. The one thing that won't be listed is the tank itself, which should not cost more than $50.

The setup I have outlined will be good for your GSP even in adulthood. The only addition you will want to make is the addition of a Protein Skimmer once the tank is in full marine conditions. These can be a bit expensive but experienced puffer keepers swear by them. IMO they are essential to a SW tank.

Marine Salt is a bit expensive too, but a bucket will last you a long time while you move the tank slowly up in salinity from brackish to marine. Once in marine, with the addition of a skimmer, you will be able to get away with smaller water changes per week since the skimmer prophylactically keeps the water relatively "clean".


There is a lot of technique involved in water changes. For instance, The salinty of the replacement water must be matched as accurately as possible to the tank water using a hydrometer. Salt mix should never be added directly to the tank, it should be thoroughly premixed before hand. That's why the mixing container is crucial. And yes, you will want to pre-mix with each water change.

I'm sure there's an article about doing water changes for BW and SW somewhere, let me see if I can find it.

[Bred]

The small heater and small powerhead are not absolutely essential to the mixing container. A good thermometer can be used to match the temperatures of the water out of the tap with the tank temperature. A clean, non-toxic, food-safe stirring spoon or some such thing could be used to get the salt completely dissolved.

[Jayhawk]

Bred - While I agree with light brackish amounts that stiring in a bucket of water at the tank's temperature will disolve the salt (I add salt, stir till I can't see any salt crystals, let sit 15 minutes, stir again, measure SG, then add to the tank), will this method work at the higher end brackish and at full strength SW? I know that the more salt you add, the longer it takes to completely disolve.

Being cautious, I tried letting a bucket of light BW sit overnight with a bubbler and a heater, but the SG was exactly the same as when I mixed it as I mention above - so I surmised that with smaller amounts of salt waiting overnight wasn't worthwhile.

I don't have a full SW tank, so I don't want to mess with a similar experiment at full SW strength. Has anyone else done so?

Eric

[Bred]

Jayhawk, that's a good point. I've never tried mixing higher salinities by hand... You're right, it would be a lot of work! Bubblers aren't too well suited to the task either as we need current to really push around the water and get it mixing. A powerhead pointed at the bottom of the container is my preference.

So to ammend my earlier comment, you can get by without the heater/powerhead for now... but not indefinitely.

[Pamela]

Chasey...yes puffers can eat insects, but buy something like crickets or beetles from a pet store - ones intended for lizards, as wild caught bugs may have all kinds of sprays on them that'll not do the fish any good.
Pami.

[ingo_1978]

I mix mine in half a bucket of hot water first (salts dissolve very fast in hot water) until no salt crystals can be seen and then top up with cool water and leave to reach tank temp.