The Puffer Forum

Hello! I recently acquired a GSP who is approx. 1.5 inches long and in FW. This little guy has already stolen my heart.

I understand that I need to slowly build up the salinity in the tank to BW and eventually to full Marine for this fish. He's currently in a 29 gal. tank by himself but I think I will put him into a 55 in approx. 1-2 month's time so that he will have lots of space. My question is what kind of substrate should I have in the tank? I have gravel in both tanks right now but am thinking I should use something like coral or aragonite considering that the salinity will be gradually increasing over time? What about tahitian moon sand?

The 55 is a 1+ year seasoned fw tank, so I guess the way to do substrate replacement is in increments so as not to disturb the biological filter?

Thank you for any advice! I have been reading here for the past few weeks and am grateful such a forum exists. I also keep 6 dwarf puffers, super sweet little guys.

Welcome to The Puffer Forum!

I like to use aragonite or crushed coral in all BW to SW tanks, to help support the high pH and high alkalinity natural to those waters.

If you existing tank is not UG filtered, depending in part on setup and handling, but the odds are good that the majority of your biofiltration and nitrification in particular are in the filter(s) as these the highest water flow (and thus O2 and food source availability) in the tank. Changing substrate in my conventionl tanks does not affect biofiltration at all, but I do confess to grossly over-filtering. In my RFUG tanks it would.

I really like the appearance of Tahitian Moon sand myself, but it will not offer pH/alkalinity support so far as I know.

Well, thanks for joining in!

Usually crushed coral or argonite is suggested to help keep the pH steady. Many people tend to avoid the sands due to problems it can cause with anaerobic pockets forming, etc. It can be done, but you need to do a little extra maintence like stirring, etc. Since GSP's don't bury themselves, they don't "need" sand.

As for the tank changeover, I guess what I would do is make sure to not scrub the glass or decor or clean the filter media for a few weeks, then change out the gravel. There should still be plenty of bacteria in the filter, glass, etc. But if you want to be safe, put some of the old gravel in some nylon stockings or cheesecloth bags and put them back in the tank, that way after a few weeks you can easily pull them out without the old gravel mixing with the new substrate.

Just remember when you start to increase the salinity of the FW tank, to do it slowly to allow the bacteria to adjust.

Thank you both for replying and for the kind welcome!

RTR, the 55 gal. tank does not have an UG filter. It does have two Aquaclear HOB filters: a 70/300 and a 110/500. I use an extra block of filter foam over each intake as a sort of pre-filter.

I hadn't thought of this earlier but I bet I could just change the entire substrate out at once and then supplement the bio. filter with a dose of Biospira if need be.

Well it appears that it is crushed coral or aragonite for me. I asked about the Tahitian Moon sand because I love a black substrate in my tanks. I'll have to do a search for black aragonite...

Myaj, thanks for the tips. Good point about not cleaning anything for awhile beforehand. Also about keeping a nylon stockings of the old gravel in the tank for awhile after the changeover. I hadn't thought of that but it seems obvious now that you mention it.

Suddenly changing the substrate doesn't seem like such a big issue.

Another question or two, I hope you don't mind... Are the HOB filters going to be ok for BW/SW? Am I going to require any additional equipment as the tank becomes more brackish? Skimmers, UV sterilizers, refugiums, etc? I have no knowledge of these things as I have absolutely NO brackish/saltwater experience, but I have been keeping fwfish for a few years now. I know I will need a hydrometer (or is it a refractometer? I'm dumb).

I raise Mystery Snails, Sterbai Cories, Red Cherry Shrimp, and Dwarf Bristlenose Plecos to supplement the hobby. I also keep a variety of others who do not reproduce. However, now that I have found the wonderful world of Puffers I am leaning towards phasing out some of the above in favour of keeping more puffers. I currently have 11 tanks in use ranging from 20 to 55 gals each.

I truly want to provide a healthy environment for my sweet GSP "Mojo". Again I deeply appreciate being able to get advice from ye who are experienced and knowledgeable. Thanks again!

I'm not too sure if the AC's work okay with salt, but I *think* they are okay. A good skimmer will probably be what you want as your salinity rises.

A hydrometer is a necessity, a refractometer is basically a more expensive, more accurate device. Hydrometers are good enough for many people, if you want to be precise, get a refractmeter.

I do know of one brand of aragonite that comes in color options, but I only know of an online place to order it, not sure if you can find it locally. Which would mean pretty hefty shipping charges I bet...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... 004+113553

Well, you know.. those red cherry shrimp will be something fun for your puffer to snack on...

Myaj - Tahitian Moon sand is not fine. It is near-ideal planted-tank substrate size and lots of planted folks use it without issues. One of the best Crypts growers we have in this area swears by it, and I really like the looks of his tanks with the stuff. They are enriched and are very heavily planted.

RE: HOB filters in a salt environment...

I suspect the models you mentioned use stainless steel impeller shafts, which corrode over time in salt conditions, so check up on them now and then.

If you are planning on introducing Live Rock once you hit Marine conditions you will want to swap out those HOBs for internal powerheads, or at the very least remove the filter media. The LR will take over the biological filtration (this is where good circulation is important) and a good skimmer will provide mechanical filtration.

UV Sterilizers are not necessary.

Refugia and sumps are optional... Sumps are a good way to hide equipment such as heaters and skimmers from sight, and do increase the total water volume of the system, but are not necessary.

Sounds like you've got a very happy home planned!

Ah okay RTR, I'll try to remember that. I just saw the word "sand" and reacted hehe...

Stainless steel won't, can't, corrode (depending on which grade they use, but 90% of industrial use stainless is the same grade.) . Much more likely is the filter is moving salt crystals that are wearing it down physically.
Another good reason to pre-mix.
Corrosion is a chemical reaction, as compared to wear, which is due to abrasion from the salt crystals.

Ceramic shafts have a higher resistance to abrasion, but are, by their nature, more prone to breakage.

What? You think I got the nick SteelGeek for no reason? You should see when I watch historical movies and bitch about the armor being out of period.

I have used an AC 500 on my SW tank for several years w/o problems.

SteelGeek wrote:Stainless steel won't, can't, corrode (depending on which grade they use, but 90% of industrial use stainless is the same grade.) . Much more likely is the filter is moving salt crystals that are wearing it down physically.
Another good reason to pre-mix.
Corrosion is a chemical reaction, as compared to wear, which is due to abrasion from the salt crystals.

Ceramic shafts have a higher resistance to abrasion, but are, by their nature, more prone to breakage.

What? You think I got the nick SteelGeek for no reason? You should see when I watch historical movies and bitch about the armor being out of period.

LOL - I'll pass on that!
But thanks for the clarification...

See? We all have our "magic" buttons. Even SG. I just have a few more than most folks - or maybe I just don't bother to hide mine. I do try not to have any metals in the tanks, regardless of water parameters. It is too much effort for me to remember that I can this item in FW only, that one in BW or SW. My impellers I hope are all ceramic. Since Eheim went to two-piece impellers years ago, I rarely break any. I do however break blades off old impellers regularly. "Spares" is another game I play...