The Puffer Forum

I'm new here so I hope this isn't a question that's been covered too often!

I've got a GSP, currently on his own in a brackish tank. I've read on here that GSP's can thrive in full marine conditions.

I was doing some research into the possibility of tankmates for my puffer - most people seem to recommend that you keep them on their own. However, I was wondering, if I raise the salinity of the tank (obviously slowly to allow the puffer to adjust) would it be possible to change it to a reef tank with live rock etc. Would the puffer be ok in that sort of environment?

My GSP (Spot!) by the way is currently about 2 inches, he's in a 48ltr tank which I know will need upgrading as he gets bigger! At the moment it's just got ocean rock as decoration with white sand.

Yeah, he's going to need a serious upgrade soon. A 48 litre tank is only about 12 gallons, which isn't nearly big enough for that little GSP.

The marine question is covered often, but answering isn't a problem. Yes, you can acclimate a GSP to full marine conditions. Just as a head's up, raising the salinity slowly isn't to allow the puffer to adjust, but to allow the bacterial colonies to adjust (so that you don't end up with your tank going through another cycle). I wouldn't say they're reef-safe, though, as they'll eat all your invertebrates and crustaceans, as well as potentially nip coral. You can keep them with certain SW fish, though, as SW fish tend to be generally more aggressive.

I would recommend upgrading the tank to a 30 gallon (120 litre roughly) before you upgrade to marine. If you have the funds, you could always get yourself a 30 gallon and set it up as a full marine tank with some live rock. Then, once you've given the live rock and tank a good month or so to settle, you could add in large hermits (that are about 1 inch or bigger in size) and switch your GSP over to the new tank. I would advise getting him out of his current home as soon as possible, as puffers create a lot of waste and the small space might cause him future problems (stunting and whatnot).

Hope that helps.

Yep. What he said

The slow rise of salinity will help the puffer adjust as well though, you wouldn't want to dump him straight from FW to SW. But yeah I agree that you are better off setting a new tank up as SW and not worry about changing the current one.

Sorry, yeah, I didn't mean it to sound like you can just drop a puffer into saltier water and he'll be fine. I just meant they adapt to salt changes much more quickly than the bacteria.

Yeah I guessed you knew, just making sure Gimilzor was aware . By the way, have you read the article about GSPs in the library? Extremely helpful and will give you loads of info.

Thanks for your replies.

With regard to the size of the tank - he's still only very small, about 2 inches and seems to have loads of swimming room. Obviously he'll need a bigger tank as he gets bigger but I thought he'd be ok in there for a little while?

The tank is an interpet River Reef tank which has a huge amount of filtration built in. I would say that the actual surface area of the filter components is bigger than the filter I've got on my 180ltr tropical tank. It also seems to have a very powerful pump.

I've had the little guy for about 3 months now, and in that time he hasn't got much bigger than when I bought him.

At the end of the day I just want to do what's best for him though, you're the experts so if I need to start planning for a bigger tank right away then I will.

Gimilzor wrote:Thanks for your replies.

With regard to the size of the tank - he's still only very small, about 2 inches and seems to have loads of swimming room. Obviously he'll need a bigger tank as he gets bigger but I thought he'd be ok in there for a little while?

The tank is an interpet River Reef tank which has a huge amount of filtration built in. I would say that the actual surface area of the filter components is bigger than the filter I've got on my 180ltr tropical tank. It also seems to have a very powerful pump.

I've had the little guy for about 3 months now, and in that time he hasn't got much bigger than when I bought him.

At the end of the day I just want to do what's best for him though, you're the experts so if I need to start planning for a bigger tank right away then I will.

It will still stunt their growth, and is not enough water for the massive amount of waste they produce.

I agree, get a bigger tank as soon as you can. If you want to keep other fish with him, the bigger the better. I had 2 gsp's for about 6 months in a 125 gallon. Once I raised it to sw I added other fish. With puffer's bigger is always better.

Yeah, stunting and waste management is your largest concern. GSPs are slow growers, yes, but that won't stop the possibility of stunting. You don't need to pick up a 30 gallon today, but browse through your local paper or Kijiji and look for a used 30 gallon. They're usually pretty easy to find and you'll get them for a good price.

For now, if he's doing well, then don't rush into upgrading, but I'd try to get the 30 gallon set up within 2 months, if you can. Just make sure you're doing water changes and gravel vac his tank every week to prevent toxin spikes.

Agnate wrote: ... GSPs are slow growers, yes ...

not all GSPs are slow growers... Mine grew from about 3/4 of an inch to about 4 1/4" in a little over a year...

It might have been that your puffer was being stunted before you got it, though? I've seen quite a few cases where fish will have a huge growth spurt when they've moved to a new tank because they've been stunted for a while.

sounds reasonable

Agnate wrote:Sorry, yeah, I didn't mean it to sound like you can just drop a puffer into saltier water and he'll be fine. I just meant they adapt to salt changes much more quickly than the bacteria.

Oops!! That's what I did. I had a bigger GSP in SW and bought two smaller GSPs that had been in FW at the pet store. This was a whim buy btw. Can't resist these water puppies. Anyway, I gradually added SW from the tank to the bag over a matter of an hour and then dump them in the tank. They seem to be doing fine and eating well. I've had them for several weeks this way with no sign of stress or problems. It is probably something I wouldn't recommend everyone try because it could be this was an exception and not the rule but it seems to be working for mine.

You mention that some marine fish can be in with GSPs. For future referrance and when I do another tank upgrade what would you recommend?

PufferKate, your method of acclimation is fine (potentially a little quick, but nothing serious). I meant that you can't just scoop out a fish from freshwater and drop them directly into your saltwater tank without some form of acclimation. For cases like GSPs, it's much better to have them in saltwater than in freshwater, so doing the acclimation the way you did works well.

In terms of tankmates, you can look into Gobies, Clownfish, Damsels (they're really aggressive though), Hawkfish, and probably some others I don't remember. Ask some of the other marine owners for some other ideas.

Yeah don't worry too much. It is probably better not to do it quite so quick, but GSPs are able to move between FW and SW anyway so they can handle it. The main problem would be if they were in bad shape before, they might not handle it so well, but yours sound fine.