The Puffer Forum

right now they are about 2''

i am keeping the salt level at like a 5-6%

how much can i boost that up, i am going to be setting up a bigger tank soon and i am looking a some more marine fish

GSPs that are around 2" would probably really enjoy being at around 1.008 or even higher, all the way up to mid-level brackish. Some people would even say you could go ahead and acclimate them to full marine. What you have to watch out for, though, is that you don't up your specific gravity by more than .002 per week or you'll harm the beneficial bacteria in your tank that are needed to remove toxins from the water.

gotcha, so i CAN go full marine?
wat SG is full marine?

xmikebrock wrote:gotcha, so i CAN go full marine?
wat SG is full marine?

It's between 1.020 and 1.025

I would move them to full marine, you should find they will become much happier and you can then also use live rock and a protein skimmer. I am glad I made the move, and I am sure my puffer is even more so. But I would shoot for at least 1.023 SG.

k.

the tank im getting soon, is in a warehouse right now

i know it has stuff for the salt water tank

but what are the the needs, like equipment, that i would need

also, can i just use sea salt to raise the salinity

I'm not sure what the tank will have for equipment, but aside from the skimmer good lighting is key and you'd want a good filter with at least 10x turnover rate alone. And look into powerheads to create some additional current/flow. Depending on the lighting, you'd want something along the lines of a 50/50 daylight/actinic bulb. If it's setup for a salt tank I'd assume it will already have this and may also have moonlights for night viewing. You would also need a hydrometer (ideally a refracometer if you can as it's far more accurate and easier to use) to measure the SG. You don't need live sand that's up to you, regular sand or crushed coral will work fine. Live rock you'd want to use somewhere between 1.5 to 2lb or rock per gallon. Some people use a mix of base (dead) rock with live rock to help lower the cost. Also you would want a good reliable heater of course, sometimes a chiller is needed but that shouldn't be a problem unless you live somewhere hot and the tank has a closed top.

For salt you would need to buy marine salt, it has all the minerals that are essential to growth and health. You can buy a big bucket of instant ocean pretty cheap for example and depending on tank size it should last quite a while. Personally I just buy the cheapest one, no need for the more expensive brands. For starting out that is plenty, down the road you can certain add on components like a fuge, auto top offs and water change systems for example.

Other things like a thermometer, algae magnet, blah blah etc... which I am sure you know. It's not nearly as complicated as it may sound. Like I say though if the tank is setup for salt it should come with most of that, btw what kind of tank is it?