The Puffer Forum

hi im new here and quite new to horums
years ago i kept alot of tanks after getting (mts) lol. back then it was oscars and discus
i have just got a new tank and went for something i always wanted and thats some kind of puffer. my lfs was selling green spotted puffers and figure eight puffers, both in the same tank. i did all the research i could on both and went for the green spotted because of the larger size. well i think i might have 2 green spotted and one different puffer.
only reason i think this is because the 2 that are alike swim up and down the tank alot of the day, with the odd hour of looking round the tank and have a brighter patch on there heads and alot more smaller spots mixed in with the larger ones.
the other one is dull on top, more of an even olive green with just the larger spots also abit more round in shape and spends most of the day swimming around the tank on its own just investigating things. i have also noticed this one has made a very small part of the tank its own and will sit there quite happy and shoo off the other 2 if they get close. not nasty tho (yet i suppose)
they are in fresh water because thats what i bought them in. but from monday im going to start adding marine salt and slowly raise it over the weeks. i have looked up all i could find out on care so not having probs in that way and are all very healthy
they are all going to be seperated as they grow but i would like to know if this odd puffer is a green spotted or not so i can get reading on any different ways it might like to be kept

You probably have a figure 8 puffer in there. There are species profiles and articles on both of them in the Library. If you do have a F8, you won't be able to keep it with the GSPs. The GSPs will probably become aggressive towards it, and they will prefer different salinities.

Welcome to the forum!

i know they were all mixed at the shop but this one doesnt look at all like a figure eight, its largest spots are just the same as the other two and none of them blended together, its not that different to the others apart from they have alot of little spots mixed in and he doesnt have the day glow mark on his head. i know they can change there colour when they want but these have stayed the same since i got them home. he is the biggest out the 3 and is more of a loner than the other 2. he isnt aggessive with the others in the day and will swim up and down with them sometimes but tends to not like them sleeping in the same spot. its more the way it acts than colour that got me thinking it might b something different. or im just over worried and got a grumpy puffer.
i get this horrid feeling im going to add salt and im going to lose one fish or two

If you lose one of your puffers, it won't be because you added salt. Both F8s and GSPs need a certain amount of salt in their water, and ones that have been kept in freshwater really blossom once you get them into salty water. As you'll find as you do more research, an F8 will need low-end brackish conditions, while your GSPs will need high-end brackish to full marine.

If you can post some pics of your puffers, it would be a lot easier to tell you what the loner is. Could just be another GSP that is not feeling well or stressed, or also the fish may simply not be inclined to be sociable.

I would not be surprised that one of your GSP's looks different. I have 5 together and I've got a couple that look different to the other 3. I think that there are just some that might be caught in a different location. From what I've read there are some different variations in GSP's depending on where they are caught from. Unless you start seeing some dramatic changes in it's colouring or patterns of the spots, I would just guess that it's a different looking GSP, and it's not uncommon for one to be aloof to the others.
IMO, I think it's just a bit of a different looking GSP, and nothing to worry about.

ok this is the first day of salt and raised it just under 1.002 and will leave it that way for a week. i also bought some dried shrimp for a treat and to get them to know me as the person that feeds them.
they didnt like them much at all but i came up with the idea of sticking the shrimp in the sand so they have part of them pointing out the sand. the strange puffer that didnt have much of the colour dived right in and as soon as the shrimp got mislodged from sand and went floating up he went yellow on his head. so he is a gsp. just more of a hunter than the rest. guess thats why he always spends more time looking round the tank rather than swimming up and down it till food time. he is the one that looks for the snails without me making sure they know where they are.
i think he is just abit more wild than the other 2.
my tank is 39 x 15 x 18 high and i think that only works out as 37 gal. so as i have 3 i will have to part with one and get a new tank for the other but its going to b hard because there all so bloody funny in there own ways.

You've come to the right place!

We'd still like to see some pics of your puffers, if you can get them to sit still long enough... Be sure to read the GSP article in our Library, along with the feeding articles. Try soaking FD foods in water, before feeding out.

rather than start a new topic i might as well ask here
i am just intrested in the growth rate of a gsp, i know they get around 6" just like to know how fast and what sort of size they get abit peed off with other gsp tankmates. im on a tight budget and just need to know how fast i have to get another setup.

I don't believe they grow very fast myself. And from what I've read with other GSP owners, it doesn't seem that they do.