The Puffer Forum

hi, ozzy my gsp pal has been living in a 200 litre brackish tank for around three months. about three weeks ago i added three monos. in many of the topics on this very informative forum,i have read about different behaviour with puffers, and they seem to have a massive range of personalities and mood changes. ozzy seems to spend most of his time either sitting in one of the rock caves or swmming into the water flow of the filter output at the rear of the tank. he rarely swims in any other part of the tank except for feeding time. is this normal,as iwould like to watch this fascinating little guy more often.

The quick movements of the monos may be intimidating the puffer.

You are aware that monos get as large as your outstretched hand & are schooling species? This requires a school of at least 5-6 & 300g minimum tank for them to be comfortable as adults.

yes iam aware of the monos growth,and they are a temporary addition,to ozzys den. i intend to rehome them soon as i can understand how their quick movements would be a distraction and indeed intimidate ozzy. maybe another gsp?

would another gsp be a good idea? the tank is 55 uk gallons,and has lots of rock caves and artificial plants.

You could get by with another GSP in that size tank (51 US gallons) but you may be pushing your luck. Make sure you have plenty of cover and hiding spots.

Most puffers enjoy being alone. I have only one in my 55 gallon tank with no tank mates.

I think 51g is perfect for a single GSP. When you get his SG closer to marine conditions, you cold add a tomato clownfish. If the puffer is not too mean!

How about a psychotic female maroon clown? - they bite people

Plenty of those cute wagging clown bite nastily. there is group with false colors and style -they look downright cuddly. Thank goodness they don't have puffer dental plates.

thank you all for that great advice. i am thinking along the lines of some sort of hardy marine species once my s.g. is high enough. one of the clown varieties would be cool.

A maroon clown bit both my GSP's tails down to a nub, in 3 days. Stick with the tomato.