The Puffer Forum

Hey whats up TPF! so i just got a 45 gallon hexagon tank and i want to make make it into a brackish tank as of right now i have my 1 GSP puffer for 3 weeks and learned alot that they didnt notify me when i bought it. i got one puffer fish, 1 fiddler crab, and 3 ghost shrimp. someone told me i need a protein skimmer for my puffer because they are real messy and leave alot of waste. do i need one? and do i need a sump setup? i already got marine salt and gonna get black sand substrate soon along with a hydrometer. Is black sand ok? Thanks any help or opinions are more than welcomed.

How do you have a marine tank without a hydrometer? Did the puffer start out in SW?

no they are FW ima about to start up a BW tank. i got my puffer from walmart and had him for 3 weeks as of now

Is your tank properly cycled and if so, how did you cycle it? In case you aren't aware, you need to be very careful about how quickly you raise the salinity in your tank. If you have a fully cycled tank, you run the risk of killing any beneficial bacteria in the filter if you raise the SG too fast.

I also don't think that fiddler is going to last very long with the puffer and even if it does, the salinity that the puffer is going to need is going to be higher than what the fiddler should have (if the fiddler lives that long).

pufferpuggirl wrote:Is your tank properly cycled and if so, how did you cycle it? In case you aren't aware, you need to be very careful about how quickly you raise the salinity in your tank. If you have a fully cycled tank, you run the risk of killing any beneficial bacteria in the filter if you raise the SG too fast.

I also don't think that fiddler is going to last very long with the puffer and even if it does, the salinity that the puffer is going to need is going to be higher than what the fiddler should have (if the fiddler lives that long).

I agree completely with the above. Crabs & shrimp are #1 on a puffer's menu.

This will help you understand about cycling: library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/
GSP Care: library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
BW Mixing: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=19348
Feeding your Puffer: library/category/feeding/

yea thats why i bought the shrimp and the crab i figured he would eat them lol. i have cycled the BW tank yet or even filled with water im buying evrything i need right now. so far i got instant ocean salt, protein skimmer, and now i plan to buy a hydrometer, some kinda of sand substrate. and a filter either a sump setup or just a filter that hangs on the side

An Aquaclear 110 filter should work well for that tank. Look here: http://www.petsolutions.com. Free shipping on orders >99. No charge for even shipping heavy salt.