The Puffer Forum

Hi. I currently have 2 gsp in a 65 gallon tank.My equipment is a EHEIM 2217 and normal coral life lighting a white+blue neon.

Now i wanted to go full marine one day heres a few quesions

What do i need ? i only want a fish only tank. Do i really need a UV steriliser? Do i need a protein skimmer?
Can i do less water changes full marine?
How many water changes per week?

Cost wise : is it cheaper to run a full marine tank than a brakish tank?

I would only go for 2 gsp and mayb 1 or 2 clown fish or something like that mayb even only 1 gsp and 2 or 3 other fishes.

BW is cheaper because you are using less salt.. that is a residual cost

or would 2 gsp and a columbian shark work?

A 65g is fully stocked with 2 GSPS. I would be VERY hesitant to add anything else. Columbian sharks and GSPS dont mix well. GSPS also really should go into 1.022 *Marine/Full SW* As adults. Anything you want to try with 1 gsp in the 65g go for it. If it goes missing though. You know who ate it

GSP can live perfectly fine in BW.

Lil' Swimz$ wrote:GSP can live perfectly fine in BW.

They can live in FW, It shortens there life and they wont thrive. But they can survive.
They can live in BW fine, But they seem to benefit from higher salinity.

We are born in the bays at full marine conditions, and return their throughout our lives. We can easily be harmed by maintaining too low a specific gravity in a tank as we age, but marine is acceptable to all ages.

However, your technological water circulation and purification systems for marine systems are superior, at least in combination with biological support you import from nature, hosted in reef rock. Properly balanced, half the volume of water replacement, half as frequently, are requisite given live rock and foam fractioning are used in combination.

The technology and rock are expensive initially, but can been seen as a worthwhile investment not only in providing superior water quality for less labor, but in financial returns over time; typically, approximately one-third as much seawater mix will be required to maintain water conditions.

My kind and particularly myself just love pure, clean water, if you make that your priority, we thrive, whichever way you go about it.

Yes, but in a marine tank with LR and a skimmer, you do waaaaay smaller water changes...

J-P wrote:BW is cheaper because you are using less salt.. that is a residual cost

CarmenH wrote:Yes, but in a marine tank with LR and a skimmer, you do waaaaay smaller water changes...

J-P wrote:BW is cheaper because you are using less salt.. that is a residual cost

Also true.

dont columbian sharks get humongous?? i wouldnt do it, 60 gallons is the recommended size for 2 GSP, anything added in is putting a strain on your filtration and my produce more of a bioload than can be handled

lucf20 wrote: What do i need ? i only want a fish only tank. Do i really need a UV steriliser? Do i need a protein skimmer?
Can i do less water changes full marine?
How many water changes per week?

I would recommend using live rock. A pound per gallon at minimum.
You wont need a sterilizer.
You will absolutely require a skimmer. Likely your largest investment but well worth it.
I do 10% water changes on mine once a week. You could do 20% every other week from what I understand. Its gonna vary depending who you ask. I wouldnt do less than 20% every two weeks.

J-P wrote:BW is cheaper because you are using less salt.. that is a residual cost

Gotta disagree J-P. Brackish puffers, especially gsp's are easily the most expensive to maintain in brackish water simply because of all the salt you dump down the drain during water changes.

i think he meant that for initial set up BW is cheaper because you wont need as much salt to set it up, but when you get into water changes and such full marine is cheaper than BW given the right equiment. SW is going to be expensive if you get the right equipment but a lower cost over the long run if you go all out and get all needs/possible needs to maintain top water quality