The Puffer Forum

I realize the standard recommended tank size for an adult GSP is 55 gallons(ish). I've heard of people getting away with 20 gallons for younger ones that are still small.

My question is WHY? And I mean specifically why. I get size to move around.

Clearly keeping the tank chemically healthy is important. But water changes, good filtration, health bacteria colonies, plants, etc should generally keep that in check. Maybe that wouldn't be enough for a big puffer in a small tank, but for the sake of argument, lets say you could keep the tank water chemically perfect at any size.

And then there's the argument of puffer enrichment. Clearly a bigger tank with more stuff = more interesting. But to what degree do you really need to go to make him "happy"? Especially if he has a friend (think another GSP, not some poor future-meal), well planted, maybe you toss him some live food to rip apart, is in a active part of the house, etc.

Say you take care of those two things. What else makes it important to have a large tank? Fish is happy, water is healthy. What else?

And maybe it really is impossible to maintain tank health in something smaller than a 55g for an adult puffer (likely), but humor me, what other specific factors are there?

55?
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30 is the minimum, 55 is a nice large house with room to breathe.

With larger housing you have have higher water quality. Puffers produce "X" amount of waste. That "x" is either multiplied in a smaller environment or divided in a larger environment.

Of course there are other factors at play.

As a guide (my own personal one and not to be confused with any scientific fact). Make a fist and put that in a tank. That is your GSP (at adult size). In a 20g there isn't much room left to swim. In a 30g there is more. In a 55 there is a lot.

I have a feeling they are talking about the over all foot print of the tank vs dimensions.

kit-kat wrote: Say you take care of those two things. What else makes it important to have a large tank?

There are also things called Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and hormones(that we can't test for).

I forgot to mention those 2 points in my previous post.

Good responses, J-P!

For one thing, we can't use plants with GSPs, as we don't have any high BW plants in cultivation. If you go full marine, you can do a macroalgae 24/7 lighted refugium which will me helpful if sufficiently large and well-operated.

For anther thing - already pointed out by others with some difference in emphasis - hunter-predator puffers need roomy visually complex environments to get and maintain proper body configuration via exploration through swimming/exercise. To be blunt, it depresses me to see all the overweight puffers so frequently pictured here. If they were housed in more spacious and visually stimulating, varied current housing, they might have a better chance at a longer and healthier life. Too many captive puffers mimic the modern American lifestyle - too much food and too little physical activity. No matter how perfect your tank and water maintenance is, if your captive puff gets no or too little exercise, it is not going to do as well as it could and should...

The cost difference between setting 15-20 gallon setup and a 30-40-55 gallon setup is trivial spread over the 15-20 year life of the fish. The operating cost will be larger with the larger tanks, but if that is too great, why did you get the fish to begin with? I'd rather keep an F-8 well for its full captive lifespan (okay in a 15 and great in a 20-long) than a GSP poorly and cramped for half that time.

I simply cannot understand the choices so many people make on pets generally. We know a good bit about keeping many puffers in captivity (much less about breeding them , but we are still learning), but it still gets ignored.

+1 to RTR's comments

I recently re homed some of my GSPs so that I could afford to upgrade and care for two of my larger GSPs. I kept all of my GSPs 2 to a 55 gallon...and that really just is not enough room.

Since that opened up 2 55's for me, I thought about putting my remaining two into their own 55 gallons..but even then I do not think it is enough room.

So I am just going to keep them together in the 55 they are in and then upgrade to 75+ around tax time.

Bioload and not wanting to stunt a fish are the biggest reasons to keep GSPs in larger tanks..

But, In my mind the biggest reason is their attitude and intelligence. They NEED territory and lots of it..and they NEED lots of swimming room. A smaller tank is just not good for them psychologically.

Thanks for the responses. I was just looking for some reasons other than the generic ones (I knew there had to be some). Very interesting about the physiology and how they need the larger space for exercise, I imagine that would matter a lot. I certainly agree with you guys overall (bigger tank = better) I was just looking for some more opinions on why. Which you've given me, so thanks!

The same reasons hold for a wide variety of fish, not just puffers. Good stable water conditions- appropriate to the fish in captivity (which may or may not be what they have in the wild); nutritious and non-boring foods also appropriate to the wet pet; space and appropriate current for exercise; and stable upkeep practices are all important to keep wet pets healthy and long-lived.