The Puffer Forum

so i was just looking around on internet bored and found this site http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/species ... ng=English and got to thinking why does it say that adult GSPs live in freshwater streams i thought they were brackish and didnt like currents like whats found in streams?

Brackish water to full marine puffer. I made the same mistakes that alot of people do when keeping them in pure freshwater and low PH's and wondered why mine did not live long when I was feeding them food and everything I could do to make them happy. But this was way back in the early years in the hobby. Here is an article from PufferPunk made that I think it's a good one to read.

library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/

Yes, adult GSPs do swim back & forth between high-end BW to FW but since it would be very difficult to imitate that in our tanks, they are best kept in high-end BW or SW.

drj1259 wrote:so i was just looking around on internet bored and found this site http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/species ... ng=English and got to thinking why does it say that adult GSPs live in freshwater streams i thought they were brackish and didnt like currents like whats found in streams?

because they do not know anything...they are brackish/marine

well probably basing their finding on where the fish was caught.. and when the fish was caught. Most likely during spawning season (like salmon). Check the year that citation was added. Probably pre-1990's

Fishbase can be a good reference starting point but they know nothing about keeping fish in captivity.

Huge +1 to PP's latest post above.

Repeat after me: Captive housing and handling of fish is not the same thing as life in the wild. In the last analysis, never the twain shall meet.

The majority of fish in the wild do not survive to sexual maturity. The BW/SW puffers in captivity should live in excess of 10 years. Do you see a difference? Different goals and different aims, achieved in different conditions. Captive care is pragmatic - if it works we will use it. In captivity we try very hard to reduce or even hope to eliminate chance. In the wild, chance is huge factor. IMHO, any hobbyist who cannot keep any captive fish to at least sexual maturity is a failure and needs to work seriously on their care techniques. If you cannot keep captives to much more than than their wild lifespan, you are not doing it right.

We cannot yet breed most captive puffers. Once we can, our techniques will still not match wild conditions - they do not need to do so now and will not necessarily do so then. They are still more likely to be different than not.

Strangely, for 10 years I kept my old GSP in FW (I knew no better back then) he was probably only half the size he should have been, but otherwise seemed relatively healthy right up until the end. Now I know better, I have researched etc & am trying to do everything right - still didn't stop me from losing one of my two last week!! Go figure!

Probably could have gotten another 5-8 years out of him in BW.

bigfatfish wrote:Strangely, for 10 years I kept my old GSP in FW (I knew no better back then) he was probably only half the size he should have been, but otherwise seemed relatively healthy right up until the end. Now I know better, I have researched etc & am trying to do everything right - still didn't stop me from losing one of my two last week!! Go figure!

I always had them kill over in pure FW in the past. But had one healthy and looking really good in full marine until an small moray eel attacked it and the puffer died hours later from torn and deep cuts in the sides. The GSP did puff up so the moray could not swallow him but had no chance with the moray's razor sharp teeth. But that was a mistake I made and can say never trust a moray eel with anything because they will snap someday.

My first GSPs were kept in FW also (and for the same reason - I did not know any better), and with similar results - they were severely stunted, Color and activity were good, but they never grew.

RTR wrote:My first GSPs were kept in FW also (and for the same reason - I did not know any better), and with similar results - they were severely stunted, Color and activity were good, but they never grew.

Well, if through my mistakes I can learn to be as great a fishkeeper as yourself, then I will be happy!! (although I think I would prefer to learn from others mistakes, as making them yourself is not so nice!).

The stupid things you do yourself you never forget. Those lessons are quite lasting. That first GSP tank still embarrasses me - but I learned to really research fish before I buy them.

RTR wrote:My first GSPs were kept in FW also (and for the same reason - I did not know any better), and with similar results - they were severely stunted, Color and activity were good, but they never grew.

Ugh this is what made me research puffer so much...

I had a GSP, doing good, but didn't know how to properly mix saltwater... Just added straight to the tank. DUMD DUMB DUMB!

I will never forgive myself (ok, not that bad, I've moved on) but still feel rather stupid.