Bored GSP: saltwater tankmates?

[goby1kenobi]

Random the GSP is about 5" long and in a 55g FOWLR. (New tank.) We're getting the impression that he's bored and might appreciate some playmates.

What are some realistic options for sw tankmates for a GSP? Maybe a couple of the smaller damsels?

I'm thinking ocellaris clowns might not be aggressive enough, and several of the more aggressive clown species get sufficiently large that I'm concerned about the eventual bioload they'd add. Am I wrong about this?

[RTR]

NIMFT. Clowns and puffers do not play well together.

Do you have good current in the tank?

Is it a visually complex and yet fully explorable setup?

[weidjd]

Random the GSP is about 5" long and in a 55g FOWLR. (New tank.) We're getting the impression that he's bored and might appreciate some playmates.

What are some realistic options for sw tankmates for a GSP? Maybe a couple of the smaller damsels?

I'm thinking ocellaris clowns might not be aggressive enough, and several of the more aggressive clown species get sufficiently large that I'm concerned about the eventual bioload they'd add. Am I wrong about this?

Have you had him with other fish? Damsels and Clowns are what I have been told. Also do not get a maroon clown, they can be very aggressive.

[goby1kenobi]

NIMFT. Clowns and puffers do not play well together.

Do you have good current in the tank?

Is it a visually complex and yet fully explorable setup?

"NIMFT"? I'm not surprised about clowns & puffers -- had a gut feeling it wasn't a great combo; thanks for confirming that.

Right now I've got a MaxiJet 1200 plus the power filter. I have a CPR BakPak that could be added. (When I tried it previously, it didn't skim out very much stuff, but it definitely added to the water flow.) I am planning on setting up a dual BRS reactor for phosphate removal, which would also add a bit of current. If that's insufficient, I can add more.

Visually complexity is probably sub-optimal. At the moment, I have about 45 lbs of live rock in there. It's more or less in the middle of the tank, both front-to-back and end-to-end. I think I see a few spots of coralline developing, but it's otherwise pretty grey. Suggestions for improving the visual complexity would be welcome.

Explorable? Looking at the live rock again, I'm thinking I need to rearrange it; while the puff can swim behind part of it, the spaces between the pieces aren't large enough for him.

Have you had him with other fish? Damsels and Clowns are what I have been told. Also do not get a maroon clown, they can be very aggressive.

He's not been with other fish for a long time. I have no desire to get a maroon clown until I have a >200g aggressive tank, and that's way, way down on my list of tanks to set up.

[Pufferpunk]

I had success with a tomato clown but I like the blue, yellow-tailed damsels, too.

[RTR]

Sorry, "NIMFT" = Not In My Fish Tanks!

You get the idea of visual complexity. The puff needs to be able to swim/helicopter around, between, and behind all possible objects or piles. Walls are boring (to puffers and people) other than in Rift Lake Cichlid tanks. The ability to explore fully is irresistible to hunter-predator puffers - the are always hungry, even when their bellies are full, so they will get more exercise (as they do in the wild) searching even when not in need of food. Exercise and the visual challenge is critical for these beasts long-term IMHO & IME (= In my humble opinion & In my experience). Most captive puffers are somewhat to grossly obese, which seriously shortens their lives akin to desk bound office workers who are inactive outside of work. Current and visual complexity in sufficiently large tanks gives the fish, if not wild levels of effort to spend, at least enough exercise to stay fit in the face of no need to work for their food. Your tank is large enough, the current sounds good, all you need is the visual complexity.

[Pufferpunk]

You get the idea of visual complexity. :

[Black Widow]

I would suggest a Niger Trigger - Odonus Niger, or maybe an angel fish / tang

[Pufferpunk]

It does all depend on how aggressive the puffer is, too.

[El Scorpio]

GSP's are curious little critters and are constantly exploring their environment. Give him a complex environment worth exploring and he'll stay entertained.

[sevenyearnight]

Definitely a huge +1 to walls being boring. Make sure you build caves and swim-throughs he can fit through. I see a lot of tanks set up with a rock wall, bored fish pacing in front of it.
My tank is far from visually appealing to human eyes, but Balki likes searching in the caves and sifting through the sand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE7jKyTO ... ata_player

[sevenyearnight]

Also +1 dependant on the puffer's temperment. An aggressive puffer will kill anything, and then some honestly don't prefer being alone. It is a huge risk, if you get something too aggressive and your puffer is timid, that fish could hurt your puffer. Or they could get along seemingly, then one day one might turn on the other.
I set up a 10 gallon quarantine tank right beside Balki's tank, acclimated a molly to saltwater. He watched him, but showed no hostility, so one day, carefully monitored, I added the molly.
That went well for about a month, then I got paranoid that Balki was going to attack him out of the blue, and thought maybe the molly may even be annoying to him, although he never pesters him, he just minds his business and grazes. So, I foolishly took Orangjello out one night, and Balki paced the whole next day, like a mad man. So I put Orangjello back in, and he stopped pacing, and continued his normal behavior of hunting for pods while Orangjello grazes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnSIOs5h ... ata_player

[goby1kenobi]

Okay, sounds like it's time to get some new sewer pipe pieces and make a puffer habitrail again. (His old sewer pipe pieces got rather algaefied, and I'm loath to introduce algae to the tank.)

Then we'll see if he still seems bored after a couple of days. Thanks for the suggestions -- I was also looking at that yellow-tailed blue damsel as a likely candidate. But if the tank rearrangement works, I'll skip the extra fish.

[goby1kenobi]

The puffertrail is completed and he's exploring the pipes and new rock layout.

[xrayjeeper83]

pics