The Puffer Forum

Hello,

I have a brackish set up which houses gsp's with a general filter and heater.
I'm looking to change them over to a marine set up with a baby porcupine puffer, i will be giving the tank lots of time to mature with just my gsp's, but as im going to be starting it from scratch as sorts, i would like some info on all the equipment and needs to house a porcupine in the future.
I've been looking around at sutiable filters, skimmers etc... but im a bit lost, what makes and sizes would work well for a porcupine with live rock.
Any help would be much appreciated.

Hi eye_heart_puffers and welcome to The Puffer Forum. How many GSP's do you have now and what type of setup are they in? Housing puffers together is not recommended unless a backup tank or plan is at the ready, you just never know if they are going to get along. Porc's need a min. of 120 gallons ( 455 Litres) alone and gsp's need min. of 30 gallons (114 litres) each, bigger is always better this is the bare minimum. Are you able to acommodate that size of tank? A lot of people start with the plan to upgrade as they grow but this is also not suggested as life gets in the way and stunning can easily occurer. Better to start out with their proper size tank, easier for you and the puffer.

porcupine puffers get rather large so a big tank. not too sure on marine but someone more qualified will be around soon. dont think porkies and gsp will mix though

hello and welcome! generally mixing puffers isnt a good idea, there are a very few combos that have worked out but they dont turn out well for the most part. what size tank do you have currently? GSP's require at least 30 gallons each but a porc is at least 120. sorry to say but i recommend and i would be willing to be most people here would say your going to have to choose between the two types, or keep them separate if you really want both types
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Nigroviridis/
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Marine/D_Holocanthus/

in saltwater, live rock is your filtration. it houses all types of little creatures that help convert ammonia to nitrite, then nitrite to nitrate. basically you need 1-2 pounds per gallon for optimum filtration and also plenty of circulation. saltwater isnt cheap for the set up but it is probably most rewarding. protein skimmers are recommended, and of course with any aquarium the bigger you can go gallon wise, the better. the more water you have the less likely any small changes will throw your tank into a re-cycle or cause major issues. a lot of people do sumps but there are also people who have hang on the back protein skimmers with no sump, just live rock and circulation. i will let this suit for now and i will try to find some older links/articles i read to help me along a little bit. it seems like a lot, but just take your brackish to marine conversion slow while you read more and you will get the jist of it

i searched around for some of my old posts with questions on when i was converting from fresh-brackish-marine but i cant find anything... i will keep looking but other people have links a little more readily available than i do. hopefully they will come by and link

Thank you very much for all your help, have 4 gsp and one figure 8, in a 450l, they get on well and are getting larger, will i need to upgrade when they reach adult size?
I have heard a lot about not mixing puffers and decided to go for a tank just for my porcupine, i have a list of everything i need, and also that the tank needs to mature, anyone know for how long? i am looking to add live rock.
The main thing i need is some help on good filters, skimmers etc for salt water as i have never kept marine before. I've been looking around and im so confused by all the brands? is it like freshwater as the bigger the filter you get the better? and do you get skimmers and powerheads that are exactly for the tank size?
many thanks
lisa

Oh i also want to set the aquarium up so that it will be more than adaquate for life.

You need to move that F8 to another tank and put him in low BW, some where around 1.005

the 4 GSP in the 450l(which is about 120g) is perfectly fine till adulthood

i think im going to keep that tank as it is and go for a completly new set up for my porcupine as the figure 8 is very happy with my gsp.

for now, as said in your other thread, the F8 wont be 100% in that high of SG. They really need to be in separate tanks.

On the other hand, id love to see another porc

Ok so new plan, 2 new sets up's but i'll do anything to make my babies happy and healthy! Any advice on if the figure 8 will be ok alone or should i get him some friends?

They are usually just fine alone, but if set up a 25g or so for him you could add some bumblebee gobys(bbg's) for some tank mates if you want tank mates

Glad to see your willing to make changes to keep them happy, and sorry if we come across strong. We are just very passionate about our puffers

You didn't come on strong at all, i'm very glad to have advice i can trust, most people don't know anything when it comes to puffers!