The Puffer Forum

So my LFS sold me 4 green spotted puffers as freshwater fish yesterday. I usually research a fish before buying & this time i didnt...really not a good idea. These are the ones i got;

ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Nigroviridis/

So i put them in my tank & i really like the fish...in fact i love them! They're probably my favourite fish that ive added to the tank so i'd love to keep them...im not even sure if i could get a refund etc.

My problem is that the water is not brackish which could cause issues when they get older i think? I aldo dont think ill be able to change to brackish either as i also have 2 pictus catfish, 2 zebra loaches, 2 chinese algae eaters & 5 mollies. I know the mollies would prefer brackish but im pretty sure the other fish could not tolerate the change?

Any suggestions on how i proceed? Is it cruel to keep the puffers as they seem happy enough? If i do keep them will a 55 (us) gallon tank be big enough? I didnt even realise they got so big when older!

I also noticed 3 out of my 5 mollies now have rips in their top fins & im pretty sure the puffers are the culprits. The mollies have been pretty agressive in the tank so i think they might have met their match when they tried it on with the puffers. Im still fairly new to the hobby so any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

No, four could not fit in a 55 gallon. Two could.

Bigger would be necessary and gsps go through brackish into full marine to get the best from them you could get a decent 5 or so foot tank out the Friday ad and run 2 tanks?

yeah id try to take 2 back and explain to them that they are really brackish fish who need full saltwater as adults... only if you can keep the other 2 in an aquarium of their own as i wouldnt trust them with other fish.

Thanks for the help. Im going to try & return 2 tonight & see how the other 2 get on.

I leave my lights on overnight which may have stressed them but of the other 9 fish i have 5 have definately been bitten. They seem ok though so im hoping it was just the stress of the new environment.

Think i might consider getting a 2nd smaller tank but i dont have the room at the moment. That would give me the option to change my main tank to brackish or even marine as i have a protein skimmer thats not in use. Thanks again.

The other fish will most likely keep being attacked so beware

Unless you want all mollies and possibly all your other fish to be attacked you really need to get them moved.

Like you said not all your fish can handle the salt so you need set up another tank. You need a 60 gallon, at least, marine salt, new filter, heater, Aragonite sand, loads of decor to break up lines of sight, Prime conditioner works best for puffers, liquid water testing kit, hydrometer, and that's just the basics for brackish water. When they move to marine you're going to need loads of liverock 1-2 pounds per gallon, so at least 60 pounds, but more is better.

Also when you set up the new tank you need to move your filter media from your established tank to the new one because the tank will need to be cycled. Puffers cannot be introduced to an uncycled tank. Only raise your salinity up by .002 a week or else you will kill off your bacteria.

However you shouldn't let any of this turn you away from it. If you can give them the care they need they're very fun and personable to own.

Be sure to read and study lots and lots on here. There's tons of information that will help you.

Good luck and have fun

I would reurn all of them. You should not house them with other fish. They need high-end BW. They need a minimum of 30g ea. Wait until you can fulfill ALL those requirements.

I think you're right & it probably isnt fair on the puffers or my other fish if i keep them together.

I'll enquire about returning them all tonight & i can re-consider my options later on. Like the sea there's plenty of other fish in my LFS. At the moment I definately dont have room for a 2nd large tank but i can start thinking about it.

Do i have any options for freshwater puffers in a community or are most of them semi agressive?

Im also going to mention to my LFS that their description's need a little work. For the GSP's it said 'likes meaty food, may nip at the fins of fish with large tails'. Not exactly accurate since my moliies/loaches have pretty normal fins, no mention of brackish water requirements & no mention of how big they could get! Someone is getting an earful tonight lol.

They're all aggressive. When you have a puffer you don't need any more fish.

You are welcome to print my GSP article from our Library.

You need to shut the lights off at night, fish need to have night and day too.

+1 to Sevenyearnights post about the light. My fish get a slightly longer diurnal cycle than in the wild, but the only tank that should ever be lighted constantly is a refugium.

+1 to both sevenyearnight's and Purifire's comments.

The exact timing on the light/dark cycles is a matter of personal choice and utility. But most critters do need a regular and repeated light cycle. Timers are cheap and fairly reliable.

Tanks not in direct bright natural light may have their schedules set for you convenience and your own schedule. A regular day/night cycle has been standard for my tank for decades. Animals and plants both do best with regular cycles. As most of our wet pets are tropical, seasonal variation is not of great importance to them.

HTH