The Puffer Forum

Hey everyone setting up a tank for some GSPs tonight.. The store i am getting them from keeps them in SG of 1.008 so that is what i am going to shoot for. A couple of quick questions because i have never had a brackish tank before. Do i need to keep the salinity up for the entire cycling process? I know i should have a sandy substrate but what is everyones opinion on the best type... Sandy? Crushed Shells?

I eventually plan to turn the tank into full marine as the puffer ages

Also if there is any other info i should know please let me know

Some people say to cycle fresh and then move to brackish, from what ive read sometimes cycling at that SG can take a bit longer......Someone else with real first hand knowledge will speak up soon.


For substrate, since you are going to go full marine in the same tank, Id go with aragonite sand, it will help out keeping the PH stable, iirc

I just read from RTR that cycling at fresh or cycling at light brackish (1.003) isn't a huge difference. So it's really up to you on how you want to do it, but I definitely wouldn't suggest starting at 1.008, it'd take a bit longer.

library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/

You say "some" GSP's? Each fish requires 30 gallons bare minimum, so lets say you want to get 2, you'll need a 60+ tank.
However, it is most people's experience that a single GSP is much more personable and interactive. And some people have had the misfortune of one killing another.
Please take some time reading these if you haven't already: ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Nigroviridis/

library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/



And

Ha yes by "Some" I meant 1 i understand that they need lots of room and I want to make sure it is happy.

Sounds like I will start cycling at 1.003 or even freshwater and just increase by .002 salinity every waterchange until i get up to 1.008 or whatever the sg is at the store more towards the time i will be buying the puffer.

Also i was wondering about filtration i know everyone says that you need way more for a puffer and i have a filter that is rated for a 75 gal tank that is extra and i was wondering if that will be sufficient in filtration for this tank with a puffer?

Also wondering about live rock. Just what are everyone's thoughts on the live rock.. is it worth the effort and can it be started in brackish or what is the minimum sg i will need to have live rock

Hunter-predator puffers - such as the GSP are both extremely active high-mass fish and are sloppy eaters to boot. That translates into their being high bioload fish - just as are Oscars and other similar high mass rather sloppy fish. That translates in larger biofilters and ;arge particle-capturing for removal (mechanical filters.

Please remember that the Pufferpedia cite "minimum" water volumes. "Minimum" never means optimum, or even adequate for ease of upkeep. It means minimum and nothing else, period. To me "adequate" would be half again the minimum, and optimum would be twice or more than the minimum. If you go the recommended full marine with Live Rock and a good skimmer (I would add a 24/7 lighted macroalgae refugium as well) then twice the minum I would consider adequate. It need not be all in a single tank. A number of us prefer much of the LR and skimmer and perhaps redugium to be in a sump, maximizing swimming space in the display for the fish.

Do remember that the bioflter used in FW and BW is no longer needed with mature LR and a skimmer and refugium. With that mature set-up, water partials required are much smaller as well, so long-term and full life cycle for the fish it is actually cheaper and simpler than large scale water partials routinely.

HTH
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jjj5311 wrote:Ha yes by "Some" I meant 1 i understand that they need lots of room and I want to make sure it is happy.

Sounds like I will start cycling at 1.003 or even freshwater and just increase by .002 salinity every waterchange until i get up to 1.008 or whatever the sg is at the store more towards the time i will be buying the puffer.

Also i was wondering about filtration i know everyone says that you need way more for a puffer and i have a filter that is rated for a 75 gal tank that is extra and i was wondering if that will be sufficient in filtration for this tank with a puffer?

Also wondering about live rock. Just what are everyone's thoughts on the live rock.. is it worth the effort and can it be started in brackish or what is the minimum sg i will need to have live rock

Sounds like you know what you're doing That is exactly what I would do myself. I miss my GSP
I would start at FW and raise by .002 per WC. I tried cycling at 1.004 a couple months ago and for me at least, it took about 2 weeks longer then expected.
I didn't see you mention the size of the tank, so I can't really tell you if your filter would be enough
But, as a general rule, I like to have my filter cycle 10x the tank per hour. So, if I had a 30g for example, I would get at least a 300GPH filter. (which would prolly be a 50-75g filter depending on the manufacturer's standards). The minimum I like to use is 6x for any tank, but puffers are messy ... so 10x.
I've never tried live rock in brakish, but I wouldn't think it would last very long.
My personal opinion on live rock just depends on what other fish you might plan to add.
If you want to add a clown for example, I would certainly add coral.
But if it's just the puffer, I personally wouldn't bother with coral and I'd just use live sand.

Enjoy your new puff Thinking of adding a clown when it becomes full marine? That was my plan.
I don't really have much to add to what the others have already said.
I would go with sand, not crushed. Puffers like a soft bed
Lots of decoration for the lil guy will stop that pacing up and down the glass. Or, at least slow it down a bit.
I would recommend some mollies while you are at the brakish stage (if you have the room).
They are the only algae eater I know of that does well in brakish. Someone else might know more \ better species.

Please note that I have never kept a saltwater puffer. I have a lil experience with BW puffers and am still learning puffers in general as I go.
So far I've kept GSPs (BW) and DPs. I have researched a lot of other species but have no 1st hand experienece.

But, I have kept FW, Cichlid and Marine tanks for 20+ years.
I'm jealous I plan to get a 75g+ one day and keep a GSP with a couple clowns.

The tank is a 35 Gallon tall which is not ideal but it is all that i can fit in the space allowed.

The filter is rated at 300 something gph so i think it will be sufficient for the 35 gallon tank for now

Another question i have is the growth rate of the GSP. I have heard that they grow pretty slow about 1/2-1 inch per year.. is this true? Or does it depend more on feeding/living conditions for thier growth.

This will be my first attempt at a brackish tank so it is all new to me. Any Info that i need to know that i wont find in one of the forums? Seems unlikely but my as well ask

Is there any reason i should do decorations just like i do in my FW tank? Which is tons of plastic plants and tons of caves, decor, shelfs, etc

I plan to collect the rocks from a local river and clean and bake them to remove the unwanted junk. And hopefully be able to design somethign to keep the GSP busy... **My DP used to pace up and down but after a recent tank decor update they are happy as could be and i only see them when they run out of snails/ghost shrimp or they want me to feed them some new food**

And CyberBob thanks!!!! I saw my buddies DP and had to have one then looking at the LFS i saw the GSP and just fell in love with them they are so interactive and hilarious to watch

Do you plan to full marine for tish or hold a mid-level BW?

That would make a big difference in how you set the tank.

Calcareous substrates (aragonite, crushed coral) and calcareous rocks would likely be much better than local inert materials.

Sorry if you have answered and I missed it, but what is the footprint of the tank and how high is it? GSPs really should have a tank at least 36" long by 12" front to back.

Initially it will be low end brackish up to full marine eventually however the full marine will not be in the same tank.

The tank is 35 Gallon that is about 36 in and 12 in front to back and like 20 in tall i think it is really a different gallon tank but 35 is just what i have been calling it becuase it took 7 fulll 5 gallon buckets lol

jjj5311 wrote:Initially it will be low end brackish up to full marine eventually however the full marine will not be in the same tank.

The tank is 35 Gallon that is about 36 in and 12 in front to back and like 20 in tall i think it is really a different gallon tank but 35 is just what i have been calling it becuase it took 7 fulll 5 gallon buckets lol

that sounds like my "38g" tank. At least the measurements are the same
sounds like the filter will be enough
I've actually heard both ways as far as growth. Some say they grow fast, some say depends on environment

Brackish isn't very hard at all. It will help you get used to adding \ testing salt also. SAo, when you do go marine, it'll come naturally.
I haven't seen anything on this forum about brackish setup so far, but I'm sure it's here somewhere.
In the meantime, I like this guide:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/sh ... -by-Sploke
plastic plants and decorations will keep your puff entertained. when you go full marine, of course the decor would be much different.
But, brackish decor for the GSP is pretty much the same as FW from everything I've seen.

CyberBob wrote:

jjj5311 wrote:Initially it will be low end brackish up to full marine eventually however the full marine will not be in the same tank.

The tank is 35 Gallon that is about 36 in and 12 in front to back and like 20 in tall i think it is really a different gallon tank but 35 is just what i have been calling it becuase it took 7 fulll 5 gallon buckets lol

that sounds like my "38g" tank. At least the measurements are the same
sounds like the filter will be enough
I've actually heard both ways as far as growth. Some say they grow fast, some say depends on environment

Brackish isn't very hard at all. It will help you get used to adding \ testing salt also. SAo, when you do go marine, it'll come naturally.
I haven't seen anything on this forum about brackish setup so far, but I'm sure it's here somewhere.
In the meantime, I like this guide:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/sh ... -by-Sploke
plastic plants and decorations will keep your puff entertained. when you go full marine, of course the decor would be much different.
But, brackish decor for the GSP is pretty much the same as FW from everything I've seen.

most good but if not in ideal place stunting will occur . so get in a good tank for this fish, if slow growth maybe this isnt ideal forthe puffer