The Puffer Forum

I have been given the ok to set up a 36-40 gallon marine tank for a GSP!! Yay!

OMG side note: this is an addiction....


Please feel free to leave advice for set up, equipment and anything else you can think of 'cause I'm sure I am going to be full of questions! It won't happen right away, but it will eventually!

addicting is an understatement lol, I started with a single 5 gallon.

Ive already given you my 2cents.

So good luck on getting it all up and running

xrayjeeper83 wrote:addicting is an understatement lol, I started with a single 5 gallon.

Ive already given you my 2cents.

So good luck on getting it all up and running

Thanks! What brands of power-heads do you think? Was is Puffdaddy who lost his GSP after putting it in the 80 gallon =( also going to save up on a cannister this time. Fluval or Eheim? Sorry-- I am going to be full of questions.

No need for a canister. You cant run any filter material in it anyways cause it could cause nitrate(iirc) spikes. The only reason I have one is cause I had one laying around. I run it empty and use it only for water movement. I will be getting another hydor 400 to replace the canister

As for brand Hydor is a great brand and in a 36-40 gallon I think 2 Hydor 550's would be good

xrayjeeper83 wrote:No need for a canister. You cant run any filter material in it anyways cause it could cause nitrate(iirc) spikes. The only reason I have one is cause I had one laying around. I run it empty and use it only for water movement. I will be getting another hydor 400 to replace the canister

As for brand Hydor is a great brand and in a 36-40 gallon I think 2 Hydor 550's would be good

Ah. I learned something new: I had no idea that I didn't need a filter. Mind if I ask why that is? This bears looking into more....hrrmmm

+1 except for the circulation pumps; 2 Hydor 550 would be a hurricane, those dudes are fierce. Go with a couple nano sized ones, or anything circulation pump rated at or under 500 gph. I made that mistake and had to sell and buy 2 smaller ones.
I suggest getting a 40 gallon breeder. This is one of the readily available sizes that for some reason claims to hold less than it actually does, instead of the other way around. If you run the dimensions through the gallons calculator, (L X W X H) divided by 231, it holds about 45, where a standard 55 actually holds about 47 gallons.

.

The reason you don't want to use freshwater filter media is because in marine, the liverock (1.5 - 2 lbs per gallon) is your biological filtration. This is pretty much required, it would be rather crazy to set up a marine tank with no or an insufficient amount of liverock. Freshwater filter media just builds up nitrates quickly, my guess is it houses different bacteria than the liverock, that isn't as efficient at breaking down nitrates. Just my guess.
It's kind of $$$ to set up, but it can be pretty simple to set up a FOWLR tank.

Yes I did lose a GSP due to a powerhead miss-hap. +1 to seven for circulation pumps and LR. That's the way to go if you want to set up a marine tank for your GSP. LR is expensive from LFS's so what I did was look on CL and I found good LR for 300 per/LB and 1.75 per/LB. Be sure to do some reading on LR if you haven't already so you can properly care for it before you put it in your DT. Too bad you're not in socal, I'm getting rid of my 80 gallon set up.

Seven you really think 550 is to much, I have a 400 in my 20 and its not bad at all. I plan on adding another 400 and removing my canister

I do think 2 550's in a <50 gallon is too much flow.
I have 2 pumps rated at 500 gph in that 55, and I had to really tweek the angles, and Balki still has a little trouble navigating certain areas and spends most of his time in the spot that has the least current.

I will definitely look into a breeder, the problem is is space: I have a smallish section of wall that I can use so in the end, the wall space will determine what tank I ultimately get (unfortunately at this point in time).

Definitely plan on getting LR. And that brings me to another question: is glass or acrylic better? I was looking at several acrylic tanks, and they are advertised as stronger, but I don't know much about it.

And Puffpady, sorry, didn't mean to reopen the wound: I just remembered that you had mentioned taking an Aquaclear (I think) powerhead back so I just wanted to make sure. Also, I wish I lived closer, but a 6 hour drive is a bit long for me = / And I think that if I brought an 80 gallon into the apartment, my apt. office would have kittens

Thanks guys for all the input! My bf is really excited: as long as he doesn't take care of them he likes them LOL but boy, this has become quite the hobby. I don't think I can even get something bigger than a GSP, but it's fun to think about ^.^

acrylic is stronger and there for more money.

If you get a hydor or something similar you dont have to worry about your puffer getting stuck to it.



Thats interesting Seven, Bacon tends to stay right in front of my powerhead lol

Acrylic is stronger, but it's also more expensive. A breeder is 36" long, so hopefully you will have that space because anything less really isn't appropriate for a gsp, they are super active!

Maybe, just *maybe*, Balki is a weenie.

sevenyearnight wrote:Acrylic is stronger, but it's also more expensive. A breeder is 36" long, so hopefully you will have that space because anything less really isn't appropriate for a gsp, they are super active!

Well, the 36 inches is pushing it, but I just realized that I can move my baker's shelf to give me some wiggle room. Looks like a 40 gallon breeder it is! LoL do they make stands for those puppies? Now that I know what I am going to get....I have to go ask for a copy of my lease.../gulp