The Puffer Forum

Hi Folks, I have a 2.5" GSP named Lucy. I set up a 16 gallon brackish bowfront 16 gallon tank several months ago, before I really started delving into details on this great forum. At my LFS their GSPs are in brackish sg 1.008 so I cycled my tank with that sg. After 3 months of cycling I went back to the store to select one GSP. There were several small GSP in the tank and they looked great. While I was looking at them, from inside a cave, I saw a pitiful face of a little larger puffer, about 2". She came out to greet me, and she was immediately attacked by the others; she was skinny/bony, little to no tail fin, bites out of her; color looked poor. I spoke to my friend, the owner, and she was horrified to see that the puffer had "slipped through the cracks" and she didn't notice her. (She has quarantine and sick tanks). She said, if you can get it out, you can have it. See what you can do with it. So I brought Lucy home, fed her (I had prepurchased a vast array of frozen foods and had set up a snail tank) She was really beat up, but she fattened up, healed up and is doing great. I treated her for parasites as this site recommended. Her coloring is beautiful and she has grown. Should have taken a "before" picture:) I gradually bumped up the sg to 1.011. Now after the intro and background, a few questions. I intend to set up a tank for her:
40 gallon Aqueon with glass versa top - 36" long, 18" wide, 17" tall. I want to go full marine. Just purchased an AquaC Remora Protein skimmer with Maxi Jet 1200 pro pump
Intended purchases: Caribsea Aragamax Oolite white sand (sugar grain size)
1. I plan to cycle this tank with live rock, how many lbs. do I need?
2. Ideal sg for GSP/live rock?
3. Do I need a Koralia powerhead or can I just use a HOB filter without media? While the tank is cycling, should I have floss/carbon in the HOB filter?
4. Can I use the Aqueon bulb that is already in the light strip- 120V T-8 8,000K Full spectrum daylight or is there something better?
There will be only live rock and Lucy, I know better than to trust her with any other living creature; she eats everything- frozen, raw fresh seafood, snails 2-3x a
week, spirulina flakes.
Any suggestions on what else I might need for Lucy? Sorry this post is so long, but I want the best for my Lucy!

I don't know anything about salt water but I like everything you've done so far.

I have my SG at 1.024/1.025 and my GSP seems perfectly happy, I've never seen a black belly on him. 40-60 lbs of LR should be fine the rule is generally 1-1.75 per gallon. You should get the koralia's they push the water into and through your LR which is how the LR is able to filter the water. I ditched my HOB filter so there was less stuff in the tank. Lights are not all that important in a FOWLR tank but more usually looks better. I have a couple of t8 bulbs that I am going to put over my new 45gal, but I am also going to buy over time some BOOST LED Par 30 bulbs to replace them with. I have several hermit crabs in the tank and a yellow tail damsel, they all seem to be getting along well. I wouldn't put any thing expensive in there though.

Unless you are keeping corals, a SG of 1.020 is fine. Why waste the $alt?

+1
1.020 is fine for puffer only with live rock.

Thank you all very much for the nice greetings and advice. sg at 1.120 sounds OK, as I am not keeping coral. I am not sure about any other tankmates; I know how fierce Lucy can be. I think she would figure out a way to eat everybody! But then the sg would have to be higher to support other marine fish? As to the Koralia powerheads...would 2 nanos, one on the "left"side of the tank at top and the other at the "right" side toward the bottom be OK? Not too low, as I don't want to create a sandstorm. P.S. Lucy had squid today, I had a Spam sandwich...good grief

Sounds like a life of solitary confinement & gourmet meals is in her future!

correction-typo-make that sg of 1.020!!!! Yikes

The position of the Koralias are up to you and what is best for your tank. It may take about a week or so to find the perfect positioning.

I'm going to try to add coral in the near future, which is why i keep the 1.025 SG, forgot that the FOWLR requirements are lower.

watch out as Lucy may eat the corals

Thanks for the advice! You may be right about Lucy eating corals; I have a small statue of Buddha in her tank and she frequently tries to bite off his toes!!!