The Puffer Forum

The day before yesterday I moved my small (under an inch) GSP from a 5 gallon tank to my 20 gallon tank, he was in the 5 gal. for a little over a week staying with my snails temporarily until I moved my 20 gal cichlids in to my 55 gallon tank - I know he beat up on my snails (they are quite large snails) in the snail tank a bit but I had to get my cichlids situated. Anyway he is doing fine in 20 gal but after I took the cichlids out about three days ago - I added marine salt to the 20 gal. tank, a small amount and it got my SpG to 1.005 when using my cheap but new "Instant Ocean" hydrometer... bare with me the question is coming - So I am getting a 1.005 reading when I put tap water at roughly ambient (25 C) temperature in my hydrometer as well? So if I want to raise the level of SpG for my GSP over a long period of time and water changes how do I trust my hydrometer? Is it normal for this hydrometer to give inaccurate readings at these low levels? If I want him to slowly acclimate to a slow increase in salt will these type hydrometers work?

Second question I have is - I have only feed my cichlids dry food. Is there an easy way to feed my puffer frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms to go along with his snail diet? I tried last night to feed him frozen bloodworms, you know the ones that come packaged in several individual frozen squares and had a heck of a time - I read somewhere to defrost the individual square in a small bowl with warm water, will the chlorine in the little bit of defrost water hurt my puffer if some goes in with the food, he is at the top of the water just waiting for the bloodworms to fall in? Also the cubes are a lot of food for one small puffer so when I take a cube out I only feed him what he can eat in a few mins because his little belly gets full pretty quick - what to do with rest of defrosted food because it seems like he can only eat about 1/8 of the cube and I hate to waste his food? So how is the best way to feed him this type of food and what do I do with the rest that I don't feed him?

Thank you in advance as I am new to this site and I look forward to raising my puffer with your expertise

I suggest you get a refractometer, if you want a more accurate reading of SG. I also suggest getting calibration solution for it.
Some reading for you:
library/category/puffers-in-focus/
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/

When thawing blood worms use tank water not tap water

I'm lazy about blood worms or mysis. I just put a cube in a sandwich bag. Let it thaw, feed what I need to then put leftovers in the fridge. be Careful about letting blood worms come into contact with human food. Some are highly allergic to blood worms.

It also helps to add some vitamins to these thawed food. To me, they are awfully non nutritous..

Get a tiny tupperware bowl and use it. The durable sealable lid is great in case you drop it. Fill it partially with tank water, treat with vita-chem, and throw the cube in to thaw. That is what I do with my puffer food cubes. When done, rinse, dry, and reuse.

Thank you guys for the usefull information! - I knew there was an easy way.

Any Ideas on the Specific Gravity reading? I want the little guy to have some marine salt early on - like very little and acumulate over time but my Hydrometer is reading 1.005 for my tank water and it reads 1.005 when I measure tap water also? How will I know he really has 1.005 brackish water or not, or 1.007, 1.009 over time? Am I over thinking and over doing with the hydrometer thing now at such a young age - he's just a little guy or should I mix a little marine salt in at a time when I do tank changes and as he gets bigger slash/older then concentrate more on getting his salt levels exactly where they need to be? Am i making this to much of a science? Are the hydrometers of this type not that accurate at that low a level? I don't want to hurt the guy with diffrences of 1.005, 1.007 and such - can I?

Did you jump from freshwater to 1.005? Salinity changes should be slow, max raise/ lower of 0.092 per week or you risk killing your tanks bacteria

Are you saying that your tap water reads 1.005 when at tank temperature. Buy a bottle of distilled water, rinse the hrdrometer in the DW and then measure the specic gravity of the DW. If it still reads 1.005 you likely need a new one.

Are you on a public utility water supply?

purplecandle wrote:When thawing blood worms use tank water not tap water

I'm lazy about blood worms or mysis. I just put a cube in a sandwich bag. Let it thaw, feed what I need to then put leftovers in the fridge.

I use those little salad dressing cups with lids. I used to just use ones I got with take out food. Recently I went to Gordon Food Serv and bought a sleave of the .5 ounce cups for like 4 bucks. Now instead of buying cubes I buy a less expensive flat of bloodworms and thaw them and divide it up in the cups and re-freeze for perfect single feeding portions. I'm cheap and easy.

I also float them in a tank to thaw. In my 29g the water level is close enough to the lid that the cup doesn't move around when I close the canopy lid on it.

I buy the big flat packs and cut off suitable sized areas for my various tanks daily feeding and allow to defrost in the fridge before leaving itin the microwave to get to room temp. Works for blood worm, mysis, highly processed McKrill cubes.

Most of my puffers get thier food from local poissonniers

Be sure to rinse off the "juice", before feeding. Use a brine shrimp net.

Thank you all for the great advice, I think I got a pretty good handle on this feeding frozen stuff.
I am on the city water supply.
I have to try the distilled water thing to check my hydrometer.
Im a little worried bout moving him fresh water to 1.005 water because I did he seems to be good for a week now. My instant ocean hydrometer dosent even read that low - it goes from 1.000 to 1.004 to 1.008 to 1.010, these are the lowest reading increments. Would you suggest not adding anymore salt for a while with my weekly water changes?
Should I go to 1.007, 1.008 and so on over a longer period of time then a couple weeks or shoukd I spread it over longer periods of time? Suggestions on the rate I should raise his SpG?