The Puffer Forum

My Saltwater tank has been assembled, cycled, fallow for a while, and finally populated.

After two full days of living in pure terror my GSP is finally acting normal and settling into its new home. I didn't have much of a acclimatization to do since there was only a 0.004 difference in SG between the two tanks. I think the new LED light system seriously weirded it out. It is way brighter than before.

I will say that, the GSPs color has dramatically improved since entering its new home. Aside from the money I spend on it, it is wildly amusing to see it actively hunt my clean up crew. It is nice seeing the change in personality from upgrading to a larger swimming space.

I just instantly regretted choosing a blue background. Next water change I'm going to peel it off and paint it black.

Black may darken the puffer. Why not blue?

Perhaps. The problem is, my equipment is black and sticks out like a sore thumb. It would also blend in with the space around it better if it were black.

My GSPs 40 long mixed reef is the only tank I took the time to paint the back black. Best one out of the bunch. Definitely makes all of my equipment less noticeable. Several coats of indoor semi gloss with a small roller did the trick.

I'm still working out the logistics of that. The problem is...the tank weighs 400+lbs...the stand weighs around 80-90lbs because for some reason I built strong enough to support my Jeep...it is tucked into a small space...etc. etc. etc.

I wish I had planned better. It has a blue removable background on it at the moment. That is the only thing I'm not happy about with this set up.

It is remarkable how different the behavior has been in the last week. A little more room to swim brings out a lot more personality. I also lost 3 more dwarf cerinths yesterday. the funny part about it is that the GSP hovers above the snail for a few seconds while staring me down as if "look, look what I'm about to do". Then slams the thing. Oh well, I knew going into it that everything was food.

I, too, have a black background on all of my five aquariums for the same reasons. Without out, the equipment would stick out like a sore thumb, and I actually like how black adds to the depth of the tank.

Haven't attempted painting a tank in place yet. It should be doable though. How much clearance do you have behind the tank as it stands now?

Enough I suppose. 5"? 6"? Ply wife may not like me hitting the wall behind it but, it will be hidden for a long time.

Quick update. The tank is still doing well. The GSP...he's weird. 90% of the time he hides in the live rock. The other 10% is feeding time. So now I have a tank that looks like it has no occupants. Heh. What a weirdo. Anyone experience similar behavior?

Mine always tries to get my attention but my cardinal tetras are the complete opposite the second i walk in the room they hide. With the paint you can tape up a masking sheet or drop cloth on the wall. It will be tight but i think its do-able.

Just curious whether you ever repainted the background. I overloooked that & wondering whether I should bother. Would love to see a picture of your tank

I never bothered, actually. I still plan on it just haven't gotten around to it.

Hillehaus wrote:I also lost 3 more dwarf cerinths yesterday. the funny part about it is that the GSP hovers above the snail for a few seconds while staring me down as if "look, look what I'm about to do". Then slams the thing. Oh well, I knew going into it that everything was food.

Something good I have done with hermit crabs and snails is I litter the tank with empty shells for a while. This will "confuse" the puffers to the point where they wont check anymore. (at least in my experience with my GSP's) I then added a couple snails and about a half dozen hermit crabs and I have only lost maybe one over the past couple years.

Hmmm... wonder where you got that idea!

Pufferpunk wrote:Hmmm... wonder where you got that idea!

hahaha Guess I am busted.