The Puffer Forum

I am in the process of cycling a tank that was purchased with the intention of housing a single GSP for life. The tank is the Fluval Flex 32.5 (123L). It is the Freshwater version and currently cycled as a FW tank. I also have the 15 Gallon version next to it cycling to grow snails (Ramshorns) as well as to learn growing live plants.

After reading lots of the posts on this forum and the rest of the internet, it seems that transitioning to full saltwater/marine in adulthood is common practice. I have also read through the long thread about starting off GSPs in SW right away via drip acclimation. I have never done SW before but am 100% willing to try it out.

There are 2 LFS near me with GSPs but housed very differently. One has very small GSPs (1in) in Freshwater, the other has larger ones (1.5in-2in) being housed in SW already. Both stores have told me I could have 3/4 GSPs in my 30 Gallon tank, which from the research I have done, seems way off. My intention is to have the single GSP in the tank with no tankmates. I am not opposed to having tankmates, I have just read that it stresses the puffer, puts the other fish at risk and also recognize that 30g is already on the small side for a full size puffer.

Here are the questions I am trying to answer to determine the best path forward. I am trying to make sure the puffer has a happy life in a tank they can thrive in.

- Is the 32g Flex large enough to house a singe GSP once full grown? Link to tank: https://fluvalaquatics.com/us/flex-32/
- Is converting from FW to BW to SW difficult in a single tank? (The addition of LR once salinity has been raised enough, removal of old decor, addition of Protein Skimmer)
- Would starting full marine with drip acclimation be a better process? (I would purchase the protein skimmer, Fluval Marine light and LR to convert)
- The tank is currently setup with aragonite sand, should this be switched to live sand if I am converting to SW?
- Is there any benefits to BW over SW? It seems that SW has a larger expense up from but easier maintenance in the long run? Maybe I am misunderstanding this part.

Thank you for your time in advanced. A mixture of bad info from LFS's and my own lack of research lead to me losing quite a few African Cichlids when I first got started and I am trying my best to avoid any mistakes with the GSP. I am finding in this hobby, there is lots of contradictory information out there and it's difficult to determine what is fact and what is opinion/anecdotal.

You are correct that salt water has a higher initial setup but much easier future maintenance as you would only need to do 1/3 water changes a month. With the amount of live rock you would need in a 30-gallon tank, there may not be much swimming room left for your fish. 1 would be happier in a 55-gallon. Have you considered figure eights instead?

After reading your reply and doing some more research. I think a single F8 might be the best bet. The conversion to SW sounds like fun but I agree a bigger tank would be better long term and I don't want to "expect" that I will be upgrading in the future (though I have been really digging the AIO Saltwater Tanks lol).

I was drawn to the GSPs because I have heard about how great their personalities are and fell in love with the idea. I just never looked into F8s other than reading that they were a smaller variant. It sounds like they are very similar in personality and bonding with the owner, just less aggressive and smaller. I bought this tank to sit near my work desk as I am now permanently remote and thought they would make a fun work companion (or distraction ).

Any tips on decor? I have a large piece of spiderwood I was planning on using in tank but have read that it can bring down PH and that the F8s like a higher PH. Would something like Texas Holey Rock be a better idea? I was thinking that and some Java Fern. I've read they like to have planted tanks and I don't "love" the look of artificial plants.

Thank you for your help and everything you do on the forum. I see your name everywhere!

Sounds great! You actually could keep more than just the one puffer in there. I don't think mopani wood leeches like regular driftwood. It should be all right.