The Puffer Forum

Hi

I just added my 1st fish to my newly cycled marine tank (I had it cycling with mollies 3 months)

The 1st lot came with a pair of 2.5" GSP, 1 Luna Lionfish and 1 False Clown Trigger.

They have all settled in after a quick FW dip before putting them in.

I have a doubt though:

1. Are GSPs meant for marine setups? (they are just 2.5" [body only])

2. Are they compatible with the Luna Lion & False Clown Trigger?

3. Will the 2 of them co-exist happily or will they kill each other?

4. I have a Ceylon Puffer in another specimen Brackish setup; can i add him to the marine tank with these guys?

5. What other marine stock can i add in this setup?


Regards

Shaji

Marine SHOULD be okay but they are brackish while young and go to marine LATER. I have no real experience on that but the two other fish most likely aren't compatible, but still won't kill each other, unless the puffer you get has a very violent personality. Adding a Ceylon wouldn't be the best idea so I wouldn't suggest it. Not many tank mates can live or co-exist with puffers but it all depends on it's individual attitude.

If you got the GSP's in fresh or brackish, they will need to be acclimated.... at 2.5" I'm guessing it should be fine to transition to marine, though.

I would definately not keep any puffers with a lionfish. They will pick at the long fins of the lion. How big is that tank?

My first thought as well is how big is the tank?

Yea, you need a lot of water to hold that many fish safely.

Depending on the sizes of the tanks, I'd rather see the GSP's and Ceylon together, and the lion and trigger housed in their own separate tanks. Lion's flowing (poisonous) spines are too much for most puffers/triggers to resist forever.

Hi guys... & thanks for your replies!

My tank is a 4 foot marine setup. Fish only; no live rock yet (i do plan to add a sump later)

It holds apporx 270 litres of marine water.

I got the puffers in a marine water packing.

They've got plenty of space for themselves in there. I fed them dried shrimp yesterday and the trigger and the puffers ate their fill, no issues so far, just day 2 actually!

So, should i or should I not add my Ceylon from the brackish in there with the 2 Green Spotted puffers. it's the same size.

I read somewhere that the Ceylons and the GSPs are more or less the same. is that right? and i also read that they do better in singles or odd numbers than pairs?

Does anyone else keep their GSPs in a marine on this forum? how big are they or should they be before they get into the marine setup?

who's compatible with these fellas?

I shall try to upload pics soon.

Thanx again in advance!

supershaji wrote:Hi guys... & thanks for your replies!

My tank is a 4 foot marine setup. Fish only; no live rock yet (i do plan to add a sump later)

It holds apporx 270 litres of marine water.

That's ~ 70 US gals, and is minimum your GSP's alone will need at adulthood.

They've got plenty of space for themselves in there.

Not for long!

So, should i or should I not add my Ceylon from the brackish in there with the 2 Green Spotted puffers. it's the same size.

No, the tank is far overstocked as is.

I read somewhere that the Ceylons and the GSPs are more or less the same. is that right?

No, they are different animals. Ceylons get to 8", GSP's to 6" (not including tails). Their care requirements are similar though.

Does anyone else keep their GSPs in a marine on this forum? how big are they or should they be before they get into the marine setup?

Mine are in full SW. They are just over an inch.

Whoa - you've got a fish that gets to 24" (Luna Lionfish) with a fish that gets to 14" (clown trigger) with a pair of fish that get to 6" (GSPs) each!


That's 60 cm + 35 cm + 15 cm + 15 cm.........

And your lionfish will grow so fast he'll soon be sucking down those GSPs.....if the trigger doesn't gut them first, if the lionfish doesn't spike somebody first.


Assuming nobody kills anybody else, 500 US gallons would be a bare minimum for all those fish. And the 25" / 60 cm that the Luna Lion reaches does not include his flowing fins and long spines.

I recently had to put my 14" Volitans Lion into a 90 gallon hospital tank - there wasn't much turning room.

BTW, did I mention that lionfish grow very, very fast?

By very fast I mean like 6" - 8" of growth in a year, maybe faster since the luna is a larger breed than the volitans.

I have two GSPs in full SW. I purchased them at about 1" and 1.25" in Feb 2005 and kept them in a 55 gallon tank (about 208 liters) with an 18 gallon sump. The largest GSP was about 5" and the smaller one about 4" by Feb 2006 and they continue to grow longer and much fatter each day.

The 55g tank was getting too small for two GSPs (alone) and was upgraded to a 75g this weekend. It currently houses *only* the two GSPs and there are no plans to ever add any other fish to the mix. The 75g tank is plumbed in-line with a 29g reef tank and two 18g sumps. The old 55g tank will replace one of the sumps as soon as I get around to drilling it.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I really think you should reconsider the needs of the fish that you are trying to keep. Not only is the tank too small for their current and future needs, the mix is not a good idea.

I also suggest that you do some research on cycling a tank and bioload. Three mollies helped establish a certain level of nitrifying bacteria, but certainly not enough to handle the huge increase in bioload that you have added all at once. Monitor your water parameters closely for the next couple of weeks. You will likely see a mini-cycle as the bacteria grows to handle the much larger load.

oooo-boy!

I'm already setting up an exclusive tank for the GSPs.

it'l be a 3' x 1.5' x 1.5' marine.

aren't there ANY inverts i can keep with this tank at all?

FYI: the tank was cycled using 12 adult mollies, and i removed 7 of them when i added these guys in,

2 mollies mysteriously disappeared (and i did notice the Luna's tubby a bit tight) and only ones left now.

I'l keep u guys posted though.

thanx for da info.

BTW, where can i see all ur tanks' pics... it would help me get a vague idea to set up mine

supershaji wrote:oooo-boy!

I'm already setting up an exclusive tank for the GSPs.

it'l be a 3' x 1.5' x 1.5' marine.

Any way you can go bigger now or eventually? That tank is around 50 US gals, and is cramped for 2 adult GSP's.

aren't there ANY inverts i can keep with this tank at all?

Some GSP's are more tolerant than others, but I'd say no. Maybe if you add tons of empty hermit shells, then hermits, like PP did.

FYI: the tank was cycled using 12 adult mollies, and i removed 7 of them when i added these guys in

You should try fishless cycling your new tank .

I keep hermit crabs, turbo snails, astrea snails, asterina stars, and nassaurius snails in with my GSP, he doesn't bother them a bit.

I have to ask, what sizes are each of these fish now? You'd be shocked by what fits in a lionfish's mouth.