The Puffer Forum

I just got one a few days ago,he was in fresh water at the LFS. I have him in a cycled 55 gallon alone with a ac500 FW tank. I just ordered a power head and got some salt. How long should he stay in fresh water? he is about 1-1/2" right now?
Also,i have play sand in all my tanks and it seems to work very well(FW&planted),will this be a problem for BW and SW fish only? If so,how am i to change it out? should i do it before i start adding salt?
I know this is alot of asking but I'm really wanting to make this work.
thanks for any help

Welcome to The Puffer Forum!

GSPs don't need sand because they do not bury themselves in it, but if you're used to maintaining sand, go for it. Some people feel it is a PITA to have sand in a tank when you don't need to, but hey, I do myself and I like the looks of it!

If your question is whether or not the sand is safe, I know many people have used play sand in both reefs and FW tanks with no problem. If you have used the same type of sand in your other tanks for long periods of time without any issues, then I don't think you should be worried. What brand did you use? I know "South Down" and "Yard Right" Tropical Play Sands are used by many reefers, but the particle size is pretty small on those so it will be more of a pain to clean.

As for the salt, I would start raising the salinity now, by .002 SG a week. You'll need marine salt and either a hydrometer or a refractometer to measure how much you need to add (if you already know all of this then just ignore me! ). If you go with a hydrometer be sure to get one that measures below 1.010 so you can gage how much salt you're adding in the following weeks until you get your puff to the proper levels. Juvie GSPs need about 1.008-1.010 SG. Once he's about 4" or so you can start working him up to full marine conditions.

Let us know if you have any more questions! Congrats on your new puff!!! Your set-up sounds like it's going to be great!

thank you. thats what i need to know.

ok let me ask this? All i have been feeding him is these Prawn shrimp. Well,it looks more like a frozen slushy then anything. Smells like clams , and he has been eating it just fine. I feed him once in morning a little pinch and once at dinner a little pinch. Im saying little meening just about what would fit in his little mouth. Well, yesterday i got him some frozen krill,and the first one he ate right up. Not i cant seem to get him to eat it. He bites at it,but spits it right out.
At this size, what else can i try to feed him to crunch on. I realy dont have acksess to snails that small and the wife wont let me raise them my self(a kricket problem i started)
thanks for any help...

The main staple I use for mine is frozen shell-on shrimp from the grocery store. I just stick it in the tank with a food clip.

oh really? just like the frozen shrimp we eat? i was thinking that they cote it with a salt solution of some sort. well cool then. Ill just give him some of that. thanks

Get the kind with no additives. Just read the ingredients. There's a great article on foods on the main page here.

I just let mine have a go at a shrimp and its pretty fun to watch. I stuck it on a chopstick but many ppl use skewers.