The Puffer Forum

Well I am new here and new to owning puffers, so I am going to put some pics up and see if anyone can tell me if this is a green spotted or congo spotted puffer.

That would be a Green Spotted Puffer, AKA Tetraodon nigroviridis.

See here for more information: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug. ... itemId=341

Especially check out the linked articles on their proper care.

BTW,

Phaedrus wrote:That would be a Green Spotted Puffer, AKA Tetraodon nigroviridis.

See here for more information: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug. ... itemId=341

Especially check out the linked articles on their proper care.

BTW,

I was afraid of this because it was sold to me in freshwater and is currently in freshwater, it is doing just fine and looks great. How can I make sure this is green spotted and not a congo (which is freshwater)...i want to be absolutely sure. and if it is indeed a green spotted I will need help with setting up a marine like tank. all help is much appreciated and thanx for the welcome.

Welcome Strike2

It's definitely a GSP. Congo Puffers look very different. See pics of T.Miurius in the PufferPedia.
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug. ... itemId=271

Oh and Welcome Bud

Alright, thank you guys, now I just have to figure out what I am going to do about chaning over to brackish and I guess eventually full marine.

I think strike2 was talking about a T. schoutedeni.

Fahakaman wrote:I think strike2 was talking about a T. schoutedeni.

Probably...but this fish is doing well in freshwater...thats the only reason I question it not being a GSP.

Fahakaman wrote:I think strike2 was talking about a T. schoutedeni.

On reflection that would make much more sense, lol.

Hilly wrote:

Fahakaman wrote:I think strike2 was talking about a T. schoutedeni.

On reflection that would make much more sense, lol.

Well is it possible that this is a T. schoutedeni?

No it's still a GSP. T. Schoutedeni have a different body shape.

So is he going to die if I don;t get him into some brackish water immediately?

It will be a good idea to start him on the road to brackish water as soon as you can.

Have a read of this, should answer a lot of your questions.

http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/ ... togsp.html

Can I use my current filter (tetra whisper 20) in a brackish tank, or are there special saltwater filters? and what is the best kind of salt to get for the gps?

EDIT - I moved your other post into this thread to make it easier to follow.
-Phaedrus

Brackish conditions are needed for long term health and survival, but not needed immediately.

When changing over to brackish, you will need to use marine salt, NOT aquarium salt. You will also need a refractometer to measure the salinity. Salinity in our case is measures in specific gravity, or SG for short. Fresh water is 1.000 SG and sea water is 1.024+ SG with brackish water being the range in between.

The important thing to remember when raising the salinity is to raise it slowly. No more than 0.002 SG per week, but 0.001 per week is better. This slow change over gives the bacteria responsible for processing all that fish waste a chance to change over. The GSP could probably change much faster without dire consequences, but the all important bacteria cannot.

Refractometers can be found on ebay or at online aquarium supply shops for pretty cheap. They are needed to acurately measure your salinity. A good investment.

Are there any other fish in the aquarium?

GSPs are very aggressive towards tankmates and do best when kept alone.

How big is your tank?

GSPs do best in at least a 30 gallon tank with lots of decorations to explore.

EDIT: To answer your questions:

You can use any filter you want, but when you get to marine conditions you will want to get a protein skimmer which is a bit of an investment, but it will help reduce the amount of water changes you have to do because it removes the waste from the water column completely. It collects gunk in a cup tha tyou ahve to empty.

There are lots of different kinds of marine salt you can use.
Some popular brands include seachem, instant ocean, kent, coral life.

Phaedrus wrote:Brackish conditions are needed for long term health and survival, but not needed immediately.

When changing over to brackish, you will need to use marine salt, NOT aquarium salt. You will also need a refractometer to measure the salinity. Salinity in our case is measures in specific gravity, or SG for short. Fresh water is 1.000 SG and sea water is 1.024+ SG with brackish water being the range in between.

The important thing to remember when raising the salinity is to raise it slowly. No more than 0.002 SG per week, but 0.001 per week is better. This slow change over gives the bacteria responsible for processing all that fish waste a chance to change over. The GSP could probably change much faster without dire consequences, but the all important bacteria cannot.

Refractometers can be found on ebay or at online aquarium supply shops for pretty cheap. They are needed to acurately measure your salinity. A good investment.

Are there any other fish in the aquarium?

GSPs are very aggressive towards tankmates and do best when kept alone.

How big is your tank?

GSPs do best in at least a 30 gallon tank with lots of decorations to explore.

39 gallon tank, goldfish mates will be moved upon changing to brackish. Now i read 3 tbsp salt per gallon of water, right or no? how do i achieve just .0001 a week?