The Puffer Forum

specs: 20 gal, lower end brackish, and one 2 inch gsp.
i know i need to change the set up to accomodate my gsp as it natures, however, i want more fish now. i don't want another puffer, instead i was thinking of rainbow fish or gouramis. i have my eye set on the flame gourami. i might get that fish tommorowish as a tank buddy. any suggestions?

Your puffer is a brackish fish. Your puffer (at 2") should be in a SG close to 1.010-12 by now. None of the ones you mention are--they are strictly FW. Wait till you upgrade to a larger tank (like a 55g), get the puffer up to marine conditions (after it is 4+") & then you can consider a few damselfish &/or tomato clownfish.

I have knight Gobi's and a Mono in with my GSP, they all get on great, I did have some Silver Shark Catfish too but they were a bit too skittish for the puffers liking....

Monos are schooling fish that grow a foot across. A tank of 300+g would be needed to house a school fo adults. My adult GSPs ate any goby, as they are too slow to escape pufferteeth.

Pufferpunk wrote:Monos are schooling fish that grow a foot across. A tank of 300+g would be needed to house a school fo adults. My adult GSPs ate any goby, as they are too slow to escape pufferteeth.

oops, looks like I should have done some homework before getting the mono, a foot across? really it's like the one below...



At the moment my puffers are very placid, I have had them about a year, hopefully they will just accept they are there and leave the goby's alone.

so i got a pair of bolivian rams. my tank still looks very empty. now i am considering a schooling fish, am aiming at killies or raimbow fish.

Rams live in the opposite water conditions (soft, acidic water) of GSPs (hard, salty water). They won't appreciate any amount of salt at all. Please do some serious research into the fish you are considering. There are no fish that will survive the transition that your GSP will go thru, from low-end BW to SW. Like I said, wait till your puffer is in SW & then add SW species. Also, the rams will not escape pufferteeth, for sure.

How big is your tank? Your puffer really doesn't need any "friends". There is an excellent article on this in our Library.

so... yes, definitely leaving my puffer alone now. when i went to feed my fish, the puffer got so excited it took a bite out of one of rams. luckily it was out of the dorsal fin, so now my ram is missing some of its dorsal fin. so im swapping the puffer into a different tank, by himself, and with some ghost shrimp.

by himself, and with some ghost shrimp

Your puffer is going to get a free meal out of that one too unfortunately

Really, GSPs are solitary creatures and it's not a great idea to keep them with small/docile tankmates. Listen to your forum admin! She knows from experience

Also, I'm hoping that when your puffer gets into his cycled tank, (30g will be necessary for an adult--alone), that you will start raising it to brackish conditions. You can instant cycle a tank with Bio-Spira.

The GSP will probably get more aggressive as it gets older too. I wouldn't trust a GSP (or other puffers eiter, but GSPs less than others).
When I see how my GSP reacts on the food I give her (mine is smaller than 2''), I wonder how she will be when she gets older and grumpier