The Puffer Forum

Hi Ya...

OK well I have my heart is set on GSP - I have sort advice from a good grad en center with staff that own puffers dwarf and GSP. They were very supportive and have given us a lot of advice and information and I am much more confident in going ahead and setting my tank up for a GSP. Despite loving the little Puffer at the shop in the village without knowing exactly what he is and the conflicting information I am reluctant to but him.

Can I confirm that my 46Ltr tank will be ok for a GSP. I have bought red sea salt and they have given me instructions for preparing my tank. They said to get the tank set up and first to add a couple of Mollies to mature the tank for a few weeks before adding the Puffer. I'm not so sure about having Mollies as I'm pretty much set on just having my puffer on his own...but we will see.

The GSP are beautifully colored and the spots are nicely defined. The personalities of the ones they had weren't as friendly as the one I first saw, these didn't seem to "beg" at the glass and didn't demand your attention as much as the first one did - but they looked in good health and I could certainly be a very proud GSP owner. I would like a younger/smaller one so I can enjoy seeing him develop and hopefully "bond" with him to make him more sociable than the ones that they had there today. They did say that they were going to get some smaller ones in soon so hopefully I will be ready just when the right one thats perfect for me, and thats meant to be called "Pippin" will be ready and in stock when I go to get one.

I will keep to this one thread so everyone, but especially me, can see the progression of setting up, getting and caring for Pippin, as I tend to forget where I have posted and miss replies.

see you all around.
Jules

I have copied this from the pufferpedia, it is recommended for 1 GSP let alone the mollies, a minimum tank size of 115 litres, you are way off that.


Tetraodon nigroviridis


Common Name: Green Spotted Puffer

Other Common Names: GSP; Leopard Puffer; Spotted Green Puffer; Occasionally incorrectly as Green Puffer

Family: Tetraodontidae

Distribution: S.E. Asia: Esturaine rivers and floodplains; Mangrove swamps

Water Parameters: High brackish to marine salinity; Temp: 23–26C (73 - 80F ); pH: 7.0 - 8.3

Personality/Temperament: Agressive to other tankmates, especially with age. Hunts for food.

Max. Size: 6.5 inches (17cm)

Estimated Lifespan: ~15 years

Sexual Dimorphism: Unknown. Cannot tell genders apart by eye.

Diet: Mollusks and crustaceans. Needs to be fed a regular diet of hard-shelled creatures to guard against beak overgrowth

Care: Requires medium to high-end brackish water, and usually thrives in marine conditions. Introduce to a fully cycled aquarium, and raise the specific gravity by at least 0.002 per week, aiming for 1.015. As GSP's are active and agressive puffers, allow at l

Breeding: Unknown. No records of captive breeding.

Minimum Tank Size: 30 US Gallons (115 liters)

bosshogg's post is in effect saying that the 46 liter tank is no more than a short-term or QT tank for a GSP, and that only if the fish is quite small.

That tank is too small for a GSP.

GSP is do-able for a VERY short time. Maybe until they're about 1.5-2"? Could be pushing it a little bit, but if you have good filtration and are good about the water changes, it can be done.

The thing with GSP, though, is you're going to have to commit giving them full marine or very high brackish when they're an adult, not to mention a much bigger tank than the one you have now. Both have their cons and pros, with full marine, it's going to cost a fortune and a half to start, but once it's going full force, it's very easy to maintain (if you're willing to stick with only live rock and not experiment with anemones/corals, etc). Good news is if you keep the tank you have now, you can use that for a small sump/fuge if you want. With very high end brackish, there are no extra set-up costs to look for. However, without the live rock and skimmer to help out, you're going to have to do a ton of water changes, and so the cost of salt is going to skyrocket.

If $$ is or could be a problem, I would recommend sticking with fresh water or low end brackish puffs.
If you're still planning to go with a GSP or any brackish puff for that matter, I recommend going out and getting yourself a good refractometer. It'll save you a LOT of time and stress.