tankmates for my gsp

[abby]

I've had my gsp for nearly a week now and he's doing great. The only worry i have is if he's bored? He's in a 35g tank with loads of plants, rocks and a bubble curtain but sometimes he swims up and down looking lonely. I know the tank isn't big enough to accommodate another gsp but is there anything else that he could live with happily?

[Nick]

There really tends not to be, but he isn't lonely in any traditional sense, puffers don't get that way really, it's more a lack of stimulation issue. My pair of GSP have stopped that behavior almost entirely now that a good quality piece of live rock has been added, they now generally spend their time examining that for tiny edible life, but honestly the reason the second one is in there is because I disliked the behavior changes in my first puffer after his first tank mate died, and another gsp seemed to help. As active hunters, stimulation from their surroundings is something I think is good, but there isn't much with the temperament or water conditions for a gsp other than another gsp, and even that is not without risk, when my second one begins to mature she may turn on the first, she's a little tike now. I don't really know of anything it would be wise to add to a 35 that might interest the puffer but neither be harassed by him or harass him.

[Pufferpunk]

Please read the article in our Library about this subject: Alone But Not Lonely.

[abby]

How about a large snail? I thought i could get one of the big apple snails, i don't think he could eat it, it would take care of any algae and watching it would give him something to do.

[BigB]

It be eaten or picked out and soon die

[Troender]

A snail is very good lunch for a puffer. It wouldn't last long. And snails don't like salt either. So it would die pretty quickly.

[abby]

Oh o.k, bad idea!