Puffers advice..tips...

Hello all,
So I am new to the fish hobby...but I have fallen in love with the "mini puffers"....but really would like a variety of fish in my tank....I have read these guys can be very mean...?? is there any other fish I can keep with them?? I have a new 29 gallon... freashwater tank... sand substrate in tank filter/heater and a few plants...been cyceling for about 9 days...ready for fish!! Thanks in advance for any advice..tips on the puffers!

Tanya or Miranada might know a little something about these guys. Before you put the puffers in there I would get a few tester fish 1st. From what I know puffers are not that hardy and 9 days is not that long of a cycle. Did you start the tank from scratch or off of another tank? Like water and filter?

Are they green spotted puffers?

The ones I saw are green spotted... the filter was off of a friends tank....as was the sand...I was told 9 ten days was good...should i wait...and I think some guppys or something will be my "testers"....thanks

Yeah if you had good bacteria off sand and another filter you should be good for sure. Always good to do a tester fish for atleast 48 hours.

Green spotted are pretty hardy, but having cycled water is a must. They are bi-polar fish that will snap at any time. Do not keep them with snails or anything that has a shell because they will eat it. Do not keep them with anything slow (guppies, goldfish) because they will eat their tails. They are very cute because of their personality and will follow you. You HAVE to have a salinity of 1.001+ or they will die. Alot of people convert them to full marine (has been done) and they thrive. Feeding them snails will keep their beaks sharpened so its a must.

wow.......who knew puffers could be so complicated?? lol
good luck on ur puffer tank!

yeah I know....Walmart sells it for $4.83 ea, They keep them in with cichlids with no salt...But still, I want some!

so they can be kept with cichlids?
wat kind?

Any way to get the cute with out all the work??

i would follow with wat phil said!! if u wanna do things rite

Its easy, just put some instant ocean in there and keep them with mollies (which like water with a little salinity)

iv heard bout mollies lik salt!!
can they be converted as well??

No. I think the highest salinity level for them is like 1teaspoon a gallon. Which is (dont quote me) 1.001? But green spotted puffers like a little more salt.

so how long does it take for a puffer to be converted?
or can it be done rite away?

Increase .001 salinity every week is safe. So itll take about 23 weeks to turn it into full marine.

THATS SOO KOOL HOW THAT WORX!!! lol
their u go canda!! u can work ur way up to SW in 23weeks!! lol
ok but is the salt mandetory for them?

YES!!!!!!!!!! At least 1.001 salinity or they die when they get bigger.

hmm......... kool man thanx for all that info!!

philuponthepho wrote:

YES!!!!!!!!!! At least 1.001 salinity or they die when they get bigger.

The green spotted puffer really needs a brackish tank to thrive. They *can* live in freshwater, but it shortens they're lifespan. Since I bought mine (one of them from Wal-mart) and put them in a brackish tank they've doubled in size; from about an 1.5" to 3" in just under 5 months. In the wild the GSPs are born in freshwater and then make their way up brackish streams into the ocean where they live as adults. They can live in fw, but for their longevity they need brackish water and eventually marine conditions. GSPs under an inch long should be in low end brackish water 1.001 (like phil said), they really need higher end brackish, working towards marine (1.023 or about in there). They will kill anything in their tank except other GSPs (and even then, you want them to be matched up when they're young and use a lot of visual barriers inside the tank), they might not kill other fish at first but they will eventually, even if it's only due to stress from fin nipping... Once they are in marine conditions, they *may* calm their antics down if kept with other larger and much more aggressive fish. They require quite a bit of room (30 gallons +) in addition to heavy duty filtration... they are awesome fish and most of my guests favorites when they come to my house... GSPs are flippin sweet and sooo worth the trouble!!!

Here's my two: Jack & Milton!

In addition to Mirandas statement, an adult puffer REQUIRES a marine setup to grow up to 6" (max size). And when they are adult, feed them every other day to get tthe best outta em. ALSO! they will eat until their stomachs explode...so watch it.

tisk tisk tski!!! just like goldfish!!!!