help with green spotted puffer

[puffpuff]

Hello Members

I am new to this forum, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Brian and I have loved puffer fish since the first time i saw them as a child, now i have decided to get some.
So here is my setup: 10 gallon tank, Millennium 2000 filter, 150 watt ebo-jager heater. I have about 5 nice size rainbow rock covering the heater and filer nozzle and 2 fake plants. Recently have had a chichlid in there, but i have moved him because he, like most chichlids, likes to kill the company i provide for him. I have seen many puffers and thought dwarfs would be perfect, i figure i could get 5 in there and evertything would be great. Alright back tracking a bit, i bought a water tester strip recently to see the current conditions of my water. My chichlid's health was fine but i wanted to check on the tank and this new filter. The result came back as follows; ph=approx 8, total alkalinity =between 180-150 ppm, total hardness=very hard, nitrite levels are safe, but the nitrate levels were in the unsafe area. Well i read somewhere plants will help cure that. I put a couple of my house spider plants just floating on the top because i know they root easy, and they have rooted already, i also put one under the gravel. I also put my patho's i think that is the name, very common fast growing house plant in there as well, it hangs over the hanging basket so i just set it in the water, and i see some small roots. both plants that grow quick and easy. OK back to the fish. The pet store didnt have my dwarfs, but had like 10 green spotted puffers. The place is reputable and i asked him about them, he did tell me they were brackish but i already have instant ocean salt from before. I asked if they would be ok in a 10 gallon, he said probably 3-4 would be fine. That sounded high to me but i assumed he wouldnt lie. I choose to go with 2, they looked healthy...sure some back fins were nipped but i know puffers do that. Anyway, he told me about a tblspoon of salt per five gallons so i put 2 in. let the bags float, added some water to the bag, then finaly released them. they swam in and out of all the plants that were floating and around the rocks, and then they they went for the small little snails i got. these are those snails that are the size of a pinky nail. I also bought some frozed brine shrimp. well my filter creates quite a current for a 10 gallon so i turned it down put some food in, they were slow to it, i guess i tried feeding them pretty fast, but once they found it they ate it, i gave them some more and then stopped. Ok, i am rambling...lol
i was told to feed them 2-3 times a day.
here are my questions
basicaly, is my tank set up right...that is the most important. Also, what other snails or food should i buy. Basicaly what else can i do that i am not doing and how much do i feed them?
thank you so much

Brian

 

[CFC]

A 10 gallon tank is far too small for even one GSP let alone 2, they get to around 6" when adult and as they grow become increasingly aggressive toward members of their own species, to keep 2 you would need a mimimum of a 50 gallon tank, 1 will need a 30g. Feeding them 3 times a day is very excessive, puffers are messy eaters and a lot of the food will end up in the gravel so unless you are going to vacume the gravel and change water every day then your nitrates will go through the roof, in reality your puffers only need feeding once a day.
2 tablespoons of salt is no where near enough to provide the brackish conditions the puffers require, you need to buy a hydrometer to test the SG (specific gravity) of your water and add enough salt to raise it to 1.015, obviously dont raise it all at once or the shock will kill the puffers, bring the SG up slowly over a matter of a week or so by adding small ammounts of salt daily.

 

[Stryker]

I was recently sold 4 GSPs when I'd asked for DPs. I'm new to puffers too so I easily mistook the patched DP for the spotted juvenile GSP.

My GSPs after a day quickly got very sick and were heading down hill. Seems my GSPs were allready used to brackish water even tho the retailer had their tank in the FW section

The salinity is everything to them! I had to take the emergency measure of raising the salinity to 1.002 and withing 12 hours they were much better, within 48 hours they are now wholy better. Get yourself a hydrometer asap. Also remember that 1.008 is the threshhold for the FW nitrifying bacteria. Once your hit this level the FW bacteria starts to die and SW bacteria starts to grow.... so like myself I'd suggest you go no higher than 1.006 till you are sure your experienced enough to maintain a SG.

GSPs up to 2" require 1 meal per day, their tummies will look rounded when they have fed. While you only feed them once a day do not miss a feed! esp while they are under 2". Later as they grow they require less frequent feeding.

Owing to the miss sale I now have 3 GSPs in a 70L tank. I'll be getting away with this for a little while, but obviously some time this year I need a bigger tank.

DPs can get by with 2.5gal per fish. I think that rule covers how messy they are and their territorial habbits.... however GSPs idealy need 30gal per fish. This really becomes evident when they are 2-4" in size and become more aggressive.... at least for the mean time you dont have that to worry about.

However that 10gal tank is going to prove two problems!

1) as GSPs are so messy it will be hard to mainintain stable ammonia, nitrite and more difficultly nitrate. While your GSPs are in the small tank I suggest you look to using a product to lock away the nitrates as well as twice weekly 50% water changes!

2) It will be difficult to mainitain a steady salinity of the water. GSPs are tidal/estuary fish so beleive it or not they do tollerate some fluctuation in their salinity.

Hope this helps, however depending on where you read you will see different oppinions, I've never seen such fluctuating info on any one species of fish

Only other advice? google "green spotted puffers". Here is one site to get you started.

http/www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebI...dex/gspsart.htm

 

[Lithril]

A 10 gallon tank is far too small for even one GSP let alone 2, they get to around 6" when adult and as they grow become increasingly aggressive toward members of their own species, to keep 2 you would need a mimimum of a 50 gallon tank, 1 will need a 30g. Feeding them 3 times a day is very excessive, puffers are messy eaters and a lot of the food will end up in the gravel so unless you are going to vacume the gravel and change water every day then your nitrates will go through the roof, in reality your puffers only need feeding once a day.
2 tablespoons of salt is no where near enough to provide the brackish conditions the puffers require, you need to buy a hydrometer to test the SG (specific gravity) of your water and add enough salt to raise it to 1.015, obviously dont raise it all at once or the shock will kill the puffers, bring the SG up slowly over a matter of a week or so by adding small ammounts of salt daily.

The ol gits right unless you're planning on upgrading rapidly don't even consider GSPs. Personally if you're going for dwarfs I wouldn't put any more than 3 in a 10 gal, you want the extra fish consider an ancistrus or maybe a couple of Bumblebee gobies.