Puffer Set Up?

[atomicjade]

Hey everyone, I'm going to begin fashioning a larger home for my new puffer and want to make sure I have all the specifics of what to do. As for substrate, it seems sand is popular. Any particular kind of sand? Sand from the beach? Some verification would be lovely .

My information I have collected over the net says for brackish puffers (mine is a GSP) that the temperature should be around 75-82 fahrenheit, pH 7.5 to 8.5, and salinity around 1.005. Does anyone have any good sites for purchasing BioSpira as well? And perhaps some brackish water plants? Any links to general aquarium care that would prove useful in my case is very much appreciated. I look forward to hearing responses so I can go about upgrading. Thanks a lot!

Also... my water at home is well water. It has a bunch of minerals and what not in it, would the solutions for making tap water safe work for that too? Probably an obvious/dumb question, but I just want to make sure. If not, I can buy spring water.


Cheers,
Shannon

 

[pica_nuttalli]

sand from the beach is a big no-no. not only do you have no way of knowing what sort of nasties might be living in it, most beaches have anit-erosion laws forbidding the removal of sand.

you'll want to purchase sand from either the LFS or a hardware center. buying aquarium sand has the advantage of being definitely safe for your fish, but it can be rather pricey. play sand is commonly used as an inexpensive alternative, but you need to read all the labeling very carefully to make certain that it doesn't have any additives that would be dangerous for your fish. i personally used pool filter sand for my tank; its a little pricier than play sand but is definitely clean and inert.

whatever kind of sand you buy, you'll need to wash it. there are various pinned topics with instructions on how to rinse your sand, so i won't go into that here.

as for details regarding how to keep GSP, you may want to get a mod to move this topic in the Brackish section. you're more likely to get highly accurate information there.

 

[nmonks]

Well water should be fine, but you'll need to check hardness and pH first. A GSP will do very well in hard, alkaline water. Water that is soft and acidic, on the other hand, is less good.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[atomicjade]

Thanks a lot guys, that helps me out a lot . I've read that GSP's do well (maybe even prefer?) freshwater as adolescents, should I still move mine into a brackish environment? And I've also heard that adults are commonly kept in purely marine water, is this also advisable for the future or to remain brackish? Thanks again, it's so relieving to have knowledgeable sources around.


Cheers,
Shannon

 

[puddle_inc]

sand from the beach is a big no-no. not only do you have no way of knowing what sort of nasties might be living in it, most beaches have anit-erosion laws forbidding the removal of sand.

you'll want to purchase sand from either the LFS or a hardware center. buying aquarium sand has the advantage of being definitely safe for your fish, but it can be rather pricey. play sand is commonly used as an inexpensive alternative, but you need to read all the labeling very carefully to make certain that it doesn't have any additives that would be dangerous for your fish. i personally used pool filter sand for my tank; its a little pricier than play sand but is definitely clean and inert.

whatever kind of sand you buy, you'll need to wash it. there are various pinned topics with instructions on how to rinse your sand, so i won't go into that here.

as for details regarding how to keep GSP, you may want to get a mod to move this topic in the Brackish section. you're more likely to get highly accurate information there.

now i find out

well, atleast i only took a small bag, just for a little subtrate for the stuff i got that washed up on the beach. yes, i collected pieces of the coral reef that was about a mile off shore, and yes, i did it LEGALLY.

 

[InaneCathode]

sand from the beach is a big no-no. not only do you have no way of knowing what sort of nasties might be living in it, most beaches have anit-erosion laws forbidding the removal of sand.

you'll want to purchase sand from either the LFS or a hardware center. buying aquarium sand has the advantage of being definitely safe for your fish, but it can be rather pricey. play sand is commonly used as an inexpensive alternative, but you need to read all the labeling very carefully to make certain that it doesn't have any additives that would be dangerous for your fish. i personally used pool filter sand for my tank; its a little pricier than play sand but is definitely clean and inert.

whatever kind of sand you buy, you'll need to wash it. there are various pinned topics with instructions on how to rinse your sand, so i won't go into that here.

as for details regarding how to keep GSP, you may want to get a mod to move this topic in the Brackish section. you're more likely to get highly accurate information there.

now i find out

well, atleast i only took a small bag, just for a little subtrate for the stuff i got that washed up on the beach. yes, i collected pieces of the coral reef that was about a mile off shore, and yes, i did it LEGALLY.

You rebel you.