Newbie with puffer and with aquariums

[MikeS]

Hey...I am definately a newbie when it comes to fish, and I know I have made some BIG mistakes. Now I just have to figure out how to fix them.

I bought a 75 gallon aquarium. My wife is in love with puffer fish, so we got one . Of all the horror stories I have heard from buying a fish at wal-mart, I bought it there. I believe it is a spotted puffer (still trying to figure out what species it actually is). After hearing these fish were aggressive, I visited countless fish stores and have been given some advise, but some is opposite of others. Let me tell you what I have done, then hopefully I can correct and move on.

I have added aquarium salt (was told to stay away from marine salt), and have up to 2/3 of what pkg says to - 10/15 tables spoons so far, 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. I already have live plants. Threw in a couple of mini barbs, but they were way too agressive towards the puffer. So I replaced them with a clown loach and a couple tetras, and a dwarf goroumis. So far the puffer loves the tankmates, with NO signs of aggression. He is actually out more swimming around. I added some smaller snails, which both the puffer and loach really engoy.

Where do i go from here???? I know I screwed up by not cycling the tank first (just found that out). My brain is really starting to hurt thinking about this. Would walmart actually sell a brackish fish, or do I have the freshwater puffer? He is about 2 inches long at the most, and I do know puffers atart off in fresh water, so now I am even more confused. I will try and add some links so that you can see the puffer and help me identify.

Thanks for any help you can!!!!!!


http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l295/msheaffer02/Puff6.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l295/msheaffer02/Puff3.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l295/msheaffer02/Puff2.jpg

 

[JustOneMore20]

I am no puffer expert but I thought I'd give it a shot.

Your guy (great pictures by the way) looks very similar to a Green Spot Puffer, Tetraodon nigroviridis. The spots on the puffers in the link run together a bit, while your puffer's spots are very round.

If you google Tetraodon nigroviridis under the images tab, you get alot of pictures and many of them look like your guy.

This site has a little more info on them.

That is my best guess. Hopefully someone can give you the correct species you have...if its not the GSP.

It is important to find out what type you have though because some of the spotted puffers are FW and not brackish.

Also, the clown loach probably doesn't like the salt. You aren't supposed to put salt in with scaleless fish (like loaches and cories).

 

[MikeS]

Thanks for the quick reply - WOW!!!!

I am hoping that is the species, not the one I was thinking. If that is the case, it is more freshwater, can tolerate some salt. IF this is the case. as for the salt in the tank, should I start by removing a gallon or 2 of water and replacing with fresh, or let it be and cycle. This is one of my most confusing areas, for all the pet store around here say they have salt in all their aquariums.

Here is a link of where I have been getting some puffer info too.

www.puffernet.tripod.com/confusion.html

 

[iplaydafoozball]

i'm positive that you have a GSP. i've got one in my tank also. things to note...
-yes, GSP's like salt, and none of ur other fish will like the salt, but may tolerate it somewhat. for its size, u might be ok for a while but eventually he will need to be put in a brackish and when full grown a marine tank. and the thing about aquarium salt is WRONG. you need to be using marine salt (i prefer instant ocean.) just do 1/4 - 1/2 of what the bag says is needed for marine water. u want a high pH also (7.5-8.2)
-in the case of adding salt, ur live plants probably won't make it. there are a few freshwater plants that can tolerate a little salt, but not at the levels your puffer would like.
-even if he is not aggressive right now, he will become aggressive, as i am just finding out with mine. after owning him for 6 months, just now he is beginning to tail-nip, especially on my other puffer (a figure 8)
-to avoid nipping put in feeder rosy reds, (dont use guppies, at least my puffers dont go for guppies) or ghost shrimp....these will distract his tail nipping
-in the wild they eat snails, which will keep their beaks from growing to unbearable and possibly deadly length. so good job on the snails!
-and i was a noob and didnt cycle my tank as i added my puffers. surprisingly the are fairly hardy and did fine through it all (i used to have 4....my heater control knob was bumped one night and i woke up to 95 degree water the next morning....only one survived )

hope this helps! any more questions and i'd be glad to help!

 

[cinlnk]

i'm positive that you have a GSP. i've got one in my tank also. things to note...
-yes, GSP's like salt, and none of ur other fish will like the salt, but may tolerate it somewhat. for its size, u might be ok for a while but eventually he will need to be put in a brackish and when full grown a marine tank. and the thing about aquarium salt is WRONG. you need to be using marine salt (i prefer instant ocean.) just do 1/4 - 1/2 of what the bag says is needed for marine water. u want a high pH also (7.5-8.2)
-in the case of adding salt, ur live plants probably won't make it. there are a few freshwater plants that can tolerate a little salt, but not at the levels your puffer would like.
-even if he is not aggressive right now, he will become aggressive, as i am just finding out with mine. after owning him for 6 months, just now he is beginning to tail-nip, especially on my other puffer (a figure 8)
-to avoid nipping put in feeder rosy reds, (dont use guppies, at least my puffers dont go for guppies) or ghost shrimp....these will distract his tail nipping
-in the wild they eat snails, which will keep their beaks from growing to unbearable and possibly deadly length. so good job on the snails!
-and i was a noob and didnt cycle my tank as i added my puffers. surprisingly the are fairly hardy and did fine through it all (i used to have 4....my heater control knob was bumped one night and i woke up to 95 degree water the next morning....only one survived )

hope this helps! any more questions and i'd be glad to help!

VERY GOOD POST FOOZ!!!!
You are right on the money with the info ya gave out. I gave you a vote in the Rep Box!!!

 

[Limi310]

You definitely have a GSP - Green Spotted Puffer Tetraodon Nigroviridis

It is often sold as a freshwater fish, but definitely is not. It needs brackish water when young and more marine conditions as it matures. Not providing brackish water will make the puffer sickly and more prone to Ich and other diseases. GSP's can live a long time when kept in the proper conditions.
Brackish water is acheived by using marine salt such as Instant Ocean. Marine salt provides essential trace elements and helps buffer pH - aquarium salt does not.

Since your tank isn't cycled, I would HIGHLY recommend you see if you can find a product called Bio-Spira. It will help speed up the cycle process. Stay on top of water changes. Do you have a test kit to check for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate?

The other fish you have aren't compatible with the needs of the GSP as they aren't brackish.
GSP's need a 30gal minimum....possibly you could set him up with a tank of his own if your wife likes him that much? Although watch out - tanks tend to multiply mysteriously in this hobby.

I also agree with what Fooz said

Good luck and welcome to MFT

Edit: Since you said you are new to puffers and fish in general I wanted to point out that you shouldn't make your puffer 'puff'. You may know this already (but lots of people don't) 'puffing' is a defense mechanism and used when they are very stressed or afraid. If they DO puff, they should only do so in the water. If they puff outside of water and fill up with air they are very likely to die as they can't get the air back out to 'deflate'. Use extreme caution when netting or moving puffers. I usually never net - I use one of those plastic specimen containers (like the fishstores use to catch the fish before they bag them) so the puffer is never out of the water.

Check out www.thepufferforum.com great site with lots of info

 

[MOsborne05]

Yep, you got a GSP. I see them quite a bit at Wal-Mart, and they are normally sick or dying

Like Fooz said, he may not be aggressive now but he will become more aggressive as he gets older, so he really should have his own tank. So...........you can either buy him a seperate tank, 30 gallons or larger, or you can take back the rest of your fish, buy him a couple gsp buddies, and have a brackish tank. You will need to eventually go full marine with gsp's though, but you'll have plenty of time to research that

Make sure you keep feeding him snails because snails are an essential part of a gsp's diet because they help keep their beaks worn down. Ghost shrimp are a nice treat, although they aren't very nutritious. Its fun to watch them hunt down the shrimp though. You can also buy mussels, shrimp or any other seafood from the grocery store to feed them. They also like freeze dried krill, jumbo shrimp and baby shrimp, which you can get in the fish food section.

If you do decide to keep the puffer, I would suggest a crushed coral or aragonite substrate to help buffer the pH. And stick with plastic plants, even though a lot of them say that they can tolerate brackish water, they look like crap! I learned that the hard way And make sure the tank has lots of decorations like driftwood, fake plants, rocks etc. to break up the lines of sight. Puffs also like to 'ride' on the bubbles from a bubble wall/disc

 

[MikeS]

Just a update....

Right now leaving the tank as it due to the fact it has not fully cycled. I have added a few bigger snails (once), along with several small snails everyday for feeding (he loves them). Also are some ghost shrimp for him to hunt. Added some live plants too, which he likes to swim in/around. So far everyone gets along, and everyone is pretty active.

Thanks for the input, and I will get you updated as things progress.