New to forums and Saltwater, own a green spotted puffer, pictures!

[melbell86]

Hello everyone! My name is Melanie, and im currently attending my last year at a university as a major. Next year i will be attending grad school with the hopes of getting my masters in entomology (Insects!) I have owned many fish tanks in my 24 years of life, but i am just recently diving into the world of saltwater aquariums! Long story short, i purchased a green spotted puffer 2 months ago, didnt know anything about them, spent a load of money and time, and now have a happy healthy little guy named George. Here he is!

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h195/meldav86/octobernovember105.jpg

I have had him for a little over 2 months now. He went from yellow and thin to bright green and fat. I have been slowly raising my SG over the months, no more than .002 a week, some weeks nothing at all. Right now, my SG is at about 1.011. I am trying to go full saltwater as soon as i can. I have purchased and read a book on saltwater aquariums so im not totally lost, but any advice would be awesome.

Here are the specs of my tank and all equipment i own and is being used.


26 gallon bow front tank, 24"L x 15"W x 21"H
koralia nano 240 water pump
hood with one light fixture, 50/50 reef sun light (6500K and 420 phosphor)
aqueon quiet flow 30 filter
aqua clear 30 filter
100 watt heater
bubbler
25 lbs key largo dry rock
1.5 inch depth aragonite sand


My tank is fully cycled, currently has a bit of a diatom bloom and houses ONLY my 1.5 inch GSP and a few ghost shrimp and nerite snails for cleaning.
Here is my tank as of today
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h195/meldav86/octobernovember128.jpg

Here are my questions!

1. What type of protein skimmer should i get for my size tank? There are so many to choose from i dont know which one to get.

2. I have a really awesome LFS. They specialize in saltwater tanks, so my plan is to buy a small amount of live rock from them when my SG gets to about 1.022 and seed the rest of my rock. I dont know much about live rock but i always see people talking about curing it. Will i need to do this if i buy the rock and bring it straight home and put it in my ready to go tank?

3. What other fish/inverts can i house with my puffer? I really want to get some more fish in there. I have heard some clowns are ok, but i really have no clue which species or if this is even true.

4. any other advice or concerns with my tank please let me know!!

[ludnix]

The puffer is a pretty aggressive little guy, so it might not be easily housed with other fish unless they can hold their own. You will not be able to have much in the way of coral with a puffer, but that's a ways down the road any how.

Some articles suggest that they should be acclimated to saltwater as they get bigger in size. I'm not sure if it matters if the younger/smaller puffers are acclimated to saltwater or not though.

Pretty soon you'll want to ditch the bubble disk, it's going to get salt creep everywhere.

[melbell86]

thanks for the response. I havent read anything negative about raising the SG for juvenile puffers, but someone correct me if they know differently.
George REALLY loves to swim and play in his bubble disk but i already know what a pain it is with salt creep. My bubbler can be turned down really low, so i usually keep it on the lowest setting and it isnt so bad. I have read that i cant keep corals and anemones with my puffer, which is ok by me for now because im so new to this i dont think i could raise inverts yet. Im thinking of just doing a FOWLR tank, with whatever fish is compatible with my puffer.

[nitro4kthompson]

Hi Melanie. I have over 20 years SW experience, but none with GSP so I'm not sure if I can help with your specific questions. But I will try. I don't think a small tank like yours really needs a protein skimmer if you keep to a regular water change schedule. I do think you will need to cure any liverock you get unless the LFS can be really trusted to sell you fully cured rock. Personally I would keep it in a rubbermaid tub with a powerhead and heater and monitor the water for ammonia for a couple weeks at least.
What type of media are you running in the HOB filters? If you are using carbon or filterfloss, you need to be sure you change it very regularly. If not nitrates can build up.As for tankmates for George, I'm not sure. Sorry. But I will go on record and say the 1st pic is TOO CUTE. I love the intent stare George has, possibly a very bad thing for the snail.LOL

[inlandreef]

This might help you Melanie
http://www.aquariumlife.net/articles/tropical-fish/64.asp
<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central</b></i></big></big>

[agreeive?fish]

ok heres what i know about gsp (i have 3)

its ok to put juvies in to marine conditions

snails shrimp crabs coral ect will be lunch for your puffer

in a 26g about the only types of fish you will be able to keep with your gsp is small agressive/fast fish such as damsels or small wrasse(research carefully due to your tank size) the cute green spotted puffers can be real meanies when they get a little older and are fin nippers so no "flowing fin" fish

[johnike]

Jeni [Pufferpunk] on the Chicago CMAS board is the puffer queen. Can I post a link to her puffer sight, Mods?

[dvenson]

i like the puffer i had a porcupine for a while but wanted a reef instead

[john miller]

Jeni [Pufferpunk] on the Chicago CMAS board is the puffer queen. Can I post a link to her puffer sight, Mods?

She's aware of Jeni's site. I send her over here to help with the saltwater part.
Hi Melanie.:wavehand:

[melbell86]

thanks for the responses guys! Yes i know Pufferpunk! I was actually recommended to come here from my friend John whom i met on the puffer forums, to get extra help from salt experts. Im thinking i might try a damsel and a clown for my first fish after i get the rock established. I really do trust my LFS. They are a specialty store, and really knowledgeable. One of the owners has had puffers before and she said she had success with certain breeds of clowns and that she would help me when i get to that point. If i can skip the curing process it would be best. I dont have an extra heater right now but if i really need to cure i will.
Thanks for all the help guys!
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h195/meldav86/octobernovember118.jpg

[djkms]

George is a very cute little guy!!

[rengnath]

I found with the GSPs, its a hit or miss with keeping them with other fish. I recently had to get rid of my brackish tank (that I brought up to full marine before I bought my 60 gallon) due to needing a qt tank for my saltwater fish asap. I lost interest with brackish. I kept my 1.5" GSP with a columbian shark and a red skat for the year I had him. He never bothered anything. Before the shark and skat though, I had 2 other puffers that I picked up cheap along with an albino red eyed shark and those 2 puffers would go after anything that moved including each other .... they made it less than 24 hours in my tank.

If youre looking for bright colors, Ive read that clowns are pretty good candids for GSPs. If you think your GSP is pretty aggressive, look at doing a Maroon clown. It sounds mean, but when I went full saltwater, the GSP didnt make the cut to come in to my 60 FOWLR. I wasnt risking putting a $10 puffer in with my $400 of marine fish so I ended up giving him away.

My .02

[Floowid]

I used to have a GSP. I acclimated him in the course of one day from freshwater (which he was in at the store) to full salt. I had him for two years with ocellaris clowns, a blue damsel, and a bicolor pseudochromis. After 2 years he began tearing through my snails, so I took him back to the store.

I missed him so much I set up a 29 gallon brackish tank this summer. It currently houses a small Green Spot, a bigger Figure 8 puffer, a Knight goby, and an Archer fish. This new little guy is the devil incarnate, and bullies everybody else in the tank, even the Figure 8 who is twice his size.

[melbell86]

thanks guys. I love to hear others experiences! Puffers are so adorable, its just a shame they have to be so aggressive! Too bad they arent like the big teddy bears of the sea that only eat veggies or something hahaha

[Pufferpunk]

I have been keeping SW & reef tanks for 6 years now. ;) You should add as much filtration as possible (that means a skimmer), since that tank will eventually be too small for that puffer. In the same line, I wouldn't add any tank mates.

[Pufferpunk]

I missed him so much I set up a 29 gallon brackish tank this summer. It currently houses a small Green Spot, a bigger Figure 8 puffer, a Knight goby, and an Archer fish. This new little guy is the devil incarnate, and bullies everybody else in the tank, even the Figure 8 who is twice his size.
Waaaay too small a tank for most of those fish. Keep the F8 & knight goby in there at a low end BW SG (1.005) & set up a 55g for the other 2 fish, at high end BW & eventual SW.