# Green spotted puffer



## lamonsas (May 31, 2007)

hey guys i have a question, i have a 10 gallon tank with a tiny platy in it, its cycled and everything, i want to get a green spotted puffer to be alone in the tank by himself.

Now, does the water have to be HIGH PH(BRACKISH) or it can be in regular freshwater?


----------



## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

it can be in regular fresh, it likes a brackish better, you'll get better coloring, less susceptible to disease, better feeding habits, etc if kept in brackish water. Also a 10 g is a bit small for a puffer, I would do a 15-20g min, I mean I have 3 in a 30 g, and I feel bad about it.


----------



## lamonsas (May 31, 2007)

so you are saying i can just buy them from the store which has them in brackish water and put them in my 10 gallon with regular fresh water, it will not die? all my water parameteres are near perfect. its just that i thought that fish was only for brackish water, so it wont die in regular water?


----------



## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

I wouldn't. Ask them how to match their salinity, do it, and buy the fish a few days later. You'll be glad you did.


----------



## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

Like funlad said match their salinity a few days before hand before adding the puffer. Figure 8 puffers are the only one that can really thrive in freshwater tanks from what I've read. All others like brackish water.

But first and foremost are you positive that the GSP's that they have are in brackish water in the first place?

Lastly, tank size. Your tank will do fine for right now. But most GSP's get to 3-6 inches and that 10g will not do fine at all. At 3 inches would really be pushing it for your tank, any bigger is a no go. I think a 20 long will hold a GSP without a hinge, and anything bigger is just better until you go overkill at like a 55g tank.


----------



## kay-bee (Dec 6, 2006)

Green spotted puffers (GSP) will eventually require brackish water. Over the long term their health will deteriorate the longer they're kept in freshwater. 

As a bare minimum their brackish environment's specific gravity (SG) should in the neighborhood of 1.010-1.015SG. As a maximum they can be kept in full marine conditions. Full grown GSP's are probably best kept in full saltwater or high-end brackish water. I keep GSP's in saltwater aquariums with other marine fish in saltwater at about 1.023SG.

Small GSP's (1.5" or smaller) can be maintained in FW but the salinity should be increased as they grow.

Matching salinity with GSP's in my opinion isn't a must because in their native environment they will dwell in freshwater rivers, brackish esturaries and the coastal ocean areas. They could transverse all three environments during the same day.

Since there is FW beneficial bacteria (BB) in the tank I recommend starting out with FW and gradually increase salinity (+.002SG per week) using marine salt. Rapidly going from FW to brackish may kill off a lot of FW BB.

Finally GSP's are high-bioload fish. A 10gal tank that is cycled with a "tiny platy" may experience an ammonia and subsequent nitrite spike. Monitor those levels once you get the GSP.

Recommended housing: 25-30gal per GSP.


----------

