# Green Spotted Puffer tankmates?



## OCtrackiepacsg1

I'm thinking of converting my GSP brackish to a marine tank and doing a FOWLR. Would they eat all the hitchhikers so its not LR anymore? Would they be able to eat hermits and snails? Are they compatible with most community fish?


----------



## navarchus

The green spotted puffer behaves similar in saltwater as it does in freshwater. It does have quite an appetite, and so it would pick on the live rock. Although it doesn't seem to pick on anemones. It likes to eat copepods, worms, shrimps and pretty much any small crustaceans. Lagre hermit crabs and large snails are okay. As for compatibility, I've had mine with Angel fish, triggers, wrasse, some hardier butterfly fishes okay.

One thing I noticed, they like to fin nip. Example heniochus butterfly, it would chase the long dorsal streamer. Batfish is also another potential victim. 

Pay attention when adding new fish, they can become aggressive to new additions. I usually take them out for 3 days after adding new fish.


----------



## petlovingfreak

I find that damsels work well also because they too are aggressive and territorial.


----------



## OCtrackiepacsg1

So live rock would basically become dead with them? I might try a six line or some yellow tails or chromis all in good time though


----------



## petlovingfreak

So are you asking if the puffers would kill the live rock? No, bacteria and other small creatures makes live rock live, taking it out of the water or putting it in freshwater would kill all the stuff on it and make it dead rock.


----------



## OCtrackiepacsg1

I see, I assumed that it would eat the bristle worms the feather dusters and the sponges but I forgot about the tiny bacteria. I guess when I get enough money in my pocket I will get it to sw. sw is easier anyways.


----------



## bmlbytes

What cost are you considering extra? The live rock sounds to me like the only extra cost. It should still take you a few months to get it to be fully salt water too. You cant just throw the GSPs into salt without acclimating them very slowly.

You might consider a protein skimmer when you go salt, but you wont need it if you are good at keeping the tank clean.


----------



## petlovingfreak

A skimmer would be a good idea as gsp's are messy fish.


----------



## OCtrackiepacsg1

Live rock and sand (since I have gravel now) would be the cost...I need 29 lbs of LR and a pound is like 5 bucks here, so thats a 145 bucks, which is a lot for a kid...all in good time though, I'm in no rush.


----------



## petlovingfreak

You could buy base rock or tuffa rock, which usually goes for A LOT cheaper. I can get it here for around a dollar or so a pound. Put it in a tank and let the bacteria grow, and eventually you'll have live rock.


----------



## OCtrackiepacsg1

thanks for your help, also, whats the best way to swap gravel to sand take the puffers out?


----------



## bmlbytes

I would start to slowly increase the salt content of the tank until it is full salt water. That way the GSP have time to get used to the salt. After they are OK with the salinity, take some tank water and put it in another aquarium or big bucket. Try to keep a lot of the old water. Put the fish in the bucket and empty the tank. Take all the gravel out. This is a good time to clean algae and such off. Put the tank back where it belongs, and put the live sand in. Decorate the tank with live/base rock and make sure they wont easily tip over potentially hurting a fish or crab. Prepare your saltwater in another bucket (you don't want to kill the live rock/sand). Add it to the tank along with the water from the bucket the GSP are in. When you are sure salinity and temp are the same, add the fish.


----------



## Kungpaoshizi

Sorry if you know some of this, just covering the bases... 

Don't bother with live sand, any sand will become live over time.
And don't change it out all at once, even with live sand you would crash your tank, UNLESS you get the "live sand" from a trusted source in town. Otherwise you really have no idea where it came from, how much has died, and what sort of negative hitchhikers are in it.

Just do 1/4 of the tank substrate at a time, remove 1/4 gravel, put sand in that section.
Just be sure to rise all the sand like 5-10 times before putting it in, then pour it into a 2 liter bottle. Submerge the 2 liter very slowly and pour the sand VERY slowy. You will have minimal dust in the water then and you won't be swapping out your bacterial bed completely if your substrate is mature.

As for tank mates, my 3 gsp's are happy with my dragon/violet goby. I hear they eat some, and not others, but it seems to be more of a success or failure per experience, even with the same fish across different experiences both good and bad.
They were curious at first, then he moved around and they freaked out. They were scared of him. Probably by the way he moves... Otherwise they have calmed down and don't mind him as much now because they know he's not going to try to eat them 
He's great for keeping your sand sifted as well since star's and a regular cleanup crew wouldn't last long with the gsp's...

And you can up the salinity a little more than .02 a week, they're pretty hardy fish. But if they show signs of stress (gray mustache) ease up and give it a few extra days before increasing more.


----------

