Bucket289

Hi, I have been reading this site for a while but never had a reason to post before. I have a 10 gallon tank with guppies, glofish, some corys and two large snails. I have plants in there, but they are Pothos plants that grow up the wall and just the roots are in the tank. Last weekend my fiancee brought home a pair of Green Spotted Puffers from Wal Mart. One of them only lasted a few days. We have been feeding the other one bloodworms and some kind of shrimp that was suggested to us by LFS. Right now he is the same size as our other fish so he doesn't really bother them, I think the guppies intimidate him. I have trouble getting him to eat. I feed in the morning and my fiancee feeds at night. He says that when he feeds the fish comes right up and eats whatever he puts in, but when I feed it either swims back and forth at the edge of the tank like it is chasing its reflection, or it swims to about an inch below the surface and then goes back down. Does it need sinking food? I read all of the info on here about them and I really don't want to keep him, it just sounds like too much trouble and I don't want him to eat our other fish, but my fiancee won't let me get rid of him! He is adorable, but I hate when fish eat other fish! Any suggestions?

mathas

Unfortunately, the green spotted puffer is a brackish fish, and will never thrive in a freshwater tank. They also need a much larger tank, at least 30 gallons, and do best in a species-only setup.

Pinkfloydpuffer, our resident puffer guru, has written a couple of guides that would be worth your time to read, particularly with regards to diet, tank environment, and need for de-worming:

http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummaga...ttedpuffer.htm
General Guide to Puffer Care

I'm sure if you have more specific questions, she (or someone else) will be able to answer them.

TFA101

get another tank just for him

I honestly think your fiancee made a poor choice purchasing those fish. they are very aggressive as they get older and they can grow up to six inches long. I see that you are upgrading to a 20 gallon. That would be perfect for your puffer on its own. However, I don't know how you feel about not utilizing all that extra space when you have a fully stocked 10 gallon you could empty out a bit.

Maybe try compromising some how? we'll have some thoughts later.

pinkfloydpuffer

Really there are only two options here

1. Take the puff back to the store

2. Buy a 30g just for him and set it up as brackish or saltwater

Your puffer is being nice to the other fish right now because he's not feeling well. If he starts feeling better.... you can say goodbye to your fishes.

Good luck with your little puffer guy, they're really cute. I'm sure you can work something out.

Butterfly

....And setting up a tank just especially for this puff will get your fiancee involved in the hobby you love since he likes the puffer and the puffer feeds well for him this is an excellent opportunity to make this a hobby you both can participate in. Do your research and see what you think.
Carol

aquarist48

Hello Bucket and Welcome to Fish Lore. Some great tips and advice above. I think once you have the Puffers in their own home you both will have many hours of enjoyment with them.
Best of luck.
Ken

Bucket289

I wish we could get him another tank of his own, but it was hard enough to convince my fiancee's dad to let us have one tank in his house! I could possibly put one in my apartment, but probably nothing bigger than the 10 gallon. I will look in to that, maybe I can take the 10 gallon and the other fish to my house and we can get the 20 gallon set up for the puffer at his (that is what will fit on our stand and we don't want the change to be too obvious!) We did add about half of the recommended amount of salt to the tank when we first got him, I didn't want to shock the other fish but I had heard that guppies like some salt in their water too. I am going to do a partial water change later today, should I put in more salt when I add the water? I feel so bad for the little guy, you can tell he really doesn't like the other fish because he always runs away from them. I feel like we should take him back but that isn't my decision.

Lucy

Hi Welcome to FishLore
Great advice from the above posters.
I hope you can talk to your fiancee, maybe show him the care guide that mathas linked to. Surely, we wants what's best for the puffer, as I can see you do.
Be careful with the salt, cories don't tolerate it well.
Best of luck

MaddieLynn

Also, GSP's need marine salt, not aquarium salt.

eiginh

You should really listen to her, shes the PUFFER QUEEN!!!