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November 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| getting puffer today need help
Hey fishlore members! Today I'm purchasing a green spotted puffer for my 31 gallon tank. and a 1 dwarf puffer for my 10 gallon. what other fish could i keep with my green spotted, and what with my dwarf puffer? (besides their own species) thanks alot for the advice! leaving for the fish store in 20 minutes. also I am using all-naturael rocks that i boiled for 30 minutes to make caves and such. I was wondering if i should buy gravel, or sand? also-what kind of food should i buy them, howmuch, and how long would that amount last?
Thanks!
~BinskiBoi | 
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November 6th, 2009
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| hmmm If i were you, id find all this information out before buying...20 mins isnt much time to have members give you advice ...why not wait to get more research done and then decide? feeding and housing any fish is very important and IMO cant be done 20 mins before leaving a pet store | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawnie  hmmm If i were you, id find all this information out before buying...20 mins isnt much time to have members give you advice ...why not wait to get more research done and then decide? feeding and housing any fish is very important and IMO cant be done 20 mins before leaving a pet store | ive been researching them for days now....im just wondering if there is 1 fish i could possibly have with it as an aquarium... not like i just decided 20 seconds ago ima buy a puffer :P i also know to feed them bloodworms and snails and such i just wanted to know how much will last them a week. | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| I'm not a puffer expert but doesn't the GSP get to be like 6 inches? I would not put a fish that gets that big in a 31 gallon tank. | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| Both puffers can be very dangerous tankmates. First of all, no inverts (except as snacks). Slow-moving fish tend to be a negative as well (I've heard about dwarf puffers taking bits out of fish large enough to swallow them whole).
Both would be best off in a species-only tank, in my opinion. The GSP will, of course, need other brackish fish, and I can't really think of any right now that wouldn't become targets (that doesn't mean there aren't any, though). The dwarf puffer could do okay with a few otos, which tend to be fast enough to avoid danger.
Edit: I agree that GSPs get pretty big for a 30g tank, particularly since they're such messy eaters. At the very least, I'd say that a 30g should only house the one puffer.
Last edited by sirdarksol; November 6th, 2009 at 02:05 PM.
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Quote:
Originally Posted by binskiboi ive been researching them for days now....im just wondering if there is 1 fish i could possibly have with it as an aquarium... not like i just decided 20 seconds ago ima buy a puffer :P i also know to feed them bloodworms and snails and such i just wanted to know how much will last them a week. | if you been researching , you know they dont usually play well with others...and no one can tell you a weeks worth of food..each fish is different  ...I think id wait a bit and do some more research but thats me | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by suemvb I'm not a puffer expert but doesn't the GSP get to be like 6 inches? I would not put a fish that gets that big in a 31 gallon tank. | I agree the guy should probably know all these answers if he has been doing his himework.
But why wouldn't you put a 6" fish in a 31gal tank?
A standard 30gal is what.... 36"x12"x16" right.
How much room does one fish need? Seriously, if you wouldn't agree a 6" fish could be housed in a 30gal tank, what would an Oscar need? A pond?
Brian | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Quote:
Originally Posted by btate617 I agree the guy should probably know all these answers if he has been doing his himework.
But why wouldn't you put a 6" fish in a 31gal tank?
A standard 30gal is what.... 36"x12"x16" right.
How much room does one fish need? Seriously, if you wouldn't agree a 6" fish could be housed in a 30gal tank, what would an Oscar need? A pond?
Brian | Remember that size is not all about length. A 6" puffer has a lot more mass than a 6" bala shark, which has a lot more mass than a 6" dojo loach.
Also, bioload is not all about size. As I mentioned, puffers are extremely messy fish. This isn't just about swimming space, it's about how much waste the volume of water can handle.
I'm not saying that 30g isn't enough. I'm just saying that it's a pretty valid opinion that 30g isn't enough. It's one of those areas that each fishkeeper is going to have to make the call for themselves after getting all the info. | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Right it has nothing to do with length. A 6" puffer is nothing like a 6" Bala, The fish is not going to be doing any speed laps, it does not need a 6' tank.
Bioload isn't a big part of it either really. He need a filter that will suffice and a good tank maintenance schedule. Nearly every African tank is overloaded for what it should have in terms of fish/bioload but we don't tell them not to get the Africans.
We say he needs to gather all the info and make a decision based on what he finds. 95% of the info he will find, including the profile on this site, says a 20-30gal tank.
Thats why I say again, what is wrong with a 30gal tank?
Brian | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by btate617 I agree the guy should probably know all these answers if he has been doing his himework.
But why wouldn't you put a 6" fish in a 31gal tank?
A standard 30gal is what.... 36"x12"x16" right.
How much room does one fish need? Seriously, if you wouldn't agree a 6" fish could be housed in a 30gal tank, what would an Oscar need? A pond?
Brian | I don't know...
How big is the pond? | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by suemvb I don't know...
How big is the pond? | Exactly my point, thank you.
Brian | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| I think you missed my point lol. If it's a small pond then no, the oscar would not be happy.
I don't think a GSP is the best choice for a 31 gallon. A figure 8 might be a better choice. If there are fishlore members that have kept a GSP in a similar sized tank then they will probably tactfully mention that I am incorrect and I will be happy to have their advice. I'm sure if the OP has not left to go fish shopping they will appreciate it too. The OP was asking for advice within the next 30 min so I thought I'd offer my opinion. | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| everyone has an opinion either way ..but back to the OP ....to look for a quick fix for any tank , Quote: |
thanks alot for the advice!leaving for the fish store in 20 minutes.
| was my point of disaster happening when you impulse buy like that...the questions the OP had, were very simple questions that if researched properly, were the basics of puffer care to begin with...what happens if no one answered in 20 mins? either way, I hope things work out and whatever fish you buy, are happy and healthy fun for you and your tank  | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| sorry..but I was kinda concerned also aobut the tank condition....water parameters...  if there isnt any substate yet...how bout that nitrogen cycle I just hope it all works out | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| The minimum for 1 GSP is 30 gallons. I think one GSP would be fine in a 31 gallon. PFP is the puffer expert and she has said that she's going to keep her one GSP in a 30g. | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Quote:
Originally Posted by btate617 Bioload isn't a big part of it either really. | Yes, it is. It's a huge part of it. You referred to African cichlids. They are tidy fish compared to puffers. When puffers eat, they tear their food apart, letting bits fall to the substrate or get sucked into the filter. That food then breaks down into nitrogen. Puffers have more body mass than an equivalent length African cichlid, too. This means that they produce more waste, as well.
Your post seems to suggest that just putting more filters in will solve the problem. It won't. Filters do nothing to get rid of nitrates in the tank, and that's what we're talking about when we're concerned about bioload and tank size.
In, say, a 20g tank, a fully grown green spotted puffer will produce enough nitrates that it would require multiple weekly water changes/vacuumings in order to keep the nitrates to an acceptable level. A single fully grown GSP in a 30g will probably still produce enough waste that it will require more than the typical 20% weekly water change to keep nitrates down. | |
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November 6th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| I haven't got my fish yet decided to wait. ammonia is 0, gravity level is 1.007, and yes, i know about the nitro cycle . | |
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November 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by sirdarksol Yes, it is. It's a huge part of it. You referred to African cichlids. They are tidy fish compared to puffers. When puffers eat, they tear their food apart, letting bits fall to the substrate or get sucked into the filter. That food then breaks down into nitrogen. Puffers have more body mass than an equivalent length African cichlid, too. This means that they produce more waste, as well.
Your post seems to suggest that just putting more filters in will solve the problem. It won't. Filters do nothing to get rid of nitrates in the tank, and that's what we're talking about when we're concerned about bioload and tank size.
In, say, a 20g tank, a fully grown green spotted puffer will produce enough nitrates that it would require multiple weekly water changes/vacuumings in order to keep the nitrates to an acceptable level. A single fully grown GSP in a 30g will probably still produce enough waste that it will require more than the typical 20% weekly water change to keep nitrates down. | No kidding I never said more filters were the answer, I said...
He needs a filter that will suffice and a good tank maintenance schedule.
Anyway back to him, good luck with the fish when you get it.
Brian | |
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