Acclimating Gsp To Saltwater

[alex11]

I am going to pick up my GSP today at my lfs. I have a 14 gallon tank setup for quarantine/acclimation that has a salinity of 1.003. Once she is acclimated to a salinity of about 1.021 she will be going into a 50 gallon predator tank. Any advice for acclimation to full salt?

 

[Culprit]

Do it slowly, really slowly. Just top off with half 1.003 salinity and half RO/DI water.

 

[alex11]

Would raising the salinity .001 sg a week be too fast?

 

[alex11]

I was planning on dripping saltwater in every 3 days at a higher salinity over the course of a day about a half gallon each time.

 

[Culprit]

Would raising the salinity .001 sg a week be too fast?

No that'd be fine.

I was planning on dripping saltwater in every 3 days at a higher salinity over the course of a day about a half gallon each time.

I wouldn't do that, just get 2-3 gallons of 1.021 sg, and then 2-3 tubs of fresh clean RO/DI water. One day top off your evap with the salty water, and then the next day the freshwater. Do that every other day. It should raise salinity good and slowly. Just do it every 2 days if salinity is going up too fast.

 

[alex11]

That sounds like a plan. Will let you know how it goes. I picked her up a couple hours and she's already eating. Love how much personality puffers have wish I still had my 140 so I could get a porcupine or dog face but life happens small puffers are awesome too.

 

[AZL]

Doing it slowly in a separate tank is great, I had to go much faster and fortunately they were fine. I set up a marine tank for a GSP being re-homed with me from an environment of 1.025 sg. The LFS the guy got him from still had the same batch so I planned to get another from there and introduce them simultaneously. I got the shop one first, he was being kept in 1.010. I was really concerned for him but the advice I was given that GSP's are built for fast changes in salinity as their natural estuary environment shifts quickly and dramatically, it is temperature changes that they are more sensitive to. The little guy from the LFS got drip acclimated in a jug, just covered with his tank water then 3 times that volume in full salt water over an hour or so, any longer and he would have gotten too cold. He then floated in a breeder box while I got the other, he only needed dripping for 15 min as same salinity. Early days so I'm keeping a close eye but both doing very well. The one re-homed with me was acclimatised the same way and just as quickly in his first home and that was 4 months ago so it seems ok.