Can I mix a green spotted puffer with pea puffers?

[BeefyG]

I have 3 o cats, a tiger barb, and a green spotted puffer in a planted 10 gallon. Could I add one or two pea puffers or is that a death sentence? The o cats and barb were there before the GSP and he doesnt bother them. However, I tried adding a couple guppies and one of them was mugged as soon as he hit the water. He was practically dead before I could even net him back out. Also, I'm planning on splitting a 25 gallon down the middle and moving the 10 gallon stuff to one half. Would that make a difference?

[stevenallenbarnard]

I wouldn't

[thekarens]

GSP is a salt water fish so you definitely cannot mix them. If that tank is fresh you need to take the gsp out and put the pea puffers in instead.

[imagirlgeek]

Yeah, your GPS is going to need to be gradually moved over to a brackish environment. If he's still small, he'll handle fresh/low-brackish. But as he grows, you'll want to increase the amount of salt in his tank to a brackish level.

Okay, I just whipped out my trusty Puffer Reference Manual so I could backup the whole brackish vs. freshwater issue. Here's the deal.

I always wondered why some LFS sell GSPs as FW, when everywhere you read they are labeled as BW or even Marine. It boils down to this...brackish water puffers can be kept in freshwater, BUT any deterioration in water quality will clobber them quick. You won't even notice that there is a problem with the water quality (ie - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate), but your puffer will get listless and even die. With GSPs, you are taking a risk with freshwater because they are collected in so many different areas and you don't know if yours was brought in from a FW collection point, a BW collection point, or a SW collection point. So if your GSP has lived a long time in freshwater in the wild, he's going to do just fine in your FW aquarium. But if he was collected from a BW collection point, your freshwater tank might just make him sick or weak and his lifespan is cut down considerably. And if he was collected from a SW collection point, he's going to go belly up in freshwater in no time at all, but might be okay in BW.

Hope all this info helps someone. I know I just learned quite a bit. )

[BeefyG]

He was a Walmart purchase. He was in a tank of glolight tetras (accidentally?) and was just hanging out without buggin anybody. The puffer tank he was supposed to be in looked like a postercard for the dead and dying so I figured I would buy him before he got put back in that deathtrap. I thought after some aquarium salt and snails he would perk up and color up. So far he still has mottled blackness on his sides and stays fairly dull green except a spot on his head. He may be a lost cause but I tried. If I can find that darn receipt I may just take him back. I've had him for a week almost.

[imagirlgeek]

Don't take him back!! He'll just die there! You got him out...if you can't keep him, I'm sure someone here will take him off your hands. And if you can't find anyone else, I'll do it. Hell, I pretty much already run a puffer sanctuary at this point. I wonder if I could get a tax break.

[stevenallenbarnard]

Don't take him back!! He'll just die there! You got him out...if you can't keep him, I'm sure someone here will take him off your hands. And if you can't find anyone else, I'll do it. Hell, I pretty much already run a puffer sanctuary at this point. I wonder if I could get a tax break.

ques Sarah McLachlan music.

"in the fins of a puffer...... may you swiiiim"

[imagirlgeek]

ques Sarah McLachlan music.

"in the fins of a puffer...... may you swiiiim"

Great, now I'm going to have that stuck in my head all night!!

[BeefyG]

So... I did a water change and added quite a bit more aquarium salt and he seemed to perk up some. I threw a few feeder guppies in there as well... and now I can't take him back. Up until this point he hasn't done much, just hides out, and was quite boring. But I watched as he hid behind the coconut, waiting to strike from beneath... and miss. And hide in the patch of baby tears that was smaller than he was... only to miss again. He is really slow and wobbly but he is trying. He would take a break to try to pick a snail off the side of the tank, give up, and go back to his "hunting." And I couldn't help but name him... Fat Albert! And I think Albert is here to stay!

[BeefyG]

Wow, ummm... spoke too soon. I found him dead this morning laying on the gravel. At least I got to watch him hunt once. That was awesome. I like to think he died happy with a belly full of guppy. Maybe it was the water change, maybe the guppy went down the wrong way, or maybe he was too fat and died of a heart attack from all the activity... I guess that solves the which puffer to get problem though...

[Mzungu]

:( Aww, sorry to hear that.

[imagirlgeek]

Yeah...I'm bummed now.

[BeefyG]

The lady at walmart wasn't too happy with me. After I got my money back she told me to take my fish with me and throw it outside. Oh well, pea puffers are probably a better fit for me anyway. You will be missed Fat Albert...