Green Spotted Puffer (freshwater?)

[fretfreak13]

Posting this here because it's not actually a salty fish. I see them in the freshwater tanks at my LFS all the time. I'm starting to get my boyfriend into the fish hobby too, but he doesn't want to set up a giant saltwater tank because he knows the costs. He loves puffer fish, and since I know he'd have to keep a larger SW tank for these guys, I thought about a little fresh water one. I know they get big, but the LFS sells them at under an inch. How fast do they grow, if anyone has any experience with them.
Also, I read that they are kinda saltwater fish in a sence, and that when fully mature, can be acclimated to live in a saltwater environment. Would I have to add a little salt into the freshwater tank to make this guy comfortable? If so, how much?
Here's what I've read so far.

 

[mantisman51]

It is a puffer that starts as a brackish fish and about 6 months or 3-4" becomes full marine. You should slowly raise the sg to 1.009 if very small and then acclimate up to regular sw at the above mentioned size/age.

 

[fretfreak13]

what would happen if I didn't turn it into a full saltwater? Would it acrtually die, because it was already acclimated to the brackish?

 

[mantisman51]

No. It wouldn't die right away. It just woudn't live the normal 5-7 year life span.

 

[nina&noah]

I've had two that haven't made it a month. I've read they need pristine water conditions to survive. I didn't think that would be so hard in a FW tank, but apparently I was wrong.

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by nina&noah
http:///forum/post/3166900
I've had two that haven't made it a month. I've read they need pristine water conditions to survive. I didn't think that would be so hard in a FW tank, but apparently I was wrong.
+1....I have had FW for many years.....I have excellent water quality, and they never lasted in my tanks either.....After trying a couple of time I gave up...

What size tank is the BF looking at setting up????

 

[nw2salt08]

I have two green spotted puffers in my tank in the livingroom. They've been there for about a month now and they have already grown 1/2 inch. They're doing well. I do a 5 gal water change every week and have a BB tank. They're doing way better than the proposed outcome that they would've had in the small 10gal tank that they were in at Walmart with 15 other GSP's.

They were feeding them flake food and they were already getting ich. I have since then treated them and they get a variety of foods. Mine really enjoy the snails that I buy, an occasional fiddler crab, frozen food and scallops.

 

[bender77]

Green spotted puffers can live for over 15 years and can grow up to 6 inches. So if you want one you need to be prepared for the future.
"Green Spotted Puffers are fascinating, personable, lovely creatures. Owning one is a truly rewarding experience. With the proper care these fish can live 15+ years and grow to 6.5".
Unfortunately there is still a lot of misinformation about puffers, and these fish are often wrongly being labeled as a freshwater fish. When very small green spotted puffers can survive in freshwater, but once they grow more than 1.5-2" they need to be acclimated to brackish water (with an s.g. of about 1.008-1.0016), and when they're over 4.5" it's best to keep them at an s.g of 1.016-1.022"
by Hannah Trunck
Mine eats mysis, marine cuisine, baby snails and gracillius algae. These guys are omnivorious. You should see him chow down on the gracillius.
I tried these guys when I had freshwater tanks several times and they always ended up with ick and died in a couple of weeks. The one I acclimated to salt is fat and sassy and I've had for over 5 or 6 months now. I hope he continues to grow and thrive so I can have a good excuse to get a bigger tank when he needs it.

 

[pezenfuego]

Wow. Forget about green spotted puffers!
You need a figure 8 puffer. These guys are amazing. They don't get as big and they don't require very large tanks.
Oh and did I mention that they are GORGEOUS?!

 

[mantisman51]

Originally Posted by bender77
http:///forum/post/3168346
Green spotted puffers can live for over 15 years and can grow up to 6 inches. So if you want one you need to be prepared for the future.
"Green Spotted Puffers are fascinating, personable, lovely creatures. Owning one is a truly rewarding experience. With the proper care these fish can live 15+ years and grow to 6.5".
Unfortunately there is still a lot of misinformation about puffers, and these fish are often wrongly being labeled as a freshwater fish. When very small green spotted puffers can survive in freshwater, but once they grow more than 1.5-2" they need to be acclimated to brackish water (with an s.g. of about 1.008-1.0016), and when they're over 4.5" it's best to keep them at an s.g of 1.016-1.022"
by Hannah Trunck
Mine eats mysis, marine cuisine, baby snails and gracillius algae. These guys are omnivorious. You should see him chow down on the gracillius.
I tried these guys when I had freshwater tanks several times and they always ended up with ick and died in a couple of weeks. The one I acclimated to salt is fat and sassy and I've had for over 5 or 6 months now. I hope he continues to grow and thrive so I can have a good excuse to get a bigger tank when he needs it.
True that they can live up to 15 years, but according to RT Ricketts, the biologist who is the "puffer expert", they rarely live longer than 7 years even with ideal husbandry in captivity. It was a pair of gsp's that got me into SW in the first place. When they got up to 4" I slowly converted them to SW in my 55. My figure 8 puffer was my favorite though. He was like a puppy more than a fish. F8's are BRACKISH! They will not live longer than a year in FW.

 

[ca161406]

i have 2 GSPs in my 125 reef that ive had for about 2 years now. they are about 3 inches and boss the 5 inch humu haha