# Best salinity for my tank?



## kamela (Oct 11, 2011)

I have a 55 gal tank with a violet goby that I keep at 1.008 and recently bought a green spotted puffer (just yesterday actually). I read somewhere that the puffers need a high salinity level and was wondering what would be the best to balance my tank. I also heard that the puffer needs increased salinity with age. I of course have no idra how old he is but he is about an inch and a half long and looks a lot skinnier than pictures of green spotted puffers I've seen but that was how he was when I bought him. Any tips would be appreciated, thanks!


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

A salinity of 1.008 is in the brackish water range. Brackish water by definition varies in salinity, from 1,001 to 1.022. In nature in Brackish water environments, salinity can change from 1.004 to 1.020 very easily and quickly. These changes can be caused by heavy tropical rains, river floods and tides. Remember that fish in these natural environments can swim to their desired salinity when it changes, those in your fish tank can't.


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

I would keep it at about 1.008. Its the max (suggested online) for your goby and the mid ground for the puffer. The puffer may need higher salinity later in life but you may want to get a larger tank for it by that time so you'd want to either sell it or just get into a salt water aquarium and add it into there. 
If your puffer looks on the skinny side, make sure its eating. I've tried a few and they didnt eat anything (probobly due to stress of a smallish tank) so i returned them before they died. Try seeing what it'll eat. They have eaten ghost shrimp, mysis shrimp, and blood worms but they seem to prefer live food.


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## SuckMyCichlids (Nov 5, 2011)

Keep an eye on your puffer with the goby, your puffer very well might try to nibble at slower fish like your goby, their really arnt awhole lot of good tank mates for puffers but givin you have a 55g you have a decent amount of room for them to stay away from each other at least for the time being an I'm guessing your puffer is a juvi by its size, they'll get to around 3" full grown


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Have any pics of the puffer? They are a favorite of mine. Is his belly sunken? That is not a good sign. If it's just a bit flat then he probably just needs feeding up, they are often not fed well in stores. They need to be fed live or frozen meaty foods like blood worms. Also they need food with hard shells to keep their beaks from overgrowing.

This article has very good information on GSP: 
The Puffer Forum •An Introduction to Green Spotted Puffers


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

kamela said:


> I have a 55 gal tank with a violet goby that I keep at 1.008 and recently bought a green spotted puffer (just yesterday actually). I read somewhere that the puffers need a high salinity level and was wondering what would be the best to balance my tank. I also heard that the puffer needs increased salinity with age. I of course have no idra how old he is but he is about an inch and a half long and looks a lot skinnier than pictures of green spotted puffers I've seen but that was how he was when I bought him. Any tips would be appreciated, thanks!


Hello k...

"A Fishkeeper's Guide to Livebearing Fishes" says a half teaspoon up to a teaspoon of standard aquarium salt added to every gallon of treated tap water will give an approximate hydrometer reading of 1.0001. If you need a slightly higher reading, then a small amount in addition to the teaspoon should give you the desired level. I doubt your fish will be able to tell the difference in a teaspoon and a fraction more per gallon in such a large tank.

If you don't have standard aquarium salt, then commercial canning salt or Kosher salt can be substituted. Don't use table salt. It can contain additives that could harmful to your fish. 

Just a thought.

B


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## kamela (Oct 11, 2011)

snail said:


> Have any pics of the puffer? They are a favorite of mine. Is his belly sunken? That is not a good sign. If it's just a bit flat then he probably just needs feeding up, they are often not fed well in stores. They need to be fed live or frozen meaty foods like blood worms. Also they need food with hard shells to keep their beaks from overgrowing.
> 
> This article has very good information on GSP:
> The Puffer Forum •An Introduction to Green Spotted Puffers


I finally got him to eat on the third day. I went back to the pet store and bought the same food they said they fed their puffers (some kind of pellets) and he refused to eat them. Then it was suggested to me to try fresh shellfish and bought some oysters which he loves. Because he wouldn't eat the pet store food I'm guessing he's skinny since he hasn't eaten in awhile but now he eats regularly and is a nice green color withe dark black spots (he was pale yellow when I bought him and his spots barely visible).


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

That's great to hear, if he is eating well you've passed your first big hurdle.


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 2, 2011)

GSP's can stay for life in brackish water, but it shortens their life span by 3 years or so from what ive been told..I got one by mistake when i was trying to get rid of some pond snails in my planted tank..so i went to petco..yeah thats right petco to find something to eat them..all they had was clown loaches and in this other freshwater tank was this little gsp..i didnt do any research on them, but thought hey he's in freshwater so i bought him..took him home after accumilation, put him in the tank and then got on the internet and my heart fell out of my chest when i read that they need to be acculimated to marine.. anyway i took another tank and set it up and started it brackish and slowly took him up to full marine..had that puffer 6 years before i gave him to a buddy to move to michigan..moral of this long story..research..research..research..

Rick


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

glad to hear its doin well!


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 2, 2011)

just remember if your going to take him to marine status..do it very slowly..i took mine up 3 points ever month.

Rick


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