Fish Id Please

[Peter C]

got a new tank, saw these in my local maidenhead but they didnt have a name or any info, just a massive SOLD sticker on the tank, not suprised to be fair, they look ace!!

any idea what they are? they almost look like puffer fish

 

[MBOU]

Green Spot Puffers Brackish/full Marine though...

 

[Peter C]

they werent in a marine tank tho?? just a normal tropical tank

 

[Chad]

It's a great fish. I've kept a few of them over the years but they are more advanced fish to keep.

They can live in freshwater when they are young but when they become adults they require brackish water. Adults can live in full marine as well.

Adults do very poorly in freshwater. They do not grow to full size, the colors are muted, their teeth don't grow properly, and they look at you with a sad face. The fish store can get away with it for a while because they have young fish and because they generally move them out of the store before the water causes a problem.

 

[Peter C]

next question. marine tanks

how much more difficult is it to go from tropical to marine, and is it a lot more expensive?

cheers

 

[Chad]

A fish only marine tank is not very difficult to maintain, however, it is more costly. A reef tank is even more so by far and quite difficult!

 

[Peter C]

not that keen on reef anyway, looks crap imo lol

fish tho, they look lovely compaired to some tropical fish

 

[Chad]

not that keen on reef anyway, looks crap imo lol

fish tho, they look lovely compaired to some tropical fish

Oh, you hurt my feelings.
This is my reef. It's an old photo so the corals are more grown out now. There are about 28 fish in the tank. It's 210gallons.

 

[MBOU]

I so love that photo Chad *sigh*

Lol you have done it now Peter!!

Marine isnt difficult if you get and listen to good advice! It will however cost you a lot more.

You will need to buy extra:

-RO water
-Salt
-Refractometer (to check salt levels)
-A decent test kit if you havent one already
-Coral sand/gravel
-Protein Skimmer
-Decent filtration (internal filters are no good)
-Potentially a powerhead too.
-Liverock (average cost is about £13/kg from a shop for normal stuff)
-Livestock (tends to be a lot more expensive!).

Then you need to think before you buy, are you wanting marine becauseof fish like the Blue Regal Tang (Dory?) or bright Yellow Tangs? Because both species get huge and will need 5-6ft tanks... most of the commonly seen marine fish get pretty big... there are loads that dont!! But they just arent the ones that immediately pop into peoples minds when considering marines...

No point setting up a marine tank only to be dissapointed to find you cant have the fish you wanted...

 

[Chad]

I agree about tank size. You either need great self-discipline or a large tank. I have done marine tanks as small as 2.5 gallons and now have the 210 and every size in between. I personally like the larger tank now that I have it.

I recommend for beginners that they start with at least a 55 gallon tank. 125 gallon is better if you can manage it.

 

[Peter C]

Was Toying with the idea of marine but il probably stick to tropical. just liked the look of those puffers

 

[Chad]

They are pretty that's for sure. They are also pretty mean when they grow up and do best kept in a species tank.

 

[MBOU]

You could still do a species tank for dwarf puffers or figure 8s (brackish). Would need to be species tank but brackish isnt difficult, much easier and cheaper than marine and puffers dont need tankmates, they have huge personalities!!

 

[Aquascaper]

No point setting up a marine tank only to be dissapointed to find you cant have the fish you wanted...

My favourite quote of the day! If only everyone would take note of it

 

[Chad]

Dwarf puffers are one of the few puffers that are actually true freshwater fish. They can be kept in a community tank if it's the right size, plants, and mix of fish.