Tankmate for GSP

[loganj]

I know the GSP (green spotted puffer) is considered a brackish fish, but on advice from the good folks at pufferlovers.com, I have mine in full salt. About 1.024 with a Deep Six hydro. He is doing great and growing like a weed! I am going to change the substrate to sand and add some cured rock from some of my other tanks. Hopefully I can phase out the biomedia in the Fluval eventually. I would like to add something else to the tank. I know some of the predatory SW fish will make use (for something other than a snack) of cleaner shrimp. Do you think the puffer would go for this? Maybe if I added the shrimp before I put the puffer back in the rearranged tank? Also, would a snowflake moray be a suitable tankmate for either? I've read that if the morays are well fed, they will usually leave the cleaner shrimp alone. I don't know if a moray and the GSP would get along though.

[sokhamik]

umm.. i would say stay away from that idea.. if the puffer's mouth is big enough to eat the shrimp, then it would do so.. all puffers eat crustaceans.. i've had freshwater puffers who loved crustaceans.. he also liked to nip at other fishes' fins when he gets hungry..

[stresco]

You definately need a fish that is biger than the puffers mouth. If he can fit it into his mouth, he will eat it. How big is your tank? I would think of an adult angel, or maybe a trigger.

[reefrunner69]

My biggest concern would be if a "brackish" puffer would recognize the cleaner as a cleaner. I do not believe the moray would eat the cleaner shrimp, I've seen pictures of morays being cleaned by cleaner shrim just like other fish, but I guess I agree with the others, it's risky.

[loganj]

So...the moray and the puffer would probably be OK with each other. The shrimp would be on the menu. Right?

[reefrunner69]

Yes the moray won't mess with the puffer, and I don't think the puffer would try the moray.

[loganj]

Thanks...kinda sucks about the cleaner shrimp though. Oh no...I think I feel another tank coming on here. Anybody got a tent or a camper I can borrow for a few weeks when Kymme throws me out of the house?

[Mutz]

I had a GSP for a while - what a great fish! Everything I read and everyone I talked to said to avoid putting inverts in with him. I had him in there with a few clowns, a coral beauty and a lawnmower blenny and the puff didn't bother any of them.

[sokhamik]

umm... i've had a couple of freshwater puffers, and saltwater puffers.. they all seem to like crustaceans.. so i'd be careful if i were to do what you are doing..

[sokhamik]

haha.. sorry about the repeat but when i checked the post i didn't see any replies and i remembered replying to this post, but i didn't see it so that is why there was a repeat on my reply.. hehe