Green Spotted Pufferfish and Snails

[kcodrumlrak]

I recently bought a green spotted pufferfish and was reading about them. In order to keep their teeth from growing, they need to eat snails from my understanding. I've been looking at this forum long enough to understand that nearly all aquariums have snails if they have live plants, and my aquarium has live plants. Here's the sticky part: I've searched for a good three days and I have yet to see one snail.

Basically what I'm asking is, should I wait and see if I can find snails, or go and try to buy some, but that would in effect be buying myself a snail infestation.

I have a 55 gallon aquarium, this is the current stocking (it recently just finished cycling, hence the light stock):

2 Blue Gourami
2 Rosy Barbs
2 Tiger Barbs
1 Green Spotted Pufferfish
2 Pictus Catfish

As of yesterday, I had a 8.0 PH, 10ppm nitrate, no nitrite, and <.25 ammonia.


I also would like to get a couple loaches, preferably Yoyos, but I know that they also eat snails. Would that be too much competition for eating the snails?

Thanks in advance.

[Brookfish]

Hi and welcome to the forum, If you feed your puffer some pond snails a few times a week, they will keep it's teeth in check, your LFS may even give them to you free, and if you have a spare 5/10g tank you could grow your own snails on for feeding purposes.
Don't worry about a snail infestation the puffer will take care of them.

[kaybee]

In addition to (or in replace of) snails, green spotted puffers can be given various crustacean and mollusk food items such as prawn, krill, clams, mussels, shelled shrimp, shrimp tails, etc. These foods also keep their fused teeth/beak worn down. I haven't feed my green spotted puffers snails in years.

Your puffer will eventually need to be relocated to its own tank where the salinity can be increased to at least brackish conditions as long term existence in fresh water leads to the deterioration of their health over time. Many tropical fish cannot exist in the salinity levels these puffers eventually require.

Finally, green spotted puffers aren't really suited for community tanks, as they become more aggressive an are likely to become fin nippers.

[allsmiles]

I personally wouldn't spend anything on snails. They are so common and many people who have aquariums, have snails to the point of issue. Your local pet store would probably gladly give them to you for free and if they wont, then you sould probably ask around for someone who has a tank and snails and they will probably be more than happy to get rid of them. I don't have anything in my tank that will eat them, but got them through my pet store and they have multiplied, so I have to pull them out and throw them away on a weekly basis.

[splitadams]

if hes only small now he might even have problems opening a snail shell, my milk-spotted puffer is too small to open snail shells at the moment because they are too thick so i break the sails shell before giving it to him and that doesnt help much for his teeth so i feed him the occaisional cray but i have to watch him eat and seperate half of it because a whole cray is too big for him and he'll keep eating

[Puff of Green]

Hi and welcome to the forum, If you feed your puffer some pond snails a few times a week, they will keep it's teeth in check, your LFS may even give them to you free, and if you have a spare 5/10g tank you could grow your own snails on for feeding purposes.
Don't worry about a snail infestation the puffer will take care of them.
Any advice on breeding the snails? I am about to try with a 10g tank. I'm going to start with approximately 25 snails. Thanks

[splitadams]

Any advice on breeding the snails? I am about to try with a 10g tank. I'm going to start with approximately 25 snails. Thanks

you dont need to start with that many but i spose it wouldnt hurt

just feed the snails and they'll breed

i keep mine in a bucket with about 4 inches of water no filter or anything and theyre numbers grow exteremely fast

[Puff of Green]

Thanks, I hope Puff is hungry!

[Crispy]

my little figure 8 puffer loves freeze dried shrimp. he eats snails too, but loves the shrimp the best!

[Puff of Green]

O yea, freeze dried shrimp are a most for mine too. I also feed him bloodworms to keep him swimming around and to keep his coloration bright. Anyone know if GSPs eat any veggies? For instance, algae wafers or even live plants.

[splitadams]

im fairly sure most if not all puffers are carnivores, and ive heard freeze dry foods give puffers jockjaw and they eventually cant eat, this has nothing to do with theyre beaks overgrowing, might be a good idea to look into that because im not 100% sure about it

try the puffer forums some one there will tell you anything you need to know about gsp's
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[AABatteries]

Ummmm... Hate to break this too, but I'm pretty sure as they mature they become brackish, then full marine.

EDIT: Yup, I was right.
Water Chemistry:

I suggest keeping GSPs at low-end BW when juvenile <2", (in a specific gravity, or SG of 1.005-08), at 2-4", medium BW (SG 1.010-15) and adult >4" SW (SG 1.018-22).

Also, if those two gouramis aren't both females or male and female, you're in for a rough ride(aggression).

[Puff of Green]

you dont need to start with that many but i spose it wouldnt hurt

just feed the snails and they'll breed

i keep mine in a bucket with about 4 inches of water no filter or anything and theyre numbers grow exteremely fast

How often do you change out the water? Seriously no heater no filter no nothing?