Spotter green puffer substrate?

Question

I have a baby green spotter puffer in a 20G. I was wondering what type of substrate to use. Right now, I have nothing. I don't know if regular aquarium gravel is too small (the puffer ingesting it on accident while hunting). Is aquarium sand all right? Or should I stick with something bigger like river gavel?

Answer 1

Kudos for trying to do what's best for your puffer! Yes, they do have a tendency to swallow gravel, and this can cause an intestinal blockage, so going small is best.

Since green spotted puppers should be in brackish water and increase in salt content to marine conditions as adults, you might be able to use cichlid sand or a marine substrate. Both these are made of carbonate materials which will help bupper the pH of the water as well to around 7.8. That's not quite marine, but it's probably higher than your natural tapwater unless you live in an area with a naturaly high pH.

The cichlid sand is more sand-like, while marine substrates are made up of small shells or coral material. The smaller pieces would be best for a pupper, since it won't allow food or wastes to fall between the pieces - they'll stay on the top where your puffer can find the food and you can siphon out the wastes (these are lighter than regular aquarium gravel, though, so it takes some practice with a siphon to remove the wastes but not the substrate!). It helps to bend the siphon tubing with one hand, so if it starts pulling up the substrate, squeeze your hand to crimp the tubing and stop the flow - then the substrate will fall back into the tank.


ADDITION: I'd consider large rocks a bad choice unless you're willing to do a lot of cleaning. Puffers are very sensitive to ammonia and nitrite, and these will be produced by any wastes/food that decomposes in the substrate. You want to be able to see and remove wastes as soon as you can.

Answer 2

bigger will work. Sand will require extra maintenance and you can't jsut dump it into your tank. I'd go with sand, but you have to wash it out really well, then you put it into your tank. It doesn't matter what type or sand or whether you add the sand or the water first. The sand will cloud the water. When the water is clouded by the bits of sand, DO NOT put the fish back in. The fine particles are rough and will hurt the gills of the fish.

If the fish is a baby, I'd keep the tank bare bottomed or add large rocks. If you want to do the sand, you can move the puffer to a 10 gallon temporarily (10 gallon tanks are cheap, and if you use the same filter, there is no need to cycle it) while you set the sand up in the 20 and wait for all of it to settle.

Answer 3

I have puffer fish as well. mine have normal aquarium pebbles/stones as well as those little glass disks and marbles. They really never even go down to the rocks anyway. I wouldn't use aquarium sand.. it seems like it would be too fine.

Good luck with the puffer, they are the cutest little fish ever.