Help with my new GSP

Question
Hi there,

I just brought a new Green spotted Puffer fish home.  I had my 15 gallon tank cyceling for a week with a seeded filter and Bio Spira.  The levels have all checked out and the temp is staying right around 80 degrees.  He is acclimating now as we speak in the bag I brought him home in.  Here is the problem though.  I have been wanting a GSP for a long time and had been preparing the tank with the plan of purchasing one from a very reputable aquarium store.  But I was Wal-Mart and saw these tiny pathetic little GSP.  There was one that looked better than the rest so I took him home.  Now I know that there is a good chance he won't make it but he was four bucks and I am willing to try.  This is what I'm dealing with.  He has almost no fins, although he has the most of any in the tank.  I assume they weren't being fed well and were snacking on each others fins.  He also seems to always have him tail crooker to the right and he doesn't have the nice round belly he should have.  Instead it kind of creases in the middle.  Again I am thinking that he hasn't been being fed well.  So I put some slime coat in the tank and a bit of aquarium salt.  I have a hydrometer but I don't know where it should be because I don't know what he is use to.  The people at Wal-Mart couldn't tell me a thing except that they like warmer water.  So what can I do to give him a good shot at recovering?  Is the aquarium salt good or bad?  What should I start with for food?  If it is at all possible I do not want to feed him anything that is alive because I have personal issues with it.  I just don't think I could babre to drop the poor things in to their death.  That said I have frozen blood worms, brine shrip and krill.  How much of that should he get a day and what else should I make sure he gets?  What about fresh veggies like I give my goldies.  He is in his own tank by the way completley alone.  So sorry that this is such a long question.  I just really want to give this little guy a good shot at a long life since I know the other guys in his old tank have a very small chance.  Thank you so much for your time!

Answer
Hi Malinda,
The poor little puff.

Many times puffers are never cared for well in petstores. And they usually arrive to the store in bad condition already from shipping stress. I think you are already aware that there is a risk he may not make it due to his bad start. But all you can do is try!

GSP's are brackish water fish and do tend to like saltier water as they mature. While brackish water is best made with marine salt sold for saltwater aquariums (aquarium salt lacks trace minerals). The conditions you currently have him in I'm sure are ten times better than what he use to be in.

I know what you mean about offering living creatures to fish. I feel the same. Although not always avoidable with all species of fish. There are great alternatives. You can offer all sorts of meaty type -frozen- foods like worms and shrimp to feed your puffer. I would offer him bloodworms, brine shrimp, krill and other types of similar food. You already have some food on hand you can feed him. Just make sure if any of it is freeze-dried, to soak it in water before feeding to your little guy to avoid digestion problems.

Feed him about once a day just enough until his belly his slightly rounded.

One thing with puffers though, they need snails. it is vital they have snail shells to help keep their teeth trimmed. Otherwise, their teeth can become overgrown and they can starve. Many puffer keepers keep a small aquarium where they raise the common ramshorn snails which are small brown fully aquatic snails that breed rapidly and easily. You can find some in your petstore tanks, they won't be put up for sale, but I'm sure you can ask for some and they'd give away some for free because they are actually considered pests by some.

You should check out this article on the intriguing little Green spotted puffer -

http://www.aquariumlife.net/articles/tropical-fish/64.asp

I hope this helps!!
Karen~