Green spotted puffers

[Simnpson]

Hey all!
I’ve had these marine gsp (2) for about a month. They were sold to me as freshwater fish but to my surprise I read they do better in salt water so here we are… anyways
They seem bored? Are they supposed to just swim in the back of the tank ? I want to add live food but I think they’re too small right now.. and I don’t want them to eat all of my little blue hermits or the snails that are cleaning.. any suggestions?

(One of them is in the back towards the top of the tank on the left, the other is behind a live rock in the back of the tank by that snail lol)

I thought maybe they don’t like the front because I put too much crushed coral stuff? I thought they liked that for their beaks

 

[PicassoClown04]

There is not a lot of cover for them to hide in, that is probably adding to their nervousness; some more decorations (even if it's just fake plastic aquarium plants!) would help them feel more secure. I find that very shy fish tend to do better if another fish that is more bold is added to the tank. The new fish should be peaceful with them, just more out and about (think chromis, anthias, clowns, etc).

I would recommend just buying frozen clams on the half shell or shelled shrimp from the grocery store for them to eat since its cheaper and there's no risk of accidentally feeding them sick live food.

On a side note: I have never heard of marine gsp, only brackish ones. If your goal is to have a tank for your puffers then I would recommend going brackish for their comfort. Plenty of other fish (like mollies) can still live comfortably with them. You could even do a mudskipper/puffer tank! Salinity of 1.010 is probably good for both species