New tank, debating on fish/plants...

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

CaptainMorgan_SOS: Yea, I really like the idea of the 10-15 DPs and Ottos but I am just not sure... In the past I had DPs and had THE HARDEST time getting them to eat anything but snails. And even then the snails had to be on a plant, they would not even touch a snail if it was in the sand... It's like they thought it was contaminated or something. The filter looks like the Eheim. I did a search and different forums have good things to say about these. The one thing that really seems to be consistent about the comments is that you should be very careful with it because some of the parts are not so high quality. But if you are careful, these filters supposedly work AMAZINGLY. $60 for a filter that will do 265 GPH? YES PLEASE!!

Yeah the DP's that I had owned only ate frozen bloodworms and that was it. Btw, yeah I thought that filter was the Eheim look alike. I will let you try yours out for awhile and see how you like it before I make a decision to buy one for myself

[CaptainMorgan_SOS]

I'll try to keep updating on the new filter... hopefully it works great because I am on a pretty tight budget at the moment.

[omplmpa3]

I think the Irrubescos can be a bit unpredictable when it comes to temperament, some mild mannered while others are aggressive. The odds of assembling a trio or quartet with compatible or even tolerable personalities could be pretty low.

All of my DPs love to hunt down their food. Some will eat the live blackworms and frozen bloodworms immediately upon them being added to the tank (once the bloodworms hit the substrate they loose their appeal), but they all prefer to stalk snails and pick off the blackworms after they have settled on some plants or driftwood. They are such cute little predators!

I vote for DPs, the beautiful driftwood and a ton of plants. I think it would be stunning.

[RTR]

I am an old fogey. I have to actually see a fish before I buy it. I have gotten plants on-line (some good, some garbage), but never fish.

[puffermichigan]

I'll second the suggestions to keep it freshwater if you want to keep your piece of wood. I have three beautiful pieces of wood in my brackish water tank with my two GSPs, but they are going to have to be taken out (I'm planning to switch to full marine by the time I move cities in a year). Every week when I clean the tank and rinse the wood there is definitely a lot of "brown" rinsing off of the wood, and my salinity right now is only at 1.008.

However, I do want to say that a single fish in the tank may seem like a "waste" of space (the local fish store told me it was quote "ridiculous" to need 75 gallons for my two inch-long GSPs, groan) but it most certainly isn't! They are so active and curious and inquisitive, they really do take up the entire tank. My fiance had the same questions your wife did, about their needing such a large tank. Now though, he's saying to me, "well, when they get big they'll need lots more swimming room so we'll get them 90 gallons when we move and use this tank as a freshwater planted tank." (I said sure, so long as you help me clean them both ). It's an amazing treat to have a space where your fish seem to have room to explore and swim and behave in a way that is more similar to the way they'd behave in the wild (more so than in a smaller tank, anyway).

[JRC3]

Just call around to see if a lfs will order fish, most will if their supplier can get them...You don't have to pay shipping that way too.

And shipping fish scares me... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nv28lunRSY lol This actually goes on longer than the video.

[CaptainMorgan_SOS]

Yea I also am afraid of shipping fish, especially after seeing that.

So I see that almost everyone is either on the side of DPs of the GSP. Could I get 2 GSPs since I will have the tank 2-3x overfiltered or is it just not enough room or the 2? I eventually want to get a 65 gallon that will take up the same footprint of my 45 so they would eventually get a bigger tank. But the wood would not last in there

I am surprised that the Figure 8s and BBGs aren't getting any love. Those were actually what I was leaning towards since I have kept a pair and they were great little fish. Would the wood survive 1.005 salinity?

I am liking the idea of DPs as well though. If only they got just a little bit bigger... I like fish around 2-4." When I had some of these though they were just sooooooo picky.

What about plants? Should I just go with some Java Ferns, Anubias, and maybe a Moss Ball or 2? Or are there others that would work good?

[JRC3]

I have an F8, 11 BBGs, and 5 celebes rainbowfish in a 46g so of course I gotta agree with that choice too. I had a big piece of mopani wood in there but it started to stink after a few months at 1.005. Instead I bought two of the big fake root ornaments from Petsmart and they look pretty good once some good algae grows on them. I have some pics and vids around here somewhere.

[omplmpa3]

F8s would work. I keep driftwood in my brackish tanks, though the salinity is closer to 1.003 on average. When the wood gets a little fuzzy, I take an old soft bristle toothbrush and clean the wood in the utility sink. I use a mix of laterite, aragonite, and sand for my substrate and the pH stays at 7.8 consistently.

[CaptainMorgan_SOS]

Yeah... there is no way I am gonna be taking this wood out to clean it. It weighs about 50-60 pounds with the concrete block attached to it, which is buried below the sand.

We will see though. I can't really do anything until I get that filter in. I will continue to update once that comes in. The water is still just standing and is still a little cloudy, so once that filter gets running it will clear up the rest of the way and I will start thinkin about plants. Then fish.

[Pufferpunk]

Without a filter, I wouldn't have added the water yet. I'd do a 100% WC after getting that filter in there.

[RTR]

LFS do not know very much about keeping fish and IMHO & IME, they know a heck of a lot less about needed tank sizes for a fish's potential lifespan. LFS are excellent at: selling fish (whether or not they know anything at all about them), selling equipment (whether or not it is appropriate or useful for the fish or tank in question), selling quick-fixes, whether they work or not. Ask them how many puffers they have kept personally and how many years old they are. Ask if they have ever seen a 10-15 year old GSP and how big it was. If they do not give the correct answer, you know more than they do.

INNSOHO (in my not so humble opinion) anyone who says that a 75 is absurd for one GSP is advertising their ignorance and/or stupidity. Ignorance is treatable and curable by facts. Stupidity is unfortunately likely to be permanent. There are multiple folk here who are not ignorant on how and why to keep fish for much longer than their natural or wild lifespan and get them to their wild maximum size or larger, and also healthier. The "good" techniques (read as: valid, appropriate, and effective) are quite real, and they apply to all fish, not just to puffers. They may seem strange to folks who "learn" only from the average store employee, But that has nothing to do with whether or not they work for the fish.

[duke]

Cool ...looks nice

[fugu99]

This looks great. I actually read this post before we talked about the Figure 8s, I was looking for ideas myself for a tank setup. Im curious about wood decorations, what process do you need to go through to treat them for your tank? Will they cloud the water? Are logs from the petstore "safe" and what could I do to make them safe for my tank?

I love the design involved in this tank. I would love to try some aquascaping, my puffers are going to be getting a 30 gal. and Id like to combine wood and rock with my coral substrate. Especially as Ive seen how bored these little guys can get. Ill be looking into the BBGobies too. I appreciate your advice on that matter. The tank looks lonely with just the puffs!

[Pufferpunk]

Try these:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=3202488
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...293&lmdn=Brand
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...221&lmdn=Brand