The Puffer Forum

Hey thanks j-p! I guess I'll just wipe that scuzz off and hope that in time and as per the article it just subsides over time and tank maturation. At the risk of sounding like I'm trying to start an argument (which I'm not), I'm curious as to how my tank is overstocked. I've always heard that one or...

How is it overstocked? I have an inch long SAP (that is hand fed at every meal - no big food chunks left in the tank), and three small danios that are fed sparingly, and a cleaner fish that eats leftovers from the substrate. My levels are fine, and my water is crystal clear. I've had no problems wit...

So against the odds apparently, I successfully cycled my 15g tank with my SAP in it, as well as three gold zebra danios and an upside down catfish (who disappears for days at a time). Now, the tank has been up and running for coming up on two months, with the SAP in it the whole time, the danios wer...

Thanks for all the responses everybody. I should have been more clear to begin with: the filter I'm using has a one-piece filter mechanism, so if I change it, every aspect of filtration gets changed out. Any ideas? Upgrading is in the future plans, but the next couple of months are going to be tight...

Can do. Thanks! At some point it will have to be replaced completely though right? What do i do then?

When should I change the filter media in my filter? It is a one piece sponge/carbon scrubber. I don't want to just throw out all that good bacteria!

I found that post. It's embarrassing that the rest of the world sees one of our major corporations acting like that and judges all of us for it. I can't believe they wouldn't take the time to offer the stock to a LFS instead of dumping it all...

Ok I'll give walmart a shot tonight. Not a huge fan of supporting them, but hey, as long as I'm not giving them money in support of their poor treatment of live animals, then its all good. I wouldn't buy a fish there no matter how cheap.

Ill give the Jungle Fizz a shot if I can find it. If I can't any other suggestions? Just so I'm well informed when I take the trip to the LFS.

Ah don't be too hard on yourself. I'm quickly learning that while extremely enjoyable, fish keeping is no walk in the park. They can't talk, so you've got to figure out what they're trying to tell you. Any recommendations for IP meds? Petco doesn't have squat, and for some odd reason my LFS closes a...

Ok I can do that. Is there any risk of ODing the little fella?

Nope. Skipped dinner last night and breakfast today. 3 mysis shrimp for each is the norm, with the occasional snail.

Ok so after 2 skipped meals, the puffer's belly looks a little concave. This is something I haven't noticed before. Do other peoples SAPs get an inny when super hungry? He's still acting totally normal...

Pufferpunk - I added the danios to increase the bioload and speed up the cycling, my logic being that my single puffer was not providing much waste. Since I'm doing daily WCs anyway, figured that I could jump start the process a bit. Additionally, the group will be moving into a 20 long or 30 in mid...

J-P you nailed it. It's not quite flat when the fish is empty either, but your picture looks exactly like mine when full of shrimp.