Help Choosing a Puffer

[Roper25]

Hi everyone,

I have been finding the forum so helpful so far in setting up my first puffer tank! Ive been ready everything I can over the last few weeks while my tank cycled.

Well the time has now come, I had a spare 10 minutes this morning before work, so decided to get a quick test in. All is complete, PH 7.8, Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, and Nitrates around 5ppm.

So my question is when I go to get my Figure 8 Puffer this afternoon is there anything you guys recommend to look for, or look to avoid when picking one. My LFS has 6 left and one is reserved for me but whichever one I want. As I say I have never kept a puffer before so I really don’t know what to look for in characteristics, body shape and colour for example.

Once again thanks to everyone who has helped make this an invaluable source of information for all of us new to the world of puffers.

[puffykid]

congrads on your tank finishing cycling. Some guidelines to follow are bright colors, not sunken belly if possible, greets you at the glass, not fin nipped, a good thing to do when choosing a puffer out is to ask the people at the lfs to feed the puffers. You want one that aggressively attacks the food and doesn't shy away are generally signs of a healthy puffer.

[Roper25]

Thanks for the quick response and the advice.

Another thing I am wondering is about introducing him into my tank, like all fish I know it will be a case of getting him acclimatised to the water temperature in the bag and then slowly adding tank water to allow it to mix...... But are they particularly nervous fish in a new tank or do they take to exploring and pestering for food fairly quickly. Should I introduce him then leave the light off all night and not feed him till the morning or will he soon be begging for a good good meal?

Talking of food I have snails breeding already but they are not big enough to feed to him quite yet unfortunately, so I will buy some frozen bloodworm and maybe some small feed shrimp when I get him. Would blitzed up frozen seafood mix from my local supermarket be a good thing to include in his diet, with small prawn, muscles, cockles, squid and white fish. That sort of thing?

[puffykid]

Thanks for the quick response and the advice.

Another thing I am wondering is about introducing him into my tank, like all fish I know it will be a case of getting him acclimatised to the water temperature in the bag and then slowly adding tank water to allow it to mix...... But are they particularly nervous fish in a new tank or do they take to exploring and pestering for food fairly quickly. Should I introduce him then leave the light off all night and not feed him till the morning or will he soon be begging for a good good meal?

Talking of food I have snails breeding already but they are not big enough to feed to him quite yet unfortunately, so I will buy some frozen bloodworm and maybe some small feed shrimp when I get him. Would blitzed up frozen seafood mix from my local supermarket be a good thing to include in his diet, with small prawn, muscles, cockles, squid and white fish. That sort of thing?

I've never really had a big problem with introducing a puffer to a tank, really if you just let the bag from the lfs sit in the water for 15 minutes and then cup transfer him he should be fine. As for being nervous in general yes they often become very shy for the next few days as they adjust to their new surroundings but after that expect greetings at the glass and constant begging. The first day after introducing it'd be best to just leave the light off and don't feed anything, the small snails that you have will probably be a decent size for him because he likely to not be big himself. Plus it'll give him something to do as he learns his surroundings and will make him feel more comfortable

that seafood mix from the supermarket is a great idea, the only suggestion I have is to make sure to read the back and make sure that it isn't precooked as that takes out a lot of nutrients for the foods and they aren't as good at processing cooked food. Other frozen foods besides blood worms are, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, plankton to make them even healthier you can soak them in vitachem vitamins.

[Roper25]

I picked him up Earlier and he is now happily exploring his tank, he is about and inch long so still tiny and as you say the small snails I have should be perfect. I have also picked up some frozen mussels and prawns for him but unfortunately I could only get precooked ones. I will have a look around tomorrow for some uncooked stuff, maybe from my local fish mongers that I can freeze.

I have been reading about vitachem and am looking to get some but unfortunately here in the UK it's not easily available, which is annoying. I will keep looking, otherwise I may have to get some sent over from the states. Or maybe some of the users from the uk know of an alternative we can get here?

[J-P]

see if you can get Kent Marine Zoe, I believe it is just as good if not better.

[Roper25]

I have found vitachem online from a uk supplier, however it works out as the equivalent of $25 for 4fl oz, is that a lot more than you pay in the states? No luck at all on the Kent Marine stuff here unfortunately.

[Roper25]

Also, for low end BW (around 1.003) should i be looking to get freshwater or saltwater vitachem, or if i cant find it a different vitamin supliment if i can find one in the UK.

[bertie 83]

Vitazin is what I use it's about £6 a bottle

[Roper25]

I can definitly get hold of that here, just found it online for £5 for 120ml which is much better than £16 for about 30ml of Vita Chem.

Would you say its our best option here Bertie 83?

[bertie 83]

It's what I use. Can't say if it's the best or not but is very good value

[Pufferpunk]

Also, for low end BW (around 1.003) should i be looking to get freshwater or saltwater vitachem, or if i cant find it a different vitamin supliment if i can find one in the UK.

FW

[I.Puff.Too]

Unsure if you intend to feed him the precooked prawns or not, but that's a no no.

[puffykid]

I find feeding the snails spinach helps them grow faster and lay more eggs. Buy a fresh bag and freeze what you don't use so it doesn't spoil then just throw them in whenever.

[Roper25]

I was unaware frozen prawns were a no no actually, I did buy a bag but I guess they will be my lunch instead!

I have mussels, bloodworm, and some small live shrimp. As well as the snails breeding which I have been feeding cucumber and cuttle bones to strengthen their shells. I found a vitamin treatment at my lfs, they were out of vitazin so I got Atvitol, i read the ingredients list and it seems to have everything needed.

As he was in freshwater at the lfs I still have him in it, I intend to increase the salinity slowly through my weekly or perhaps twice weekly water changes. I have only ever kept freshwater fish though and am now wondering if my freshwater test kit will still be accurate or will I need to buy a salt water one?