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General questions for a Fahaka puffer setup

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 6:50 pm
by razorback935
hello all
i am planning in the next few months to get a fahaka puffer and need some extra info mostly on substrate and filters

first the substrate, i know sand is generally the recommended substrate for a puffer however i have a lot of rounded black gravel left from a tank i used to have would that be suitable for the fish?

and now the filtration, i am planning to aquire a 5ft long 2ft tall and 2.5ft deep tank for the fish once it has reached a decent size, what filter would be best for this tank? the one condition is that it needs to be reasonably silent as its in my bed room (i can soundproof the case to a certain extent), would a Fluval FX 4 or 6 be enough and do they have noise issues that i have read about in other places? what do you guys think!

Re: General questions for a Fahaka puffer setup

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 11:27 pm
by Pufferpunk
You could mix the gravel with white sand, that way the fish can burrow if it wants & won't be too dark from the black gravel. IDK about Fluvals but I do hear they are great filters. I've always gone with multiple Eheims.

Re: General questions for a Fahaka puffer setup

Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:27 pm
by razorback935
how would you set up multiple Eheims? in sequence from 1 intake and one out put or in 2 separate outputs?

Re: General questions for a Fahaka puffer setup

Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 2:58 pm
by pufferjw
razorback935 wrote: Sat Jan 26, 2019 6:50 pm hello all
i am planning in the next few months to get a fahaka puffer and need some extra info mostly on substrate and filters

first the substrate, i know sand is generally the recommended substrate for a puffer however i have a lot of rounded black gravel left from a tank i used to have would that be suitable for the fish?

and now the filtration, i am planning to aquire a 5ft long 2ft tall and 2.5ft deep tank for the fish once it has reached a decent size, what filter would be best for this tank? the one condition is that it needs to be reasonably silent as its in my bed room (i can soundproof the case to a certain extent), would a Fluval FX 4 or 6 be enough and do they have noise issues that i have read about in other places? what do you guys think!

Gravel is a lot easier to clean but sand is necessary if the fish wants to bury, so I would say that what you should do depends on what you care about more. And for a tank that size I prefer a sump as it greatly reduces maintenance, but if you really want a canister filter the fx4 would be sufficient and PROBABLY quieter.

Re: General questions for a Fahaka puffer setup

Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 10:51 pm
by Pufferpunk
razorback935 wrote: Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:27 pm how would you set up multiple Eheims? in sequence from 1 intake and one out put or in 2 separate outputs?
2 totally setups. I have 4 of them on my 180g.

Re: General questions for a Fahaka puffer setup

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2019 6:04 pm
by razorback935
razorback935 wrote: Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:27 pm And for a tank that size I prefer a sump as it greatly reduces maintenance, but if you really want a canister filter the fx4 would be sufficient and PROBABLY quieter.
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I see what you mean, how do you calculate the carious volume then? such as flow rate out of the tank to the sump, the required size of the sump and the pump output that i would need to get the water back into the tank without overflowing? i see you have a ray likely even more sensitive to bad water than a puffer so you must know something to this!

Re: General questions for a Fahaka puffer setup

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2019 6:06 pm
by razorback935
Pufferpunk wrote: Sun Jan 27, 2019 10:51 pm 2 totally setups. I have 4 of them on my 180g.
sounds like a good idea, are they quiet filters? as in could you sleep near then without being disturbed too much?

Re: General questions for a Fahaka puffer setup

Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:23 am
by Pufferpunk
Yes, no sound at all.

Re: General questions for a Fahaka puffer setup

Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2019 3:40 pm
by pufferjw
razorback935 wrote: Mon Jan 28, 2019 6:04 pm
razorback935 wrote: Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:27 pm And for a tank that size I prefer a sump as it greatly reduces maintenance, but if you really want a canister filter the fx4 would be sufficient and PROBABLY quieter.
e

I see what you mean, how do you calculate the carious volume then? such as flow rate out of the tank to the sump, the required size of the sump and the pump output that i would need to get the water back into the tank without overflowing? i see you have a ray likely even more sensitive to bad water than a puffer so you must know something to this!

Total volume is just what the sump holds plus the tank size. Flow rate into the sump is the exact same as flow rate out of the sump, and that number is listed as gallons per hour on the return pump box. I use an Eheim Compact+ 3000 for my ray tank, which moves the entire tank volume about 4 times per hour. For a puffer 2 or 3 would likely suffice but higher doesn't hurt. Also the tank will never overflow if you have a proper sump and output hole drilled near the top.

Re: General questions for a Fahaka puffer setup

Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2019 12:41 pm
by razorback935
pufferjw wrote: Tue Jan 29, 2019 3:40 pm Total volume is just what the sump holds plus the tank size. Flow rate into the sump is the exact same as flow rate out of the sump, and that number is listed as gallons per hour on the return pump box. I use an Eheim Compact+ 3000 for my ray tank, which moves the entire tank volume about 4 times per hour. For a puffer 2 or 3 would likely suffice but higher doesn't hurt. Also the tank will never overflow if you have a proper sump and output hole drilled near the top.
okay thanks for that would it work with pipes as the particular aquarium im looking at comes with support struts on the inside between on each length or would i have to drill holes into the glass (i really don't like the sound of that)
Pufferpunk wrote: Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:23 am Yes, no sound at all.
cheers puffer punk!

Re: General questions for a Fahaka puffer setup

Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2019 2:20 pm
by pufferjw
Hmmm to be frank I'm not 100 percent sure, but you would probably need to drill a hole. What you COULD do though is put the sump physically higher than the main tank and have a pump move the tank water to the sump, then have a hole in the sump for it to fall back into the tank. That would be the opposite of the typical setup (pump out of tank and hole into it vs hole out of tank and pump into it) and so the drilling would not be NEARLY as risky.

PS if your tank is tempered glass you definitely CANNOT drill into it