Full Circle

[maryhm]

Hello, puffer forum! My name is Mary, and my life has come full circle, it seems. Here's a short bio.

1988- Went to Texas A&M at Galveston (where I met my husband) to start working on my Marine Biology degree. We had $20 on us and went to Wal Mart. Decided to by a 10 gallon Hertz aquarium set up on a whim. Visited every pet shop in town (all 3 of them) and fell in love with Spotted Puffers. Tried and tried to keep them alive and were met with constant failure. Studied, learned, became obsessed with the hobby. I got my first job at one of those pet shops.
1990- First apartment. Had more aquariums than furniture, 8 of them ranging from 10 gallons to 135- both fresh and salt. We were beyond ridiculous.
1994- We had both received our marine biology degrees, had years of pet shop experience under our belts, and a 2 year old son. Decided to open a full line pet shop.
1996- Retail is a tough business when you have a small child. We decided to move to Los Angeles where the marine wholesale industry is based. I got a job at a major wholesaler and worked for 2 others over the course of a few years, learning the ropes.
1999- Opened a marine import/wholesale facility in Southern California that grew from a 1000 square foot warehouse in the valley to a large, 4 building facility. We had a direct pipe into the ocean to bring our saltwater in and a greenhouse for coral aquaculture- making our facility the first on the west coast utilizing natural seawater and sunlight to grow corals. During this time, I was a strong advocate for industry reform issues, serving on the board of directors of the American Marinelife Dealers Association, Marine Aquarium Council, and Marine Aquarium Societies of North America, and I started an Industry Forum at reefs.org.
2006- Son was now ready to go to high school and we decided to get out of the rat race. Sold the business and moved to Colorado, where I dabbled in the transship side of the industry for a while.
2010- Son is now going to college. Moved to Austin, Texas to be closer to him and the rest of our family. And this is where the full circle comes in- I'm basically right back where I started...in Texas, getting ready to set up a freshwater aquarium, and looking longingly at puffers!!! It's been about 15 years since I've had a home tank, so it does feel like I'm starting over in a way.

I'm planning on putting a 72" x 18" or 24" tank in my office. I'm really in love with the Mbu puffers after seeing them at a local fish store, but research has ruled those out. No room for a 1000 gallon tank. Now I'm looking at the Fahaka or Pustulatus. Keeping a revolving array of creatures in thousands of gallons worth of systems is a lot different than keeping the same few in a 100 gallon system! I know I'm severely behind the times on filtration for small tanks among other things. Looking forward to discussing all of the pros/cons dos/don'ts with you guys!

[purplecandle]

Don't forget that the Fahaka needs a good turning radius...so I would go better than 18in..

A Pustulatus is rare, and most found are Pustulafahakas ( a mix) ===but any three of the fish are beautiful!

[J-P]

with corporate expenses anything is possible

If you only have a 100 gal I would rethink your stocking list.

It all depends on how much water volume and room you have to play with. If the tank could be moved to the lobby and you have sole care over it .. you have A LOT of options

[pufferpuggirl]

Welcome to the forum Mary, good to have you with us!

Sure sounds like you've had a full life with all that to do with aquatics. And it's no wonder you are wanting to get a puffer, who can resist them?
It will be interesting to hear what you've decided to go with.

With your contacts, you may very well be able to get ahold of a Pustulatus, but be prepared for a very expensive price tag.
I'm afraid I have to disagree with Purplecandle on their being a mix between the pustulatus and the Fahaka. I still say that's all a myth. I just can't believe that these puffers are breeding with regularity, and they'd have to be if there's so many of them available. And if there is such a thing, I'd very much love to own one!

But anyway, nice to meet you and I hope you will be happy with us here on TPF!

[maryhm]

Thanks for the welcome, guys!

From what I've been reading, I need a 120 for a Fahaka, which is 72x18. The 180 would be the 72x24. Do they make 120 gallon tanks wider than 18"? The tank will be in my home office, so no lobby, and I'll be the sole caretaker. Guess I'll open a separate thread about this.

[jus85411]

i think the recommended size tank in 120 gallons for a fahaka is 4x2x2. could be wrong as i have never owned one but have researched them because i am very interested in them in the future

[xrayjeeper83]

most 120's are 4x2x2, the 72x18 is usually a 125