The Puffer Forum

Converting my 55g SAP tank into a Schoutedeni tank. It arrives here in a few hours and it just occurred to me that he may not like it. I can't seem to find any information about it so does anyone have any thoughts or experience? Thanks for any help!

Mine didn't seem to be the best of swimmers. I'd forgo the powerhead.

Yeap! Just posting this for anyone that comes across this post in the future, He didn't like it at all. Just kinda swam in place and gave me that "Really bro?" look.

Powerheads are in two basic fashions.
One is the type that looks like a small pump and the 2nd is the one that moves water looking like a home use floor fan.

I run a Cobalt MJ900 water pump jammed into a decently open porosity round hydro-sponge protecting the inlet like a pre-filter would.
These are the typical types of round foam sponges that connect to the air-line and air-pump with the clear vertical tube where the air escapes.
The water pump's inlet is pressed onto the clear "chimney" where the bubbles normally would have been coming out on a air pump set-up.
As an alternative, I also have an Aqua Medic pump (see photo) with a feed timer that is about the same size pump as the Cobalt MJ900 series.

The water shoots out in a tight stream if used normally, BUT if you place a 90 degree fitting or a "Tee" fitting to diffuse the nozzle like flow, then the water is very passive and calm instead of shooting out like a tight line of water.
A good sponge over the pump's inlet works just fine.

The additional sponge houses more biological bacteria for the conversion of waste too.
Place it in the right spot where you can get a it to squeeze it out every so often without making more work or hiding it too far.
Add some Anubias plants or something easy to move away that will cover up the pump/sponge combo.

Pumps that have 10 minute feed timers to calm things down work great for fussy eaters.

Mine were liking it but I turned it off for now after one for his little head slammed into the driftwood. I run the wavemaker style with relatively wide flow

Mine don't like it. I turned my external filter at low capacity.
The do like aeration in the aquarium.
Good luck with your baby.

Update:

Schoutedeni in 3 tanks using a combination of hang on AC70 filters and Tidal series 110 and 75 models along with Cobalt MJ900 pumps connected to sponge for a giant bio factory of denitrification.
Schoutedeni don't mind a bit. They even mated and laid eggs.

Pea puffers have a powerhead magnet style on the wall and don't mind.

....now the 2 new Poa abei that came in do not!
-they sat on the bottom in a sleep spot and did not float around.
I just yanked the pumps and replaced the area with an air powered hydro-sponge bubbler x3 in the tank to keep up the process of cleaning water.

The big growing adult Poa palenbangensis did not mind and passes in the flow.
I can see the flow push its skin around like a jetstream and ripple the skin in a fluttering fashion.
- it does not mind and plays in the flow every once in a while.

I'd say try try, try again anything that works that keeps em happy and eating wile cleaning the water.