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upgrading Ollie to 300 gallon tank!

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 10:03 am
by olliesworld
Hi everyone, I just wanted to check in and say hi from a fellow Fahaka fan. My Ollie is in a 180 gallon and a few weeks ago we set up a 300 gallon for him. It is cycling with guppies and plants for the past few weeks.
Ollie has grown to about nine inches in the first year I have had him. He seems happy in the 180 but I had the chance to get a very affordable 300 gallon clean tank from a friend, so why not?
I have two other Fahaka who I bought on the same day, from the same group of tiny fry, they all received the same care, same (individual) tank size, but they are both under half the size of Ollie. Male vs female thing?
Or did Ollie just grow so fast because he is the only one who is non-picky and eats - literally- anything I offer him (her) from the long tweezers? Very different personalities!
Thanks in advance for input!
ollie august 2017.jpg

Re: upgrading Ollie to 300 gallon tank!

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 11:42 pm
by Pufferpunk
That's great news! But, unless you have about 300 guppies in there, it's not going to create enough bacteria to support the mass of your large puffer. I suggest using Tetra Safestart.

Re: upgrading Ollie to 300 gallon tank!

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 5:21 pm
by hadla
Just move substrate and filter media to the 300 for an almost instant cycle

Re: upgrading Ollie to 300 gallon tank!

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 8:28 pm
by olliesworld
Thanks- sorry hadn't logged in here for awhile- I did move preconditioned filter media from my other tanks into the two big cannister filters, added Fluval cycle bio-booster weekly and waited a month with the guppies and plants cycling the tank until all parameters were just right. I used the carib sea eco-complete substrate in the back with the plants and then sand in front in Ollie's nesting area (he/she likes to dive into it). All has been well since the transfer. Just moved my smaller Fahaka puffer, Paulie, up into the 185 gallon. Photos on insta "olliethepufferfish". Thanks PufferPunk and everyone else for all the tips on this forum to get us going!

Re: upgrading Ollie to 300 gallon tank!

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 9:25 am
by Pufferpunk
I wouldn't have waited that month. Unfortunately, the guppies will never produce the bioload of a Fahaka & with all that added bacteria you put in there, most of it would have died off with only leaving enough to support those guppies. Be sure to keep a close eye on the parameters. Best thing you have going for you is the dilution of 300g.