Help me decorate my tank!

Tain't fresh, and tain't marine! Talk about brackish setups.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by Pufferpunk »

Yes, a huge difference. Aquarium salt does not add the minerals needed for this fish.
library/water-filtration/thesaltoftheearth/
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Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by Boshia »

bigpuff wrote:I didn't know I was getting a Fahaka! I'd be in for a shock! I'm getting figure 8's, you must have me mixed up :D

I have nothing of value to add to this thread, I would just like to say how entertaining I found the first few posts to be :lol:
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Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by Iliveinazoo »

bigpuff wrote:No, pH neutral sand. The day I put the base rocks in there it raised my pH from 6.8 to 7.4, and I still have to add the salt. So I think I should be good from a pH & hardness level but I'm away right now and I'll have to check when I get back.

Just looking for some more decorations that the puffers would find interesting. I was thinking about having more decorations than I could put in the tank and then switching them out & moving things around every now and again to keep them interested. So any types of decor they seem to like would be great to hear about! :)

Do they like moss balls or tend to play with anything? I know Oscars sometimes play with ping-pong balls. Wondering if there's a puffer equivalent!
Don't know about play things but overhangs would be appreciated, whether made up of rocks or branches, never add a lot of real wood to a brackish tank as it has a tendency to soften the water.

Lots of plants will work if you opt. for SG1.003@25DegC, less at SG1.005@25DegC.
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Pufferpunk
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2 T biocellatus
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Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by Pufferpunk »

Great info on BW plants stickied in the BW forum.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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Pufferpunk
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Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by Pufferpunk »

Boshia wrote:
bigpuff wrote:I didn't know I was getting a Fahaka! I'd be in for a shock! I'm getting figure 8's, you must have me mixed up :D

I have nothing of value to add to this thread, I would just like to say how entertaining I found the first few posts to be :lol:
Sure, make fun of the old woman who has to run this forum all by herself & keep up with every single post! :poke:
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by bigpuff »

Iliveinazoo wrote:
bigpuff wrote:No, pH neutral sand. The day I put the base rocks in there it raised my pH from 6.8 to 7.4, and I still have to add the salt. So I think I should be good from a pH & hardness level but I'm away right now and I'll have to check when I get back.

Just looking for some more decorations that the puffers would find interesting. I was thinking about having more decorations than I could put in the tank and then switching them out & moving things around every now and again to keep them interested. So any types of decor they seem to like would be great to hear about! :)

Do they like moss balls or tend to play with anything? I know Oscars sometimes play with ping-pong balls. Wondering if there's a puffer equivalent!
Don't know about play things but overhangs would be appreciated, whether made up of rocks or branches, never add a lot of real wood to a brackish tank as it has a tendency to soften the water.

Lots of plants will work if you opt. for SG1.003@25DegC, less at SG1.005@25DegC.
What do you mean by overhangs? Like a branch coming into the tank from the tank? How would that work with rocks? Thanks :)
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Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by luigimbu »

bigpuff wrote:Off topic but I just noticed you say to add marine salt in the article. I have aquarium salt, is this different? Does it matter?
Yes you need marine salt like instant ocean
The sand you have for for brackish water is fine as the salt will give you the ph you need argonite sand doesn't really help with the ph it's a bit of a myth as the ph would have to drop very low to to dissolve and cause any buffering
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Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by luigimbu »

Oh and have you thought about using mangroves?
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Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by bigpuff »

luigimbu wrote:
bigpuff wrote:Off topic but I just noticed you say to add marine salt in the article. I have aquarium salt, is this different? Does it matter?
Yes you need marine salt like instant ocean
The sand you have for for brackish water is fine as the salt will give you the ph you need argonite sand doesn't really help with the ph it's a bit of a myth as the ph would have to drop very low to to dissolve and cause any buffering
My pH is currently at 8 in freshwater due to base rocks. Will I have to take those out once I put the salt in (will it drive the pH too high)?

As for mangroves, what exactly do you mean? I thought about driftwood but I don't want it to make the water softer or turn my tank brown.
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Iliveinazoo
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Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by Iliveinazoo »

bigpuff wrote:
What do you mean by overhangs? Like a branch coming into the tank from the tank? How would that work with rocks? Thanks :)
I just mean a bit of cover that they can hide under, like caves or branches or even plant leaves.
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Iliveinazoo
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Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by Iliveinazoo »

luigimbu wrote:
bigpuff wrote:Off topic but I just noticed you say to add marine salt in the article. I have aquarium salt, is this different? Does it matter?
Yes you need marine salt like instant ocean
The sand you have for for brackish water is fine as the salt will give you the ph you need argonite sand doesn't really help with the ph it's a bit of a myth as the ph would have to drop very low to to dissolve and cause any buffering
Interesting, at what pH do you believe that aragonite stops dissolving?
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Re: Help me decorate my tank!

Post by Blinkey »

An affordable idea for decor/hides is the use of half-cut terracotta pots, with a hole made at the back-end as well. You can pick these up for cheap at your local gardening store. PVC pipes are also safe to use, but I don't think they look as good.
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