Tank setup - substrate advice

Tain't fresh, and tain't marine! Talk about brackish setups.
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kudos1uk
Puffer Fry
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2016 10:55 am
Location (country): United Kngdom

Tank setup - substrate advice

Post by kudos1uk »

Hi all,

So I kind of rescued 2 GSP who were living in an un-cycled 10L freshwater tank being fed frozen bloodworm cubes (dropped in frozen), no heater & no airline.
Even so, I had no experience with Puffers or brackish tanks and did not really know what I had let myself in for, but have done my research now and I am where I am.

Initially I got them into my freshwater 60L tank which is way too small but a better life for the time being, they are currently 1.5 - 2" to tip of tail.

This is my two cute guys eating a meaty lunch (no longer an exclusive frozen bloodworm life): https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10154608948637567

so I have just bought a big 250L tank for them and am in the process of getting it ready, I have a lot of experience with freshwater and will have the tank fully cycled and ready before adding them.

My tank will have a Fluval 404 with loads of media and I am also building a new nitrAte reactor (my last attempt was a bad design and did not work well), nitrAtes is the only area I struggle with as my tap water has high-ish Nitrates (20).

Water is very hard PH8.2 ammonia and nitrItes always kept at 0.

I have read up on how to slowly increase the marine salt so I don't crash my tank and I'm fine with all that.

My only real question is what substrate do you recommend I use, I want to have something easy to vac clean, never used sand but guess it is hard to keep clean, it has small-ish base as it's a tall thin tank, 3feet tall 3feet wide.

Any other advice you can offer a puffer novice, I have done a lot of research and am feeding shelled food now for their beaks.

I find it strange they are called green spotted puffers, the colouration on their heads is a vivid, almost luminous yellow, this seems to get more vivid when they are happy feeding, with this spread all over their body as they get older and I move to brackish water?

My Puffers: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10154608948637567
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Pufferpunk
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Also kept:
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Re: Tank setup - substrate advice

Post by Pufferpunk »

Aragonite substrate is recommended. Just stir it thoroughly every week & siphon the settled detritus off the top of the sand's surface.
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/lib ... d-puffers/
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/vie ... =8&t=19348
You can instantly cycle your bigger tank as FW, with Tetra's Safestart & add the puffers immediately.
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!"
kudos1uk
Puffer Fry
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2016 10:55 am
Location (country): United Kngdom

Re: Tank setup - substrate advice

Post by kudos1uk »

Thanks for that, great information :)
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
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: Tank setup - substrate advice

Post by Pufferpunk »

But actually, if your water is that hard you could just use regular play sand. Eventually, you'll be moving to marine, right?
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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