This will be my first brackish tank! I will be going to pick it up later tonight. I will be having 2 f8's and probably 3ish bbg's and a dragon goby. any suggestions on tank setup? Its going to have to start out freshwater since where I am going to be getting my f8's they are is fresh but I will gradually switch it like .0002 per week isn't it? Any suggestions on rocks or substrate that would be good for these guys? Also I need some reviews and/or opinions on Bio-Spira the instant cycling stuff is it any good and if it is I get my tank set up sand rocks plants and put it in the wait like 8 hours or something and put some fish in right?
Last edited by Boris_puffer on Fri Oct 10, 2008 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sand substrate definitely as the dragon goby will like digging around in it. Be careful the dragon goby doesn't get too big for the tank. Should be OK I would have though but I have never owned one so don't know for sure. Bio-spira, I have heard, does work but again no experience (not sold in the UK ) so wait for someone else's opinion on that. Make sure to have lots of plants and hiding spaces etc. for the fish to hide and break up lines of sight. For good brackish plants see here: http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=143235. SG should be about 1.005 - 1.008. You might want to go up by 0.002 per week rather than 0.0002, that might take a while otherwise
riggers wrote:Sand substrate definitely as the dragon goby will like digging around in it. Be careful the dragon goby doesn't get too big for the tank. Should be OK I would have though but I have never owned one so don't know for sure. Bio-spira, I have heard, does work but again no experience (not sold in the UK ) so wait for someone else's opinion on that. Make sure to have lots of plants and hiding spaces etc. for the fish to hide and break up lines of sight. For good brackish plants see here: http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=143235. SG should be about 1.005 - 1.008. You might want to go up by 0.002 per week rather than 0.0002, that might take a while otherwise
ahh yeah I wasn't sure if it was .002 or .0002 haha. For the dragon goby Ive read that if you keep JUST it in a 30g it would be fine so I'm thinking a 50g with a few other fish wont be to bad. it might even help clean up the puffers mess a little. Also I already have a cycled 55g in the house would the cycleing go faster if I was to steal some of the water from that tank and mix it with the new water I put in the new one?
The water hardly has anything in it to be honest. But you could use the filter from it to get things going as there's loads of stuff living in them (so long as you haven't just cleaned it out like yesterday or something.) Not sure I would want to keep an 18inch fish in a 30gal.
riggers wrote:The water hardly has anything in it to be honest. But you could use the filter from it to get things going as there's loads of stuff living in them (so long as you haven't just cleaned it out like yesterday or something.) Not sure I would want to keep an 18inch fish in a 30gal.
ahh I just got the tank about 30 minutes ago (see first post update). wouldn't running new water that has not been cycled kill all the bacteria in the old filter? i'm excited to get this tank up and running and watch my little puffers explore the tank. >_<
Boris_puffer wrote:
ahh I just got the tank about 30 minutes ago (see first post update). wouldn't running new water that has not been cycled kill all the bacteria in the old filter? i'm excited to get this tank up and running and watch my little puffers explore the tank. >_<
As long as the water you are putting into the tank is dechlorinated you should be fine using a filter from an established tank. Shortly after moving in the new filter you will want to add your fish though. Or do fishless cycling (library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/). Just setting up the tank and waiting 8 hours or even a week will do absolutely nothing for the cycle. You need to establish the population of beneficial bacteria, and without wastes or decomposing material, the bacteria will have nothing to eat and will die.
As for landscaping, dunno about sand and gobies, but if you go with small or large rock/pebbles or something for the substrate, you don't have to make it all level. I have had alot of success by varying the depth of the gravel, or grading it by an inch or two to be taller in the back.
Never cycle with a puffer. If you HAVE to cycle with a fish, then use a hardy fish (zebra danios I heard were good). Also, about the subsrate, I would think sand would be better as they (dragon gobies) do like to scavenge for things in it and clean it all through etc. Also, sand doesn't have to be completely level, you have it bumpy or sloping if you want.
I wasn't planing on cycling with a puffer. I was either going to try and find some Bio-Spira or do fish less cycling. I'll be going to my lfs and picking up sand and decor for my tank today and ammonia drops(for the cycling) basically everything I will need to make it a brackish tank eventually probably.
Sorry I just realised my last post sounded a bit rude about the cycling. Just didn't want you to end up with a tank of dead puffers. But it seems you knew that already anyway. Good luck setting up your tank, hopefully it will all go smoothly.
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept: T lineatus T miurus A modestus T biocellatus C valentini C coranata C papuan C lorteti DPs suvattii burrfish T niphobles
Moving an established filter from another tank wwill be great to start your cycle. Just add ammonia to the tank as per that article & as soon as the ammonia & nitrite are 0 & you have nitrate, do an 80% WC & add fish! Shouldn't take long at all.
There is NEVER a reason to cycle with fish.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
Pufferpunk wrote:There is NEVER a reason to cycle with fish.
Very true. I personally would never do it, I don't see the point in putting a fish through all that stress when it is not needed. It's even worse when people buy fish for a cycle and then take them back to the store afterwards! And once it is back there, it is probably going to be mistreated more yet again. Then, along comes someone else to take it home and cycle their tank with it. I feel sorry for certain fish which commonly get bought for cycling, like zebra danios. But some people just insist that they have to cycle with fish for some reason.
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept: T lineatus T miurus A modestus T biocellatus C valentini C coranata C papuan C lorteti DPs suvattii burrfish T niphobles
So I have filled my new tank up. Added the new decor I still need to buy some more but I ran out of money hahaha. I also took some decor out of the already cycled 55g tank in my house as well as took one filter out of the 55g and squeezed it into the tank and filter. I cant seem to find any ammonia.. so I think I'll be stuck using fish food.
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept: T lineatus T miurus A modestus T biocellatus C valentini C coranata C papuan C lorteti DPs suvattii burrfish T niphobles
My Puffers: . 2 x GSPs (Puffo and Suzanne) 2 x F8s (Nana and Hachi) 1 x Valentini (Choco) 2 x Porcupine (Cutey and Yoshi) 1 x DP (Margarine) 1 x Irrubesco (Beni)
I've cycled four tanks with bio-spira. I think it's a good product. I like to put some in my filter as well when cycling.
Cycling with fish takes about 8 weeks to establish and it puts lots of stress on the fish. Whereas fishless cycling takes about 10 days. I like this method the best because you can rest assured. Although, I like bio-spira, I have heard sometimes you can get a bad batch--but, I haven't got a bad batch yet.
As others have mentioned read the fishless cycling article here. It is very informative. I learned a lot from it.
) so wait for someone else's opinion on that. Make sure to have lots of plants and hiding spaces etc. for the fish to hide and break up lines of sight. For good brackish plants see here: 
