Hi there,i hope you dont mind if i ask a few questions,i am currently cycling my 20 gallon tank for one GSP,its almost done according to my test readings,i intend to make it brackish,but how much salt should i use in this size tank,i have a hydrometer and instant ocean salt already to get mixed up and i guess i have to empty some water out of my tank and refill with the mixed salt water,is that correct? i have an uverturned clay pot in there,a rubbery anemone thingy and a couple of fan like plastic coral plants,is it ok to add an airline and diffuser or is that adding to much water circulation? i dont want my puff to get bored as they often do and want to know what you guys do to keep yours amused!
Also,what kinda live plants are most of you using in your brackish tanks,i like java fern,but i have read that moss or algae balls can be used,has anyone tried using them in their puff tanks,i use them in my fancy goldy tank and they are great! i look forward to hearing how you keep and look after your puffers xxxxxxxxxx
New home !
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Myaj
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- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 12:27 pm
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Re: New home !
Welcome to the forum 
Have you read up on this species? You really do need 30 gallons for each, they get awful big. But 20 is definately better than 10 or smaller
Well, for the salt, I would have told you to just cycle it initially at whatever salinity you'd like to keep the puffer at, but it sounds like you are almost done cycling at freshwater. So, basically, you don't want to raise the salinity more than .002 per week, or it will kill your bacteria (causing a re-cycle).
Yes, you will want to remove water, and replace with pre-mixed brackish.
There's two ways to do it basically.. either work out the math and raise it an exact amount each week with your water changes, or just do it super slow and steady by say this method: one tablespoon the first week, two tablespoons the second week, three tablespoons the third week.. you have your hydrometer so you can measure it to see where your at and know when to stop. Then you just mix up your new water for your water changes each week at the same level.
If you want to do the math, its easiest to change half your water at a time (which is generally what we recommend doing weekly for puffers anyways). It just makes the math easier. So depending on how many buckets you have you can premix up two buckets at 1.004, remove two buckets from your tank (approx 10 gallons) and add the two buckets of 1.004 water to the 1.000 freshwater and that should put you at around 1.002, exactly where you want to be for your first week. The second week is harder, math wise.. you want to be at 1.004, so you mix up your new water at 1.006, adding the 1.006 to the 1.002 should give you 1.004...
How much salt to use varies for every person, humidity levels in the salt, how much decor/substrate is in your tank displacing actual water volume, etc. So its best to use your hydrometer to double check everything. And don't forget, most 5 gallon buckets only hold 5 gallons if you fill them to the top rim.. we generally don't do that when we have to carry them
A general "rule" with marine salt is that it takes a half cup per gallon to make full saltwater (around 1.020 or so). Breaking that down, it would take approximately a quarter cup per gallon to make 1.010, an eighth of a cup to make 1.005, a sixteenth of a cup to make a gallon of water 1.002 ish... You can use that as a guide, but be sure to double check everything with your hydrometer.
You can add an airstone if you'd like, but when you have brackish water the bubbles will pop and spray salt all over, so it can be very messy. The salt will build up on anything it touches, and can actually damage furniture, etc, so you might not want to do that.
Plants are tricky when it comes to brackish. A few kinds will survive low levels, but a GSP really will need to go into higher levels of brackish and even into full marine as they get bigger. Most of the plants that survive low brackish will not last into high brackish.. so they will die and pollute the tank if you don't remove them first. That said, at higher brackish levels you can "plant" some macro algaes if you'd like.. they are a little different than the freshwater live plants we are used to but just as interesting and useful.
Have you read up on this species? You really do need 30 gallons for each, they get awful big. But 20 is definately better than 10 or smaller
Well, for the salt, I would have told you to just cycle it initially at whatever salinity you'd like to keep the puffer at, but it sounds like you are almost done cycling at freshwater. So, basically, you don't want to raise the salinity more than .002 per week, or it will kill your bacteria (causing a re-cycle).
Yes, you will want to remove water, and replace with pre-mixed brackish.
There's two ways to do it basically.. either work out the math and raise it an exact amount each week with your water changes, or just do it super slow and steady by say this method: one tablespoon the first week, two tablespoons the second week, three tablespoons the third week.. you have your hydrometer so you can measure it to see where your at and know when to stop. Then you just mix up your new water for your water changes each week at the same level.
If you want to do the math, its easiest to change half your water at a time (which is generally what we recommend doing weekly for puffers anyways). It just makes the math easier
. So depending on how many buckets you have you can premix up two buckets at 1.004, remove two buckets from your tank (approx 10 gallons) and add the two buckets of 1.004 water to the 1.000 freshwater and that should put you at around 1.002, exactly where you want to be for your first week. The second week is harder, math wise.. you want to be at 1.004, so you mix up your new water at 1.006, adding the 1.006 to the 1.002 should give you 1.004...How much salt to use varies for every person, humidity levels in the salt, how much decor/substrate is in your tank displacing actual water volume, etc. So its best to use your hydrometer to double check everything. And don't forget, most 5 gallon buckets only hold 5 gallons if you fill them to the top rim.. we generally don't do that when we have to carry them
A general "rule" with marine salt is that it takes a half cup per gallon to make full saltwater (around 1.020 or so). Breaking that down, it would take approximately a quarter cup per gallon to make 1.010, an eighth of a cup to make 1.005, a sixteenth of a cup to make a gallon of water 1.002 ish... You can use that as a guide, but be sure to double check everything with your hydrometer.
You can add an airstone if you'd like, but when you have brackish water the bubbles will pop and spray salt all over, so it can be very messy. The salt will build up on anything it touches, and can actually damage furniture, etc, so you might not want to do that.
Plants are tricky when it comes to brackish. A few kinds will survive low levels, but a GSP really will need to go into higher levels of brackish and even into full marine as they get bigger. Most of the plants that survive low brackish will not last into high brackish.. so they will die and pollute the tank if you don't remove them first. That said, at higher brackish levels you can "plant" some macro algaes if you'd like.. they are a little different than the freshwater live plants we are used to but just as interesting and useful.
Re: New home !
Hi,Thanks for your great reply,i appreciate it alot!
MMMMMMMM,i dont think i will bother with the air stone then,cant be doing with salt all stuck everywhere.
i have contacted the store i i ntend to get my only puff from and asked what the salinity they keep their puffs at,everything needs to be right for my little guy,been dreaming about him for ages now,the waiting to cycle the tank and everything else is killing me,i am so excited,i love puffs!
MMMMMMMM,i dont think i will bother with the air stone then,cant be doing with salt all stuck everywhere.
i have contacted the store i i ntend to get my only puff from and asked what the salinity they keep their puffs at,everything needs to be right for my little guy,been dreaming about him for ages now,the waiting to cycle the tank and everything else is killing me,i am so excited,i love puffs!