Fahaka questions

[taureandragon76]

I am planning on getting one and wanna know what would be best for the setup. Here are some questions I have

1. What is the best substrate to use?

2. I have some small grained gravel mixed with crushed coral, my tap water has a ph of about 5.6 would it be ok to use this substrate?(would driftwood in the tank help balance out the coral as far as ph is concerned)

3. The fahaka I may be getting is still currently in a river in Africa. Would it be best for me to treat it for IP either way when I get him, if so what is the best treatment to go with?

4. At what size can they start to be able to crush clam shells?

5. What would be the ideal setup for decor? The usual caves and what not that most puff's appreciate?

He will be going into a fully cycled tank that is currently housing my baby L144's which are gonna help pay for him:D Also plan on using the drip method to slowly acclimitize upon arrival at my house. Any other tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Just wanna make sure I got all the bases covered for the arrival of the Fahaka. Will be going into a 55g tank and then I will be upgrading over the next 6 months to either a 180g or 220g tank.

[edmlfc1]

1. What is the best substrate to use?

That would be your preference. I use sand but there are several people on here that use pebbles.

2. I have some small grained gravel mixed with crushed coral, my tap water has a ph of about 5.6 would it be ok to use this substrate?(would driftwood in the tank help balance out the coral as far as ph is concerned)

Ph is not a biggie as long as it's a stable ph. Not one that goes up and down. The puffer will adjust to the ph. I think the gravel and driftwood that you have would be fine.

3. The fahaka I may be getting is still currently in a river in Africa. Would it be best for me to treat it for IP either way when I get him, if so what is the best treatment to go with?

Yes it's best to treat for IP's right away. Once the puffer is eating in your tank and has setteled you can use gel-tek ultra cure px. Just soak food in the gel-tek and feed small amounts twice a day for 3-5 days. Vaccum your gravel during treatment if you see the puffer purging worms, this way you can syphon all the worms out. If your puffer is not eating you can treat the tank with prazipro. After treatment do a large water change and syphon the gravel really good.

4. At what size can they start to be able to crush clam shells?

Elvis started breaking mussel shells when he was about 5". I saw a dogface puffer break a mussel shell at 4". Clam shells are a bit thicker. I open the clam and mussel and let them scrape all the meat out.

5. What would be the ideal setup for decor? The usual caves and what not that most puff's appreciate?

I have some plants and driftwood in my tank. Annabelle likes to sleep in the plants. If you can build a cave for the puffer to hide in that would be ideal.

He will be going into a fully cycled tank that is currently housing my baby L144's which are gonna help pay for him:D Also plan on using the drip method to slowly acclimitize upon arrival at my house. Any other tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Just wanna make sure I got all the bases covered for the arrival of the Fahaka. Will be going into a 55g tank and then I will be upgrading over the next 6 months to either a 180g or 220g tank.

Sounds like a good plan. I would make sure to treat the puffer for IP's while in the smaller tank. Treating in a larger tank is a real pita.

[taureandragon76]

Thanks for the reply. I don't believe that I have gel-tek ultra cure px available to us up here in Canada but do have prazipro so I will get some of that to treat for IP when he arrives.

[taureandragon76]

With the prazipro I am wondering if I should treat the tank as soon as I get him or wait a bit then treat the tank? Also does one treatment usually do the trick? This stuff is pretty expensive up here, $20 for a smaller bottle of it.

Any other tips or suggestions would be appreciated. As stated above just really wanna make sure all is good.

For filtration on the 55g I am going with an xp3 and an AC110 which will give me 800gph which will give me about 14.5x turnover which I hope should be more than enough.

Man I can't wait for him to come in, I have been wanting one for about 2 years now. I am so stoked. Outta all the fish this is the one I have wanted the most and having one in my house will actually get my butt in gear to make the plywood tank I have been wanting to make.

[taureandragon76]

anyone?

[fishlady1958]

Directions For Use:
hope this helps.......


For treatment of praziquantel-susceptible disease conditions in pond, freshwater and marine aquariums.

As A Bath: Start treatment with as large a water change as practical or start with new water. Any water used should first be conditioned with ULTIMATE® or a combination of Liquid Buffered ClorAm-X® and Stress-X™ to remove ammonia, chlorine and chloramines. Do not stop filtration, but remove activated carbon and stop foam-fractionation (protein skimming) and UV sterilization. Shake vigorously before use. Measure Aquarium Solutions® Liquid PraziPro® at the rate of one (1) teaspoon per 20 gallons of water to be treated. (one (1) fl. oz. per 120 gallons) Measure Pond Solutions™ Liquid PraziPro® at the rate of one (1) teaspoon per 32 gallons of water to be treated. (one (1) fl. oz. per 200 gallons) This produces a concentration of 2.5 mg/L. Distribute the proper amount around the edge of the aquarium or pond or directly in to the filter box to achieve the best overall distribution. A single treatment lasting 5-7 days is normally sufficient. Repeat as necessary, but no more than once every 3 to 5 days. May be used as a preventative, at the standard dosage, when disease is likely. Do not use with other drugs or disease treatments. May cause temporary foaming.