Cycling tank for figure 8

[nanya24]

Hello! I have been reading the heck out of this forum for a few weeks now, and it's wonderful! I finally decided that I am going to take the plunge...and get a figure 8 puffer. I just want to double-check with you guys (the experts!) to make sure I know what I'm doing before I buy him.

So, my lfs sells figure 8 s in freshwater. I have a 29 gallon tank that has been sitting filled with water for a week. I am going to start cycling it with ammonia today. My plan is to get the figure 8 once it is cycled, in a few weeks or so, and then slowly raise the salinity using marine salt until I reach the correct level. Is this the best approach? Or is it better to set up the tank for brackish water before purchasing the fish?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!

[LilGreenPuffer]

Your approach is perfect. Welcome!

[edmlfc1]

It's really up to you. You can go ahead and set it up brackish and drip acclimate your new puffer. Or you can set it up freshwater and still drip acclimate your new puffer. If you set it up brackish it just takes a little longer to acclimate, other than that everything else is the same.

[taureandragon76]

Sounds like your on the right track, one thing to keep in mind with any brackish species is they are used to changes in their sg. Also IMO it is always best to drip acclimate any new fish, since I started doing this I have not lost one fish

[LilGreenPuffer]

I suppose that it depends on your bacteria source. What are you adding to cycle it with?

[nanya24]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses! Well, I was planning to cycle the tank by adding ammonia, which is something I've read about online but never tried. But, I was talking to the owner of the aquarium store in my area today, and he recommended starting with two hardy fish and letting the tank cycle itself. The idea would be to move the two fish into my larger tank when the tank is cycled and I'm ready for the puffer. He said it's really easy to accidentally overdose the tank on ammonia if you do fishless cycling. Which method is better??

BTW I already moved a small Fluval filter, a plant, and several rocks from my other, already cycled tank into the 29-gallon. I'm hoping that this will speed up the process of introducing the bacteria. Is there anything else that can speed up the process? Thanks!!

[LilGreenPuffer]

Ummm. That might do it. How big was the other aquarium, and how many fish did it have in it? How long ago were the filter and things added? If it's been a while with no ammonia source, the bacteria may have died. If it's been under a day or so, and if the other aquarium had a fair-sized bioload in it, then you're good to go! Just check it by adding an ammonia source, waiting twenty-four hours, and testing to see that the ammonia and nitrites are back at zero. Then keep adding a little ammonia or fish food or something until you get the puffers in there.

About the fishless cycling: if you have a test kit and add the ammonia bit by bit, testing in between, then you won't overdose. The article on fishless cycling on this site explains how much is too much. I personally think that fishless or instant cycling is best, since with the traditional method of using hardy fish is rather cruel. Although the fish will survive, their eyes, mouths, and gills will be constantly burned by the ammonia and their brains will be affected by the nitrites until the cycle is over.

Anything else to speed up the process: you could get Tetra Safestart, which instantly cycles the tank.

[nanya24]

Oh my! That's terrible! I had no idea that cycling a tank had such long-lasting affects on fish. Thanks for letting me know!

I added the rocks/filter/plants about 3 hours ago. They are from a 55-gallon that contains 3 cory cats, 1 angel, 2 rainbow praecox, and an apistorgramma. I just sprinkled some fish food in the puffer tank to make sure there is some ammonia present. I will test the water parameters in the morning. Hopefully I will be on my way!

What are some of the best decoration for my puffer tank? I know that a sand substrate is best. I also have a number of rocks leaning against each other to form caves, a few plants, and a piece of driftwood. Is there a particular setup and plants that will work best for them?

[LilGreenPuffer]

Then you should have a cycled tank on your hands! Great!

Decorations... Sand vs. gravel is more of a personal preference, according to what you like the look of and what you're willing to put into maintenance. Sand is more upkeep, especially if you have a deep bed. The rocks are great. The plants may not survive in BW, though. What species are they? I know nothing whatsoever about plants, but someone else will. Driftwood tends to rot in SW, and I assume that BW would have the same effect.

Particular setup? Anything densely decorated, lots of broken eyelines, caves and hidey-holes to explore, and things to keep them occupied are all musts, but other than that, it's all down to what you want.

[nanya24]

Okay, good to know. I have two vals and some java moss, as well as some plastic plants. I tried to pick plants that were tolerant of brackish water, but if anyone has suggestions, I am definitely open to them! Another question...what is the best brand of salt to buy??

[nanya24]

So I tested the water in my tank this morning using an API kit, and here's what I came up with:

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate between 5 and 10 ppm

Does this mean that this tank is already cycled because I added the filter, plants, rocks from my other tank? If I add a puffer, will the ammonia/nitrite levels jump up and damage the fish? I am a beginner and I don't want to make any big mistakes. How do you know when a tank is ready for a puffer? Thanks!

[LilGreenPuffer]

It sounds ready to me. As long as you keep a sufficient ammonia source in there until you add the puffer, then the levels shouldn't jump on you.

[nanya24]

Yay! That's great news! I just read an article that said mollies can be kept with figure 8s. Is that true? Everything else I've read says that they are best kept alone.

[LilGreenPuffer]

It all comes down to the personality of the individual fish.

[Myaj]

Agreed, some puffers are killers, some are big babies.

Mollies get pretty big though, for a 29 gallon tank.. Maybe platies or a similar livebearer would work. I kept male endlers with my Figure 8 no problem for years, but he was a big scardy cat.

Just be sure to keep "feeding" that tank, to keep the bacteria alive until you get the puffer home. Once its home, watch your levels, you might have to do a water change here or there if you get some small spikes, but setting it up this way works well.

For salt, I generally just buy Instant Ocean because its on sale hehe. For a Figure 8 you don't need much salt at all. I would think the plants you got will be fine with low salinity (I've kept anubias, crypts, onion plant, etc at 1.004), and there's not really any need to go to higher salt levels for a Figure 8, 1.003-1.004 is just fine. My driftwood never rotted either, so you might be fine there as well.