Freshwater or brackish cycling? f8s?

[fireangel0917]

Hi! I just got a 70 gallon aquarium and i really want some figure 8s. However at the lfs they're kept in full fw and i'm aware tht they're actually brackish. So should i cycle my tank as a brackish tank and acclimate the puffers when i get them? Or do it in fw and just acclimate the bacteria?

[mrgreen]

Hello! Welcome!

I have two F8s in a 30 gallon. How many were you going to get for your 70? I'd think you could have at least 4- maybe even 5. They require 15 gallons each and I like to give them the most "room". I wouldn't go any more than 5, though.

If I were you, I'd cycle at fw and gradually move up to brackish, but at only 0.002 per week. That way your bacteria in your filter won't die. Easier on the puffs, too. How do you plan on cycling? With Tetra Safestart?

Once your tank is ready- you've filled and treated your tank with water treatment to remove chlorine, etc. and you have a heater and filter, etc and some hidie places- you can go pick up your F8s. Look for the ones that are not skinny, have no white spots on them or other strange stuff that looks quesionable. Look for the one who comes up to you and says "hi". Avoid the ones who are hanging out in the back and don't do much. If you go the Tetra Safestart route, you add it to your filter immediately before adding your F8s.

Would love to see updates in pix as your tank matures- decore, the puffs, etc. Check out the "share" button at the top of the page. Each person has his or her own "gallery" to put pix.

Congrats. You're gonna love your puffs!

[Pufferpunk]

This is gonna be one fantastic tank! What substrate are you using? I agree, cycle at whatever the fish are at now & then raise it a little each week. You could keep all sorts of gobies, mollies, even red chromides in there with them.

[fireangel0917]

Thanks! i'll do tht. But im not too sure how many i'd want. I kinda wanna keep more than 1 type of fish. I was BBGs or mollies? Idk are there any other "interesting" fish i can stick in there? and the tank isn't exactly too long (36L x 18W x 24H). I was considering 3 puffers

[Pufferpunk]

LOL, look up^^^^^.

[fireangel0917]

Im planning on using some type of sand. I've heard of aragonite sand but thts a bit expensive. I was alss thinking of white pool filter sand? Also does color matter, I love the coloring of f8s and i'd like to pick a substrate tht'll make them stand out the most

[mrgreen]

Color doesn't matter. I've got white rock in my F8 tank and it just shows up the bits of stuff- including algea. I have sand in another tank, and it is really neat, but it tends to come out when I syphon. Others could tell you how they avoid this.

Re: Others in the tank, I had a dragon goby and they are very neat, but unfortunately he died. I haven't tried any other gobys. I'd love some bb gobies but I'm afraid my F8s would try to eat them.

[fireangel0917]

all right i'm gonna go w/ white
But also what about a filter? Its 70 gallons so according to everyone i need a filter w/ 700gph... any recommendations? do i also need a power head or a bubble wand? (its kinda a tall tank)

o and as far as stocking goes? 3 f8s maybe 1-2 knight gobies and how many mollies and bbgs? lol

[mrgreen]

The filter I got, I just went with my gallons at the LOWER end of the filter's reccomendation - and I run it on high. F8s are MESSY. Its a 30-50, I think. I can't remember what they GPH are.

I have a power head. I got it to just move the water more and its on the opposite side of the filter (one's on the left end one on the right) in hopes to blow more junk that way. Puffs like the movement, too. They play in the intakes and outputs. I don't have any bubbles, but I've heard others say their puffs love playing in them.

I can't help ya with the others in the tank. I'd wait to find out if your F8s are munchers or not. My old F8 took a huge CHOMP out of a tank mate, once. But it depends on your indivdual puffs, I think. My dragon goby did fine because he was a grumpy old man and didn't put up with their shenannegans.

[LilGreenPuffer]

Hi, fireangel! It looks like you took my suggestion! Glad to see you. All great advice you're getting.

[Pufferpunk]

Don't forget a dragon goby or 2. go with an Aquaclear filter--the largest they make (I forget what number that is, 70?) & an Eheim canister (I prefer that brand) or go with 2 Aquaclears. Check out the Drs Foster & Smith rebates available, in a sticky in the Gen Disc forum.
If you go with sand, be sure it's <1" deep. Aragonite will buffer the pH to keep it steady at ~8.

[Dadof4]

I'd go canister filter like PP suggested. The Eheim is an excellent filter, also Drs Foster & Smith has their summer sale going until Sept 3 and they have the Marineland C series 25% off right now, another excellent filter.

[bazil323]

I have a Marineland C-360 on my 75g, and I love it. It has great flow and huge media capacity. I stuff one with foam, then filter floss (cheaper alternative is the pillow stuff in craft areas), then bio balls, then ceramic rings with foam and felt-like fabric on top. I think I covered everything that's in there now, lol.

Anyways, since it's not cycled yet, I would cycle it as a brackish tank and then acclimate the puffer. You can do it with the drip method over several hours, which is what I did and worked great.

[fireangel0917]

How do i drip acclimate them? AHHH so many new terms!!!!!!

[Bluntokian]

take a air hose tie a knot in it so it jsut drips into the container (below the tank with the fish in it) and raises your salinity about .001 per hour...if im wrong please correct me dont want to kill a fish