hey im real interested in getting a puffer but dont know what to get i dont have loadsa space but probs enough for a 60l tank but wondered what i could fit in there im fancy one about 3 1/2 inches long\? and what sorta filter etc as my fish shop werent much help>:(
also sand type etc and cycling the tank? sorry so many q's
Arch
newbie help needed!
-
archthesheep
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:01 pm
- Location (country): cornwall, england!!
Re: newbie help needed!
Welcome 
It's so nice to have people research their fish first
I'm in a bit of a rush but I'll do my best to get you started. Up at the top you'll see the learn tab. Put your mouse over that and you'll be able to look at the Pufferpedia and the Library. Both are great resources and when you have a chance you might want to browse through them. The Pedia will be very helpful as you try to choose which fish you'll get. Your tank is approximately 15gal so that does limit the options. Make sure to check out dwarf puffers and if you want to go light brackish you can look at getting a figure 8. Both are commonly found in stores. Since you want a larger fish a F8 may be exactly what you're looking for.
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Biocellatus/
library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/
Here are some articles which will help answer the rest of your questions.
library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/
library/water-filtration/youchlorinechloramines/
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
As for a filter you'll want something relatively powerful. You want your water turnover to be approximately 6-10 times per hour. Many people on here use Aquaclears and I use canister filters on the two larger tanks (both 3').
It's so nice to have people research their fish first I'm in a bit of a rush but I'll do my best to get you started. Up at the top you'll see the learn tab. Put your mouse over that and you'll be able to look at the Pufferpedia and the Library. Both are great resources and when you have a chance you might want to browse through them. The Pedia will be very helpful as you try to choose which fish you'll get. Your tank is approximately 15gal so that does limit the options. Make sure to check out dwarf puffers and if you want to go light brackish you can look at getting a figure 8. Both are commonly found in stores. Since you want a larger fish a F8 may be exactly what you're looking for.
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Biocellatus/
library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/
Here are some articles which will help answer the rest of your questions.
library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/
library/water-filtration/youchlorinechloramines/
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
As for a filter you'll want something relatively powerful. You want your water turnover to be approximately 6-10 times per hour. Many people on here use Aquaclears and I use canister filters on the two larger tanks (both 3').
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
-
jeromecarlyoung
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2010 5:45 pm
- Location (country): Yeovil, Somerset, UK
Re: newbie help needed!
Make sure you get a DP who can eat frozen food as mine was brought up on live food and I spend a lot of my weekends shopping for the single Dp I have; bless her.
Cheers Jerry
Cheers Jerry
-
archthesheep
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:01 pm
- Location (country): cornwall, england!!
Re: newbie help needed!
was having a look through the puffer pedia(catchy name!) and found this little guy. any special requirments you can think that arent mentioned and how hard is it to get snails? would boiled garden snails be ok to kill anything on them or maybe boiled and frozen or mussels from the beach?
-
bigfatfish
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 938
- Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:33 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: GSP "Puffy" RIP old friend 1999-2009
GSPs "Flash" & "Lionel" - in a 55 UK Gallon Bow front Marine Tank with sump. - Location (country): United Kingdom
- Location: Devon, UK
Re: newbie help needed!
Hello. You live in Cornwall - get snails from the beach, freeze them, then thaw when needed! I do that & also breed ramshorn snails. You can also buy snails from e-bay, or many lfs will let you pick out the pest snails from their tanks!
Oh & 60 lits is probably only about 12 or 13 UK gallons, rather than 15 US gallons - haven't worked it out exactly!
Oh & 60 lits is probably only about 12 or 13 UK gallons, rather than 15 US gallons - haven't worked it out exactly!
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32980
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- 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 - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: newbie help needed!
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
archthesheep
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:01 pm
- Location (country): cornwall, england!!
Re: newbie help needed!
cool beans, how about a fang puffer? they seem the same size but require a bigger tank than f8? And LFS what is this? LFS?
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32980
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- 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 - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: newbie help needed!
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
bigfatfish
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 938
- Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:33 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: GSP "Puffy" RIP old friend 1999-2009
GSPs "Flash" & "Lionel" - in a 55 UK Gallon Bow front Marine Tank with sump. - Location (country): United Kingdom
- Location: Devon, UK
Re: newbie help needed!
You really are going to be limited with the tank size you are getting. Its not just about fitting a particular sized fish into a particular sized tank & seeing what looks right - its all about the waste that these guys produce. Any chance of a bigger tank? If not I would think you are going to be limited to dwarf puffers - which are great fish. Big puffers in little packages!
Re: newbie help needed!
60 litres is 15 US gallons (it's actually a bit more but I don't know the exact number as it would be a fraction of a gallon).
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
-
Lil' Swimz$
- Mbu Puffer
- Posts: 1686
- Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2009 6:26 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: Lorteti - Peaches
- Location (country): USA
- Location: Wisconsin
- Contact:
Re: newbie help needed!
Hi, welcome to the forum! ![[welcome]](./images/smilies/welcome.gif "welcome")
In a 15 gallon you could get 3 or 4 dwarf puffs, if you are willing to do brackish you could get one F8, or one of the red eye species.
50% water changes a week, and if you get the dwarfs make sure your tank has tons of plants, live or fake.
For the snails don't boil them, freeze them. Boiling them removes all the nutrients and etc.
Good luck!
In a 15 gallon you could get 3 or 4 dwarf puffs, if you are willing to do brackish you could get one F8, or one of the red eye species.
50% water changes a week, and if you get the dwarfs make sure your tank has tons of plants, live or fake.
For the snails don't boil them, freeze them. Boiling them removes all the nutrients and etc.
Good luck!
Ha ha, he he! DAncE whEn yoU're HAPpppy! He he he! DAnce, danCE, DANCe!
-
bigfatfish
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 938
- Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:33 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: GSP "Puffy" RIP old friend 1999-2009
GSPs "Flash" & "Lionel" - in a 55 UK Gallon Bow front Marine Tank with sump. - Location (country): United Kingdom
- Location: Devon, UK
Re: newbie help needed!
Don't forget Flutter, archethesheep is in the UK, so we don't work in US gallons.Flutter wrote:60 litres is 15 US gallons (it's actually a bit more but I don't know the exact number as it would be a fraction of a gallon).
-
archthesheep
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:01 pm
- Location (country): cornwall, england!!
Re: newbie help needed!
thats right! over here we use "proper" measurements lolbigfatfish wrote:Don't forget Flutter, archethesheep is in the UK, so we don't work in US gallons.Flutter wrote:60 litres is 15 US gallons (it's actually a bit more but I don't know the exact number as it would be a fraction of a gallon).
Re: newbie help needed!
Oh I know but all of the minimum requirements and such on here are in US gallons so that needs to be kept at the forefront when learning about possible puffers 
That's why I made sure that I put US gallons instead of just gallons
That's why I made sure that I put US gallons instead of just gallons It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
-
archthesheep
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:01 pm
- Location (country): cornwall, england!!
Re: newbie help needed!
yeah well.. hmpph.
well me thinks im gonna go f8!!!!! just to check they said a 90 l tank and to cycle it i could use the filter stuff from my old one and add some salt? gonna have a look on the ebay for a tank etc but any filter recommendations or heaters? some names etc and reasonable prices?
well me thinks im gonna go f8!!!!! just to check they said a 90 l tank and to cycle it i could use the filter stuff from my old one and add some salt? gonna have a look on the ebay for a tank etc but any filter recommendations or heaters? some names etc and reasonable prices?