Been lurking a while and have gathered most of my information for keeping Figure 8's happy and healthy!
Anyways on to the set-up, I've obviously decided to go brackish to keep the puffers healthy im currently around 1.006ish (not an exact with the hydrometer) with two 200gph marineland biowheel filters in a 29 gallon long tank. I cycled the tank before bringing home the 2 figure 8 puffers, Castiel(Cas) and Camillus(Cam) as well as two Clown loaches to clean up the puffers left overs and a tiger loach on the way. I started the figure 8's diet with guppies and ghost shrimp, as this is what was in the tank to cycle the water. I've bought some ramshorn snails, as well as regular pond snails, which i was not to fond of so i grabbed the biggest ramshorn and placed 5 aside in a 10 gallon for breeding purposes. Plant wise i have quite a variety of live plants including Brazilian waterweed (Anacharis), Amazon Sword, and not exactly sure what the other is but its the same that i have set up as plastic as well most plants are striving. Although snails in the tank have not moved in days due to puffers and loaches.
The puffers are leaving the guppies alone now and they are reproducing in tank, did they get tired of guppies in their diet ?
Any input would much be appreciated, on to the pictures.
Nice tank and welcome The tank is well decorated (though some of your plants may die) and a good size for your puffers.
F8s shouldn't be eating fish, please don't feed them guppies. It isn't good for them or the guppies. Also, you shouldn't have those other fish in the tank. Clown loaches need huge tanks (and at least 3 of them) and they aren't brackish fish, they won't like the salt. You would do best to just keep the puffers in that tank with no other fish. If you really want some other fish then try some BBGs however they shouldn't be added until all of the other fish are gone (except the puffers).
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
the LFS where I bought the puffers was feeding the puffers nothing but guppies as well as keeping them in fresh water. I should have picked up on the signs they knew nothing of what they were doing from the puffers being in FW. So definitely get rid of all the guppies and clown loaches ? Just stick to a primary diet of ghost shrimp and pond snails?
Remove all the the MTS as well. Their shell are too hard for puffer and may break their teeth. Anyway since its a brackish tank, the snails wouldn't like the salt either.
Yes, you should get rid of all of the guppies and loaches. Since the water is brackish you need to stick with brackish fish. You can lower the salinity a bit to save on salt costs, F8s only need a SG of 1.003-1.005. Pond and ramshorn snails are excellent for puffers (through they breed most when you don't have both species in a tank for some reason). Ghost shrimp are a good food but even better than that is cherry shrimp. You can breed these in your 10gal with snails. They breed well and won't have parasites like ghost shrimp may. Plus, you can also feed them good food before feeding them to your puffers which means the puffers will get those foods too You can also feed your puffers frozen human foods (like mussels, scallops, squid, octopus, etc). You can buy this quite cheaply from the grocery store and thaw it in a glass of water (I use dedicated shot glasses for thawing food) and add a vit/min supplement to the water you thaw the food in.
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
Thanks everyone! haha we all make mistakes just trying to provide them with the best environment i can.
ok got it so currently working on getting rid of all MTS snails and only leaving ramshorn snails as well as getting the guppies out although i cant net the babies they swim right through the net, will just have to wait till they're bigger. So even if loaches may seem to be doing well i can assume they're not ?
On the cherry shrimp note, no LFS or even aquarium specific stores around here seem to have them would any one mind sending me 10-20 to start a breading tank ? PM cost to keep them private. Oh as well if i've been breeding my own ghost shrimp now would it be find to introduce the cherry shrimp no issues there or cross breeding or anything?
Yea get the loaches out it's not good for them. It's when we learn from mistakes that we move forward in this hobby so don't sweat, we have all made them. Your ghost shrimp are breeding? That's close to impossible so good on you. Cherry shrimp breed mega fast so are a good choice, just add new bloodlines regularly to keep good new strains
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
If your ghost shrimp are breeding then you may not need to try a different kind of shrimp. Some ghost shrimp can breed in FW though those ones are pretty darn impossible to find. If they will breed well for you then there's no problem sticking with them.
LGP on here sells cherry shrimp should you decide to go that route some day.
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
bertie 83 wrote:Yea get the loaches out it's not good for them. It's when we learn from mistakes that we move forward in this hobby so don't sweat, we have all made them. Your ghost shrimp are breeding? That's close to impossible so good on you. Cherry shrimp breed mega fast so are a good choice, just add new bloodlines regularly to keep good new strains
ok perfect will have to find new homes for the loaches. Yeah ghost shrimp are breeding like crazy in a slightly brackish 10 gallon tank with the betta. I have the SG at around 1.003-1.002 and the shrimp are reproducing like crazy as well as the ramshorn snails i had separated originally.
only feed shrimp sparingly, they contain thiaminase. Snails will be a better breeding programme for regular feeding. Guppies will tolerate low brackish conditions but the tank is a little too small for the puffers and guppies. Many plants will thrive at SG1.003@25DegC and some will survive up to 1.005 but any higher and I wouldn't bother, you're amazon sword is likely to die at any SG: http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/to ... h-aquaria/
^ actually the SG 1.003 is relative to the 10gallon tank. My 29 gallon is about 1.006-1.010 SG i vary it bimonthly but never go over 1.010 i try to stay right under. the amazon sword has actually been in the tank the longest and is still thriving. I've been trying to capture the damned guppies and almost impossible with all the plants LOLmight have to wait till i rearrange everything and have it all out to get them all out.
Why keep your snail tank at SG1.003? They would do best and breed better in freshwater and to be honest I'm suprised that they have tolerated the salt.
i'm also suprised that your plants are thriving at SG1.010. Why take your Figure 8's to SG1.010? They will do just as well if not better at and below the SG1.006 that you quoted.
Figured it would be a natural part of a brackish system to change salinity a bit, i never go up to 1.010 knowing most bacteria will die at that mark i try to stay under it, highest i would say would be high 1.008 pushing over to maybe 1.009.
im amazed as well about the plants, although i would not technically say they're striving, as i have not seen much growth, but the roots are definitely every where for the plants.
The tank is well decorated (though some of your plants may die) and a good size for your puffers.
