New to the forums!

[Witzitt]

Hello!

I live in Fort Wayne, Indiana with my 6 puffers.

About a year ago I was very lonely. I had 1 cat, a full-time job and I lived in an apartment. Well, I was new to the area, I had no friends except for my feline room mate, and I was bored. I had a slight surplus of funds because of my lack of social life, so I went to a pet-smart and bought a 10-gallon setup. It was explained that I shouldn't put fish in the tank right away, I had to do something called cycle the tank first. (A year later, I'm very thankful that a pet-smart employee was knowledgeable enough to suggest this, not many chain-shops have been as knowledgeable ever since...)

Since then, I have acquired 4 new aquariums, and an additional kitten. I still have that full-time job and I still live in the same apartment. I have also attracted a mate for myself and she will spawn a new generation in September. Here is my story (minus the creation of my offspring).

I paid entirely too much money for a starter tank with the intention of later buying a larger tank for a turtle. Why a turtle? Don't ask, I have no idea. Anyway, I read that turtles ate guppies, so I bought a few guppies to start breeding food for my future pets!

Everything went great, the 10-gallon tank thrived and I began to look towards the future. I found a 55-gallon tank with a stand and a ton of accessories on CraigsList for 80 dollars. It was an hour drive away, but my social life hadn't improved so I decided I'd make the trip!

I decided that YouTube videos of Turtles looked boring. So I turned the 55 gallon into a community tank. I put my guppies in it, and got some Tetras, Barbs and a few other fishies. I also saw some red-clawed crabs at a chain-shop, and decided that I wanted a few! I researched a bit and found out that they needed access to air, otherwise they WOULD find a way to escape. What did I do? I went to Jo-Ann's (craft store) and bought a good sized pitcher. Then I went to a lfs and bought some fairly hefty slate rocks. I set up the pitcher in the bottom of the tank with some sand inside it, and my slate rocks on top. I then ran an air-hose into the mouth for a constant supply of fresh-air. I had created a crabitat. Every other second, it releases a large bubble, but my crabs aren't afraid of it. They love getting in there! Sometimes I put some crickets in there and let them hop around until my crabs discover them!

Anyway, enough about my crabs.

I did some more research into some aquarium fish, I wanted something exciting! I looked up sharks, found out that aquarium sharks aren't really sharks... and the smallest 'official' shark grew to be a few feet long.. I looked into Piranhas, just out of curiosity... while I've heard some stories that having a species piranha tank is quite rewarding to an honorable hobbyist, I found some YouTube videos that permanently turned me off to the species.
All this time I had been avoiding looking up any Puffer fish, because I had always believed them to be 100% marine, and I obviously wasn't able to afford/maintain a marine tank!!

One day I was at a local PetLand, I saw a tank of Figure 8 puffers. The girl told me that she thought they were freshwater fish. I asked if they puffed, she said no. So, now I knew that there were freshwater puffer fish! So I immediately went home to do some research! I wanted to see a puffer fish puff! After all, that's what they're called, right? So that's what they do, right? I quickly learned that if a puffer fish puffs, it could be very bad for their health. I did more research, and fell in love with the idea of having a puffer tank. They seemed so curious, and in the videos that I watched they seemed to really have a personality, as opposed to the guppies that merely eat and swim around with an inch of feces hanging below their tail.

That's when I found the Puffer Forum, as well as a few other good sites. This is also when I had first learned of Brackish water. At first, I just wanted to try a freshwater setup, I knew how to maintain it.. Stick with what you know, right? So I settled on Dwarf Puffers. (The majority of posts stated that they did well in freshwater..) I found a local store (Since then I have found three stores locally) that could order dwarf puffers. I asked if they kept them in fresh water or brackish, the woman said fresh. I ordered four, she said it would be a week. I immediately consulted CL for a tank, bought a used 10gallon and started the cycle. Shortly after I acclimated the fish, one died. A co-worker gave me a 20 gallon tank shortly after, and I set that one up for aquarium plants. I started growing some moss and a few other plants in it. Finally I transferred my remaining three dwarf puffers to that tank, and they have lived happily ever since.

Now I had two ten gallons with no purpose. The kicker is, they were sitting on my kitchen table. Every time I made dinner or breakfast for my girlfriend and her daughter, we ate while staring at two fish tanks. Every time, I'd have her daughter count how many snails she could see on each wall. I started one of the ten-gallons with Physids, a pest snail. I figured they're pests, they should multiply fast! I put a sponge filter in the tank, so they wouldn't clog it. I love watching my dwarf puffers hunt these small snails. I often dream of putting all three of my dwarf puffers in the snail breeding tank, and watching them rampage!
The second 10 gallon was to be a ghost shrimp breeder, but that failed miserably. I am currently trying to breed Marbled Crayfish in the 2nd 10 gallon, but I fear that the crayfish that I purchased is not one of the self-cloning variety.

A friend of mine, back home, told me that he had a 29 gallon that he wasn't using. I snagged it, and found a stand that would allow the 29 gallon tank to sit atop, and my remaining two ten gallons to sit beneath. At this point, I have a 55 gallon FW community tank, a FW 20 gallon Dwarf Puffer tank (with a HUGE Pleco... he wasn't that big when I put him in there, but now he's monsterous!), two 10 gallon tanks (One snail breeder, One .. .. other breeder.) and an empty 29 gallon tank.

I knew precisely what I wanted to put in the 29 gallon tank, so I began the cycle and threw a few small plants in. I also put a dozen or so Ghost Shrimp in the tank. One short week later, I was in one of my preferred chain-shops (One that rarely ever has a dead fish in their tanks...) and I saw that they began to carry the "Blue Lobster" which was neat because they had never carried any invertebrates before. I was checking out those little buggers when I glanced at the next tank and saw the label for Figure 8 Puffer fish. I looked inside the tank and I didn't see a single Figure 8 puffer fish. (I would know, I'd been researching these things for near a year now!) Instead, I saw a tank full of Green Spotted Puffer fish!!!
I dropped everything I had intended on purchasing, raced home and checked my 29 gallon tank to make sure that the stats on the water were good enough to introduce some new sensitive fish. Everything was perfect!
The next day, I acclimated three GSPs into my 29 gallon tank. Immediately, two of them tag-teamed the biggest Ghost Shrimp in the tank, and the third one shot over to the side of the tank and began looking at the reflection of himself.

It's been a week since I acclimated my GSP's.. Everybody is happy. Every time I feed them snails or shrimp, the same two attack as soon as they know whats going on, and the third continues to stare at himself in the side of the tank. I have nicknamed the third one Jersey Shore, because he's most concerned about the way that he looks.
Every day I've been adding a diluted tablespoon of Instant Ocean to the mix.

Every night I sit and watch each of my tanks, and I have never felt more satisfied. It truly is therapeutic, watching an artificial environment that I have created and knowing that these beautiful creatures are my responsibility. My girlfriend's 5 year old daughter loves feeding all of my fish, and I am looking forward to teaching her everything I've learned about my newest hobby.

(That was a lot longer than I thought it would be.. ... .. And before you say it.. .. No, that is NOT what she said...)

[Witzitt]

BTW, the GSP's are a little over an inch long. I DO plan on moving them to a 55 gallon, but not for a few months.

[bertie 83]

Welcome, you have around 90g worth of gsp there. I would buy about a 100g tank and start setting it up as marine ready for them. They will soon start to fight like crazy in there.

[bertie 83]

And please dont add random amounts of salt, you need the correct kit to measure it properly, you can then raise the sg by 0.002 weekly so as not to harm your biological filtration.

[Witzitt]

Oh, I'm checking the sg on a daily basis. It's not really as random as I suppose I made it sound.

I suppose I didn't really think ahead (and I regret that... I usually over-analyze, but seeing 20+ of these buggers in a 10-20g tank made me want to rescue as many as I thought i could asap). But I only have enough room for another 55g tank. If I tell my girlfriend (she's moving in within a few weeks...) that I need to allocate more space for a 100+tank, she'll have my reproductive organs in a sling... That is something I do not desire.

Ok, well here's my solution. Jersey Shore will remain in the 29 gallon tank, he loves checking himself out as it is! I'll keep my 55g filter on the back of that tank, and he can do his makeup all day long. (alternatively, I'd gift him and the tank to my sister, whose husband will not allow any furry creatures in their house...)

Next off-rent paycheck (approximately 3-4 weeks away...) will go towards a 55g tank. (I OVER-FILTER as it is... my current 55g tank has 2 75g HOB filters...) so I believe that should be adequate.. Should be 6-8 weeks before it's fully cycled/planted (4 weeks before i even acquire it... and i NEVER use fake plants...). and then I'll move the two hunters into their permanent home!

Actually, as you suggested.... I need that 55g to be fully marine, or at least brackish on the way to marine by the time that those hunters get acclimated.. Hmm.. I suppose I have enough time to research the necessary requirements to make a 55g full marine tank. I've researched brackish plants, but never have researched full marine plants... I guess that'll have to be added to the list.

Thanks, Bertie!

[Nuclear_Glitter]

I've researched brackish plants, but never have researched full marine plants... I guess that'll have to be added to the list.

Those would be corals. Full marine is a lot of work and a 55 isn't quite enough for two GSPs (green spotted puffers). The standard gallons on tanks don't really hold what they say they do. The 29 isn't quite enough for your one puffer either. A standard 29 actually holds about 24 gallons and your 55 holds about 50. You may want to ask the pet store if they will at least take back one puffer. Then, try to get a 65+ for the other two.

Welcome to the forum! =]

[bertie 83]

+1

[alan01]

I am new too.
Hi all.

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

Welcome to the group....

Here is a good link for GSP care: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=28649

[J-P]

I am new too.
Hi all.

Welcome nice sig, but it isn't allowed unfortunately.

[jus85411]

I am new too.
Hi all.

some people like it, not my type of thing though

btw where did our spam smiley go? it would have been my first use of it lol

[puffykid]

<3 spam.

[bertie 83]

They do spam with real bacon bits now, you should all try it. Yes I am actually serious, it's lush even if it is full of walrus

[Pufferpunk]

You guys are sharp! Fooled me for a sec with the kid's pic for an avatar.

[Witzitt]

Plans fell through on the upgrade to the 55g tank... So I took two of the puffers back to the store I got them from. It was a sad day, the only puffer they had left was deflated. He was active, but he was really sad looking.

I went back yesterday (About a week later...) and my two puffers were still there, looking happy and healthy as ever, and the deflated puffer was still there, too. It was a little sad to see them, but they came up to the glass and followed my finger.. I had to leave.

Anyway, my remaining GSP is in my 29g long tank, he acted down for a few days, but now he seems to be ok. He's got all that space to himself, and he's exploring and having a great time.

The only problem is, I'm starting to get orange algae! I'm still slowly transitioning to brackish, and I read that pleco's can't handle the salt... What do I do about algae?