is my tank "busy" enough?

[seuadr]

hi,

I've had my Dwarf puffer for only 18 hours, but i want to make sure that my home for him is as hospitable as possible. He has been glass surfing since i got him yesterday, but he does wander around the tank some, but i am still a little concerned.

currently, my tank holds 6.5 gallons of water.

stats:

PH - 7.6
NH - 0
NO2 - 0
NO3 - 0
GH - 9.8
79 degrees water

I dose 1mL flourish ever 3rd day, and .5 mL carbon twice a week.

he doesn't have fish tank mates, but there are 4 ghost shrimp which he is currently ignoring, except when he runs into them while surfing, around 20 or so trumpet snails, a handful of pond snails and decorations:



Video of his pacing:



he has 3 caves - one under the slate and 2 under the drift wood. as you can see there are a lot of plants and rocks, i feel like he has plenty of hiding places. I upped the water speed a little when i saw him swimming up the current, but any farther and my pump will out pull my return water.

Am i being paranoid? any suggestions on what i could add?

[bertie 83]

They often glass surf until they settle, give him time

[Pufferpunk]

I'd put something tall & bushy in the back right side.

[Pufftastic]

He'll settle in. Glass surfing isn't always from boredom -- it can be from stress too. New environment. I'd recommend not fiddling with stuff in the tank for a few days.

Congratulations on your new puffer! I love DPs.

[bertie 83]

Yea give him a little space he will soon come round

[seuadr]

thanks!

on adding stuff, i was -hoping- that the onion plant would do that.. but thus far all the roots are melting and the "leaves" are starting to melt. I made sure that hte bulbs were partially exposed, but if they don't come around, i think i'll replace them with some wegia or something. they are producing a bunch of crud in the tank. the shrimp love it, though?

[bertie 83]

Out of interest how was the tank cycled? You are showing no nitrate.

[seuadr]

fishless, with cheating. I used filter material and bio blocks from an established tank, as well as some water and some plants. I got a pretty good cloud of bacteria for a couple days, but then everything has evened out and testing pretty much 0. my other tank also routinely tests at 0 with plants, and that one has been established for over 3 years. I've read that the API test kits aren't sensitive enough to read an actual zero, combined with plants and fish appearing to grow fine i assumed that 0 isn't a serious problem?

[bertie 83]

Oh absolutely not. You have followed a good path whereas many don't. Keep a close eye on params to be safe. But you should be good

[ScubaJeff]

I wouldnt worry if you have only had him for 18 hours. New environment, The move, etc. It is all very normal for a little while.
As he settles in and gets accustomed to his new home, The shrimp are who you should worry about. Haha

[seuadr]

good news! he ate! i learned that even a tiny sliver off the edge of a brine shrimp cube was too much.. but i netted it all back out. I soak all my fish food in garlic guard at least a couple times a week, which seems to help with appetite and is supposed to be good for warding off parasites. he went INSANE for brine shrimp, he easily ate 2 of them before i realized i needed to net them out. i've never tried to just feed one tiny little guy before! his belly is nice and round, but he is zipping around, so i don't think he over ate too much.

[JRC3]

I hate to sound like a broken record...But the nitrAte solution bottle, especially #2, should be vigorously shaken for about 2 minutes prior to adding the drops to the test tube. IME and of others you will get a low or even a zero reading. Shake the solutions while tapping on hand or table and then let stand for another couple minutes to let the air settle out of the solution...Then test your water.


Let us know if you show nitrAtes after that.

Glad he's eating. Good luck.

[seuadr]

I hate to sound like a broken record...But the nitrAte solution bottle, especially #2, should be vigorously shaken for about 2 minutes prior to adding the drops to the test tube. IME and of others you will get a low or even a zero reading. Shake the solutions while tapping on hand or table and then let stand for another couple minutes to let the air settle out of the solution...Then test your water.


Let us know if you show nitrAtes after that.

Glad he's eating. Good luck.

i tried as you said, shook the bejesus out of the bottle for a couple mins and all i got was a slightly more neon yellow