Newbie in need of help and advice!

[Allbrett]

Hello all I just joined the forum and posted on meet and greet, decided most of that post should probably go here! I need your help figuring out the biggest and prettiest looking puffer I can get for my freshwater 30g tank. My tank is still cycling working with my LFS to help me through it. I have a 150w heater ( if I remember correctly), a fluval external canister filter 205, a penguin biowheel 150 ( Old and ratty), a nice piece of malaysian driftwood in the tank, and a few plants and cavern. Well, the biowheel is old and ratty and I plan on getting a aquaclear 50 for my tank, I do not know when I should purchase it... after my tank is done cycling or asap? My canister filter is working perfectly and even gives my tank a decent flow. Do you guys think I need to add anything else to my tank before I put a puffer in this tank?
On to the my favorite topic, what is the biggest, coolest, most interesting puffer I can keep in my tank. Also, possible tank mates that could possibly go with it (I do know puffers are very aggressive and will probably kill most fish). I had a figure 8 at one point in my life and he lived happily with a few mollys and a catfish!

If you need anymore info please dont hesitate to ask! Also, I did have a few tanks growing up but I am considering myself a newbie at this point because it has been years since I have had one! so no information is stupid information!
Thanks in advance!

[Pufferpunk]

"Cool-looking" is in the eye of the pufferkeeper, I believe. I find the most cool-looking puffers to be the ambush predator species, because of their odd shape, upturned mouths & interesting killing habits but you also almost never see them, except at feeding time. Most of them stay buried up to their eyeballs in the sand or lurk in their cave.

Check out our Pufferpedia for more ideas.

[RTR]

+1 to Pufferpunk's comments. It really is entirely personal choice - some are nearly hyperactive, some are generally inert other a brief snap at feeding time. Quite a few are solitary, some do well with con-specifics. Not many FW types do well in mixed tanks, a few SW species do okay in certain combinations. All ned quite a bit of room. There is lots of info here on this site in the Pufferpedia and Library - read as much as you can and ask all the questions you need. Do not trust LFS or chain stores on puffer care- most know little or nothing about keeping puffers long-term.