Hello Ladies n Gents... I been coming to the puffer forum for awhile now.. My brother introduced me to it a couple of months ago, and ever since then i have been constantly in and out of the puffer pedia and forums...
But now... I cant seem to find the exact answer i need in the pufferpedia.. I just set up a 55 gallon freshwater tank... Im looking for an intelligent puffer that will hopefully interact with me, and well, basically.. keep me entertained... I would simply LOVE an mbu puffer.. (just went to thatfishplace and they had one that was simply amazing).. but i dont have a 1000 gallon tank... are there any other puffers i could house in a 55 gallon tank like the mbu puffer? im just looking at putting one fish in the tank... so it kinda leaves out all the dwarf and smaller puffers... would prefer to have a puffer anywhere form 3-10 inches that is active...
Any suggestions?
Your help is GREATLY appreciated... would hate to get a puffer and be dissapointed in it, or even worst have it die....
Help me pick my perfect puffer
A 55 huh? The problem you're going to run into is that its too small for a fahaka (125 minimum) and the other solitary puffers (though any puffer can be solitary without a problem) are much smaller and you'll look like you have an empty tank.
Most of the lurker types (and somone correct me if I'm wrong) aren't know to be terribly interactive.
If you want to do brackish/salt a ceylon or a GSP would be quite happy and get to a decent size. 6" or so GSP, and 8" or so ceylon.
Most of the lurker types (and somone correct me if I'm wrong) aren't know to be terribly interactive.
If you want to do brackish/salt a ceylon or a GSP would be quite happy and get to a decent size. 6" or so GSP, and 8" or so ceylon.
The rare and elusive SteelGeek has been known to cause great damage to his environs...
Just the cost of the marine salt and a hydrometer (or preferrably a refractometer). As for difficulty, you have to premix the salt with water before adding it to the tank, and watch the SG.. That's about it. Obviously the same stuff that applies to freshwater applies to brackish (watch amm/nitri/nitra levels, pH). The puffers will require frequent water changes, and special food (snails) possibly teeth trimming.random wrote:that was gonna be another question for you guys... to turn my freshwater tank into a brackish tank... roughly how much would it cost and how hard would it be?
I haven't had my brackish tank setup long enough to give you a figure on the amount of salt you should expect to use. I'm still on my first 50 gallon bag of instant ocean, and I think it was ~$20.
If the cost of salt is going to be a limiting factor, you might want to choose F8 puffers as they typically only require 1.005 SG. Also since they're smaller, your 55 gallon would be about the right size for 3 or 4 of them.
Their might be a few other hidden costs. I had to get saltwater test kits because my freshwater didn't work (even for the brackish). It's a good idea to get aragonite gravel, and decorate the tank heavily to break up line of sight.
I was also pondering what freshwater you could house in 55G. Like it's been said above, they are either too small or too big
I would definitely go brackish if you can be bothered with the salt and can afford it. I've a green (ceylon) puffer in a 60USG (50UKG). The SG is currently 1.012 and as a rough guide, I'm changing 60L a week and adding 2 large cups of marine salt to this to keep the SG at this. An 8kg pack of salt is lasting a couple of months ATM although I am going to be better off buying the 25kg tubs as the SG increases
I look at it that I am saving in terms of not having plants, CO2 etc. Just a tankful of cheap holey ocean rock and a bit of dead coral. The salt takes a bit of practice but you save time in terms of not having to mess about with plants. I've 4 tanks ATM and most people who come in the house prefer the puffer one - both in terms of the tank itself and the fish - definitely the most interesting and spectacular I have
Once my SG hits marine as the fish grows, I'm going to add a skimmer and a little live rock which should reduce water changes a little (and therefore salt addition) - should be a nice halfway point between tropical and eventual marine
I would definitely go brackish if you can be bothered with the salt and can afford it. I've a green (ceylon) puffer in a 60USG (50UKG). The SG is currently 1.012 and as a rough guide, I'm changing 60L a week and adding 2 large cups of marine salt to this to keep the SG at this. An 8kg pack of salt is lasting a couple of months ATM although I am going to be better off buying the 25kg tubs as the SG increases
I look at it that I am saving in terms of not having plants, CO2 etc. Just a tankful of cheap holey ocean rock and a bit of dead coral. The salt takes a bit of practice but you save time in terms of not having to mess about with plants. I've 4 tanks ATM and most people who come in the house prefer the puffer one - both in terms of the tank itself and the fish - definitely the most interesting and spectacular I have
Once my SG hits marine as the fish grows, I'm going to add a skimmer and a little live rock which should reduce water changes a little (and therefore salt addition) - should be a nice halfway point between tropical and eventual marine