my figure 8 puffer plans....

[tslabaugh]

So I think I have decided to get a F8 puffer. I currently have a 29 gallon planted tank that is heavily planted with a 65w CF light, Rena XP1 filter, and I dose ferts. Here is a pic of the tank before it started growing well:



I am aware some of the plants will not tolerate light brackish water and I will probably be trading those off for ones that will. Unfortunately, it currently is inhabited by 2 neon tetras, 3 glolight tetras, 3 peppered cories, 5 otto's, ghost shrimp, and numerous snails. I plan on transporting majority of the snails over to a new tank I am going to set up primarily for breeding the snails for the puffers. I may put some of the fish in there also. I will leave the shrimp in there as I think they will be able to get away and hide among the plants. I will probably be leaving the otto's in there also as they are impossible to find in the tank. How do normal freshwater fish do to light brackish water? I know I will end up having casualties if they can't handle the salt.

A few more questions... Do I get one or two F8's for the tank? I have read they need 10-15 gallons each. Since my tank is planted does that mean they should only need 10 since they will have more hiding places and obstacles or should I be safe and just get one? I want to try bumblebee gobies, so do I add them first and let them settle then add the puffer if I decide to try em? I have heard mixed reviews about housing BBG with F8's so I haven't decided on them yet but I do like gobies!

Next, I know the salinity needs to be 1.005. I need to up it about .002 a week correct? I normally do 25% water changes so how much salt would I need to mix with the water during a water change to get it up there? I don't have to worry about dechlorinater because I have a well. My water is perfect...ph 7.2. I know the marine salt will up the PH but by the time I have the water at 1.005 will the PH be at the right level or is that something I will have to just watch and see?

Sorry for the long post, any help would be great. Feel free to IM me on AIM: Testykalz is my handle.

[Boxermom]

The otos will most likely die. The cories won't appreciate the salt, nor will the tetras although they may survive for awhile.

I'd only get one with all of those tankmates. If you get rid of all of the other fish, then you could have two.

I'd still recommend a declorinator unless you know that your water does not contain chloramines, even if it is chlorine-free. You'll need a hydrometer or refractometer to measure the salinity with.

[tslabaugh]

Thanks for your fast reply! Yeah, I wasn't planning on leaving the others in there and I guess I will pull the otto's out whenever I see em!

I am sure my water doesn't contain any chloramines. I plan on borrowing my roommates hydrometer until I can find a refractometer for a good price.

I forgot to ask, will the snails survive in 1.005 water or will they get burned like putting salt on a slug? lol I hope they'll make it cause I have tons of MTS snails that I'd have to get out! heh.

[kass]

MTS snails are not good for puffers, they have very hard shells and can break the puffers teeth.

[tslabaugh]

Im glad you brought that to my attention or I would have left them and had some chipped toothed puffers! I dunno why I didn't think about it...i could never crush them to feed em to other fish.

[OraLacerta]

I have a 35 gallon with 2 figure eight puffers as well as a knight goby, and BBG, a freshwater sole and some mollies. I started out with one figure eight and only added tank mates as I got to know her personality better. The success of introducing tank mates is dependent on each puffer's personality. I have seen figure eights as aggressive as GSPs, and there are relatively docile F8s like my two that I have (so far) successfully kept with vulnerable tank mates like my flounder and my lyretail molly.

Puffers are confusing because so many people have varied experiences with them; their personalities are so unique, and I'm sure you've read about owners with aggressive and docile F8s. I think the attitude you need to go into this with is if you get a puffer that won't accept any other tankmates (which would be pretty rare for F8s) would you be ok with that?

However, first I think you should figure out your plant situation and get that straightened out, and when you have that figured out (remember to remove that driftwood if it's real wood!) think about what you want for your tank for inhabitants. With enough room and hiding spaces I wouldn't worry about a F8 with BBGs. They are really fast & good at hiding, so I think even a persistent F8 would have a hard time adding them to the dinner menu, but its one of those things you won't know until you try.

You've got lots of options open to you, so have fun setting this up and be sure to post updates! I always love hearing about other people's F8 setups!


PS- if you are moving your FW inhabitants into the tank you intend to use as a snail breeder, be aware that some people, including me, have experienced ghost shrimp eating snail eggs. It took me a few months to realize why my snails weren't breeding, but once I took those shrimp out I had a huge boom in snail population.

[dc519]

I have 1 lonely otto in a SG of 1.005-1.006. I didnt mean to leave him in the tank, but I guess I had 1 more then I thought I did. The rest are in a FW DP tank. But I wouldnt suggest leaving them in.

[tslabaugh]

How weird, I have one otto I can't get out so I decided he is gonna stay..there are too many plants to chase him around.

After reading about driftwood rotting quickly in BW I decided to pull it out and I put some nice live rock looking rocks in the woods place. It looks really good! I'll try to get some pics up when the water clears backs up.

The LFS didn't have my puffer in this weekend so I gotta wait on their next order! I do have 4 BBG in there now. They are really entertaining.

I'll keep you all updated and thanks for all your opinions and help!