F8 can't think of a title

The forum for puffers that either live or start in brackish biotopes: GSPs, F8s, Ceylons & more.
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andy198712
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Post by andy198712 »

Boxermom wrote:You need a hydrometer or refractometer to measure the specific gravity, or salinity. You need to keep it at SG 1.005-1.008. Be sure to post a picture here once you get it so we can verify that it is indeed a Figure 8. There are often misidentifications in the stores.
tell me about it!!

maybe get some pics before you pic him up and post them here?
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Boxermom
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Post by Boxermom »

Excellent idea, as if its one of the others that it often gets confused with, a bigger tank is definitely needed sooner than in a year.
Tina

Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
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OraLacerta
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Post by OraLacerta »

Exactly. I've been crossing my fingers that it's not a Ceylon. A pic would be a great idea before you make the purchase.

I have kept my Figure Eight in a 15g tall for a bit less than a year (when she was small), and she did fine. I say 'fine', because she was not doing 'great' like she is now in her new home. She was healthy and continued to grow, but she is so much more interactive in her larger tank. She loves all of the space to explore and is a totally different fish than she was.

I don't think a 15 gallon is bad for a single Figure Eight; but I wouldn't go any smaller, and a 20 long would be fantastic. The 20g longs are cheap, easy to find, and take the same amount of time to maintain, so it is definitely worth it to buy your Figure Eight one eventually.
-Michelle

Prevent unnecessary deaths due to disease- quarantine ALL new additions at least 4 weeks in a separate tank before adding to your main display tank!

Puffers: Hindenburg the Figure Eight, 75gallon Brackish
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andy198712
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Post by andy198712 »

OraLacerta wrote:Exactly. I've been crossing my fingers that it's not a Ceylon. A pic would be a great idea before you make the purchase.

I have kept my Figure Eight in a 15g tall for a bit less than a year (when she was small), and she did fine. I say 'fine', because she was not doing 'great' like she is now in her new home. She was healthy and continued to grow, but she is so much more interactive in her larger tank. She loves all of the space to explore and is a totally different fish than she was.

I don't think a 15 gallon is bad for a single Figure Eight; but I wouldn't go any smaller, and a 20 long would be fantastic. The 20g longs are cheap, easy to find, and take the same amount of time to maintain, so it is definitely worth it to buy your Figure Eight one eventually.
its an easy mistake to make :roll:

i just brought a bigger tank and found out my F8 isnt a F8! :( and my tank now is about 30 gallons but hes only about 2inches long at the mo, but i know hes needs that extra 10gallons so will need a bigger tank within the yr!
had he have been a real F8 30 gallons was great!


soooooo, best to post a pic first!
Dr. Orifice
Puffer Fry
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Post by Dr. Orifice »

Hey,
I've looked into it and found I will probably be getting a 20g long within the next 6 months. Also I will try to post a pic but the LFS isn't so local. It's only about an hour and a half away but I don't know if I'll be able too for sure. I've seen ceylon puffers and GSPs before. So I'm 100% sure that these are F8s sold as GSPs, unless theres something I'm missing? Still I will definitely try to get some pics. Thinking about this I'm still debating on whether to get DPs or a F8 so even your opinion on that would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks everyone
Dr. Orifice
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Post by Dr. Orifice »

Oh no I don't know what happened. I just measured my tank again today making sure I had the exact right measurements. and found that my tank is only 21" long 11"high 13"deep. I don't know how this happened I must have been half asleep yesterday when I took the other measurements? Anyway sorry about that I guess my tank is 13g. Do these correct measurements pretty much scratch out the idea of having a F8 in it for about 6 months, or will it still be okay for a little while? Again sorry about that.
Thanks all :redface:
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Boxermom
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Post by Boxermom »

Should be okay IMO for 6 months, especially if you get it while its still pretty small and are faithful about maintenance.
Tina

Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
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Myaj
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Post by Myaj »

I think you are still good :wink: Just don't add tankmates, one puffer only!
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Dr. Orifice
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Post by Dr. Orifice »

Thank you all very much. I'm going to try to get a pic of the puffer but I'm not sure if it'll work out were I'd be able to make two trips out there. Also if you don't mind me asking one last question should I get a powerhead or refractometer. I was thinking I should get the powerhead since I already have the hydrometer, but I read the sticky about ref. I wasn't sure. The powerhead seemed like something the fish may appreciate more too.
Thanks so much everyone
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Myaj
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Post by Myaj »

What do you have for a filter on the tank already? Powerheads are just for water movement, and if you have a good enough filter (one rated for 200 or more gph would be great), there's no need for the powerhead.

Check online prices before you buy supplies at the store, you can save a ton of money and maybe get them both!

Are you know the differences with the F8's, GSP's and Ceylons? Its mainly those two eyespots, the one by the tail and the other higher up, if those aren't there its not a Figure 8.. I'm putting together a quick ID guide but I have to get photos for it.
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Dr. Orifice
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Post by Dr. Orifice »

Hey,
On my tank I have a Penguin Biowheel 100(GPH 100). Should I upgrade my filter? I was thinking of doing this http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/d ... filter.php with the power head (sorry was that link aloud?), and just using the filter as biological filtration. Would this be good, or should I just buy a new filter? Also about the IDing of the differences between ceylons, GSPs, and F8s I'm totally sure that I can tell the difference in the pet stores. The ones I'm looking at definitely have the eyespot. Oh yeah thanks for the tip about purchasing things online, a lot of the time I take in the prices on petsmart online and that gives extremely good discounts in the store.
Thanks
Last edited by Dr. Orifice on Thu Jan 18, 2007 11:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Myaj
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Post by Myaj »

I would add another filter later on if I were you, but I"m the queen of overfiltration ;).

Lets see, what does a powerhead cost? $13-$25 depending on make and model...

For $12.99 you can get an AquaClear that handles 100gph, for $18.99 a 200gph one.

So really it would cost you about the same either way. I'd say go with the HOB filter, because powerheads take up a lot of room in the tank, that DIY thing would stick out like a sore thumb, and if it falls off your puffer gets sucked in and chopped to pieces.
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Dr. Orifice
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Post by Dr. Orifice »

Hey,
Oh wow I didn't think about how dangerous that DIY powerhead thing was. I'll go with a new HOB then, though there would be no way to fit the one I have present with a new one on the tank. You meant two at the same time right? Should I buy a new filter with 200GPH to replace this one is that enough filtration? Would you reccomend a brand or are they pretty much all equal?
Thanks
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Post by Nick »

I really like aquaclears; having bought several other types for tanks in that size range, I've enjoyed the aquaclear most, many designs have the water just overflowing the filter media when it gets clogged, while the aquaclear has a forced throughput that seems to be harder for clogging to defeat.
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Myaj
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Post by Myaj »

I personally like AquaClears, and they come with good media that you can reuse for years, not the stupid cartridges that you have to keep buying new ones.

As far as adding it to your current filter or replace it completely, that's up to you and what you want to spend. Biowheels are generally not great with brackish water, the wheel will spit salt spray all over the place. But you can just pull the wheel itself off I think, and use the filter without it.

If you use the two separate filters, they will take up more room on the back and obviously its another thing to plug in and use electricity. But if one should fail, at least your tank isn't without filtration. And you can clean out one filter, knowing that the bacteria is solid in the other.

As far as what size to get.. I like to aim for a total GPH that's 10x your gallons. So for a 20 gallon tank, 200gph total (or more, but that's usually plenty). If you are going to go with a long tank, I'd probably put on two 100gph filters to spread out the current. So, yeah, that's what I'd do ;).
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