PUFFED!
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32975
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Thanks for that info. We tend to have more patience knowing that youth can be impulsive & overenthusiastic about stocking their tanks.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
i dont know i just thought that in my tank with all the broken lines of sight and hiding places the puffer and monos might work well together considering they are both brackish and i do have more than adequate filtering for the 55 gallon tank, if the monos arent going to work with the puffer in this tank what fish would you suggest with a figure 8
buzz:
I'm not a Figure 8 owner, but I'm aware that others here have put them with Bumble Bee Gobies, Knight Gobies & Dragon Gobies. My impression is that sometimes these poor Gobies get picked on, or worse -- but as I say, I think others have had them together. Perhaps you should start a new thread, saying something specific like "Best Tankmates for F8's?" -- and hope that an experienced F8 person here will respond. If my memory serves me correctly, RTR and PufferPunk keep, or have kept, F8's with other fish -- I'd go with whatever they say. Don't be surprised, though, if others offer you the advice to keep it a species-only tank, as F8's are among the more aggressive Puffers!
I'm not a Figure 8 owner, but I'm aware that others here have put them with Bumble Bee Gobies, Knight Gobies & Dragon Gobies. My impression is that sometimes these poor Gobies get picked on, or worse -- but as I say, I think others have had them together. Perhaps you should start a new thread, saying something specific like "Best Tankmates for F8's?" -- and hope that an experienced F8 person here will respond. If my memory serves me correctly, RTR and PufferPunk keep, or have kept, F8's with other fish -- I'd go with whatever they say. Don't be surprised, though, if others offer you the advice to keep it a species-only tank, as F8's are among the more aggressive Puffers!
-
RTR
- Mentor
- Posts: 6155
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 4:39 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): East Coast, USA
I'll disagee mildly with the F-8 characterization. As puffers go, to me F-8s are quite middle-of-the-road - not so fiesty/waspish that conspecifics or certain other tankmates are automatically doomed, nor so easygoing that cohabitation is ever a given. Not a Fahaka, nor a DP, just a puffer.
But as with any mixed tanks including puffer(s), there are several different forms of incompatability which can cause problems. Aggression is but one of those. IME, feeding incompatabilties are more common if less dramatic.
But as with any mixed tanks including puffer(s), there are several different forms of incompatability which can cause problems. Aggression is but one of those. IME, feeding incompatabilties are more common if less dramatic.
Where's the fish? - Neptune
-
Feathers&Fins
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 201
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 5:42 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Pufferless since Nova passed; had 2 red T.miuris, 4 T.biocellatus for many years.
- Location (country): KY (USA)
- Location: (US) Kentucky
I think it is important to resist the urge to stuff a tank full or to buy every fish you like. They are not puppies who love to live in crowded piles of friends. They are not reflections of our own emtional states...so if you feel bored or lonely do not project it onto your fish...they probally are not feeling like that. Getting them too many tankmates is not going to make you or them feel better. (I went through that learning curve 2 years ago)
It is better for the fish to have as much room as you can afford...this also makes cleaning easier.
If I had a 55 gallon to play with I would put in six figure eights and some cool toys and plastic plants for them to play with and in... and no other fish.
It is better for the fish to have as much room as you can afford...this also makes cleaning easier.
If I had a 55 gallon to play with I would put in six figure eights and some cool toys and plastic plants for them to play with and in... and no other fish.