Help me pick a puffer

VanillaShake311 · Post by **VanillaShake311** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 8:28 pm

Hello all I am new to this forum and had only kept an eight figured puffer when I was very young.

I have done tons of research on freshwater puffers the past few days. I have an empty 20 gallon freshwater tank. I have sand as substrate, drift wood and lots of plastic plants. I have some rocks I am going to put in there as well. I have three filters on this tank. I read that puffers are messy eaters and I breed aquatic turtles so I know how important good filtration is. Two are regular hanging filters and one is a small canister.

Now to my trouble..... I have no idea which one I would like. I like the red eyes sooo much but I dunno how many would be happy in a 20 gallon. But honestly I don't care if I just have one puffer in that 20 gallon. I just want puffers I dont' care to keep any other type of fish in there.

I just don't want to do dwarf puffers. That is the only type I really don't want to do. Ive kept them before and couldn't even see them starting to get ick because they were so tiny.

Any help at all. I don't plan on getting any puffer for at least a week. And I even have to order it at the LFS. I just want to have an idea of which kind to get and have everything ready before I get it.

Boxermom · Post by **Boxermom** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 8:38 pm

Welcome.

How are you cycling the tank? Unless you have another mature tank that you can use to scavenge filter media, substrate, decor, something like that, its going to take you longer than a week to cycle the tank. Or if you can get some Biospira. Any puffer you get will suffer and likely perish if the tank isn't fully cycled first.

VanillaShake311 · Post by **VanillaShake311** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:20 pm

Oh sorry yea these are all used ..... i had the filters from my hatchling turtle tanks.... and never cleaned the inside of them just new filter media, the tanks been thru DOZENS of hatchling aquatics..... i just scrubbed off algae and drained the tank and refilled it. All my equipment from decor to heaters to filters and tank are all very old equipment. I just don't have any hatchlings right now or for awhile so I was either gonna shut down the tank or setup a fish tank again. The only new equipment is the canister filter but the other two filters have been used.

Sorry by all means I am no beginner keeper. Ive kept fish for very long time my first pet was a tire track eel and I had that guy for 7 years.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:25 pm

That won't do it, if it's empty for more than a few days after the turtles were removed but before the puffers go in, there will still be a minicycle, and while turtles don't care at all about a minicycle,, it will more often than not kill puffers.

Boxermom · Post by **Boxermom** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:27 pm

How are you keeping the filters cycled though? Is there anything alive in them now? Or are you using ammonia? If there's no source of ammonia, the bacteria will start to die after about 24-48 hours. Puffers aren't like most other fish, they are very sensitive to water parameters.

That said, you should probably check to see what puffers they have available so you can research those types in order to help determine which you want.

VanillaShake311 · Post by **VanillaShake311** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:45 pm

Well I am in no rush at all to just run out and get a puffer. Thats why I was asking advice from y'all. I don't mind running my tank for however long. Thats why I joined this forum was to get help on what all it will take to get one.

What types would do well in a 20 gallon tank and should I keep more than one? Because I can order whatever kind I decide on at the LFS. I am just trying to do as much research as I can before getting one.

Just looking for some help.

VanillaShake311 · Post by **VanillaShake311** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:50 pm

Alot of these filters have been put away. and the tank yes has been empty for a few days. Live plants would that help? Cause I have a landscaped female betta (sorority) tank that I can take a few plants from. I was planning on sticking some snails in that tank anyway and let them breed for awhile to give the puffers sometihng to munch on their first few days in the tank. I even have frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp I can give them. But to get anywhere I kinda need to know which one I should get that would work well in a 20 gallon.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:55 pm

VanillaShake311 · Post by **VanillaShake311** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:04 pm

Thank you so much Nick. Although hmmm I don't have a turtle small enough for that tank anymore and they would just tear up the decorations. Would it be okay to stick a goldfish in there. I have a 210 gallon in the living room with 4 goldfish keeping my ENORMOUS cooter company so a 5th goldfish won't be any big deal? Is that okay?

VanillaShake311 · Post by **VanillaShake311** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:19 pm

Hey i just thought of something. What if I filled up the tank with water from my 210 gallon tank? Or just do a 50% change and add cycled water?

VanillaShake311 · Post by **VanillaShake311** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:39 pm

Okay so far the one's I like are:

the Borneo Red eye (Borneansis)
the Fangs Puffer (Cochinchinensis)
and the Brown Puffer (Turgidus)

Now for a little input from those of you that keep these or know anything about them.

I am interested in one that might have a good personality. I don't know how they are when you put your hand in the tank to clean but maybe not one that would attack it... hehe. Any personal info for any of these would be great. And help me narrow it down even further.

Post by **Pufferpunk** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 11:03 pm

I would absolutely not use anything that a turtle/reptile has been in, without thoroughly cleaning & disinfecting! Use Oxyclean for that & start over.

VanillaShake311 · Post by **VanillaShake311** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 11:13 pm

why?? Ive kept cichlids South American and African, Pacus and all types of fish with aquatic turtles. I have never had a problem. Turtles swim in Thailand and Borneo in the lakes and rivers and even oceans. I don't get it?

My turtles are all captive bred and I myself am a Texas Diamondback Terrapin breeder which are the one turtle that goes between fresh and salt water.

OraLacerta · Post by **OraLacerta** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 1:02 am

VanillaShake311 wrote:Hey i just thought of something. What if I filled up the tank with water from my 210 gallon tank? Or just do a 50% change and add cycled water?

Hey there, I just read your thread and thought I'd pitch in!

Unfortunately there isn't enough bacteria in the water column for you to be able to use old tank water to cycle the tank. The bacteria attaches to the substrate, decorations, and filtermedia. If you have some filter-media from your goldfish tank, or an extra filter from the goldfish tank you could run on the puffer tank, that would do the trick! Be sure not to wash out the filter media before you use it as that may kill off the bacteria, and add some source of ammonia, whether the new puffer or artificial, within 24 hours of adding the filter from the other tank.

I wouldn't add a goldfish to the tank to cycle it because it would be bad for the goldfish just as it would be for a puffer; they both create massive amounts of waste and ammonia is still poisonous for the goldfish. It may not kill the goldfish but that doesn't mean it's not cruel. The reason Nick suggested a turtle is because ammonia wouldn't affect it like it would a fish, which pulls water through its gills and actually gets burned by the ammonia.

So, like I said, if you have filter media from that 210, use it and you're set for your new puff!

VanillaShake311 · Post by **VanillaShake311** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 3:38 am

Hmm yikes um all the filters on that tank are massive. Would a bio wheel penguin filter be too much for that filter? What if I took the filter material from that ........ just tore off from the plastic and added it to the filter would that work. If not or just to help me what would be the best way. Cause honestly it would be very cruel to add a larger turtle that has just been upgraded and established into the colony of the other turtles into a tank way small for it. Plus if would knock things all around. I might hafta try something that will take longer. I am not breeding this season so I will not have hatchling turtle to put in that tank.

I obviously feel retarded and need help learning how to cycle this tank properly. I want to do what is necessary for these guys I just need steps to help a poor herp enthusiast with aquatic fish. Im sorry.

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