New Valentini Puffer... and questions!

[McCahill1983]

I know I'm going to be asking a lot of questions, that I should be able to find the answers to on my own, but with all the (sometimes different) information out there, I just don't know what I should listen to, what I need, etc. So, I figured I'd ask the questions and see if an experienced hobbyist or two could point me in the right direction, or make some suggestions.

My Girlfriend recently brought me home a Valentini Puffer. I don't know much about him. I had a 15 gallon aquarium with a Clownfish and 3 Stripe Damsel, but recently moved them(along with the Puffer) to what was my freshwater tank, which is 29 gallons. I don't plan on doing anything too advanced with it. I plan on keeping it a Fish Only and Live rock aquarium as I know that's usually recommended for Puffers . Right now I have a Valentini Puffer, a Clownfish, and a Three Stripe Damsel. I haven't had any problems with these fish, and everything I've read says they are compatible. Are they? Also is a 29 gallon aquarium large enough for these guys at full size and if so, could I add more fish? The Aquarium is the Valentini's aquarium, so I'd be looking for tank mates for him. Damsels are from what I understand good starter fish. They are cheap as well. Would it be possible to put 1 or 2 more Damsels in with the Valentini? Perhaps a Domino or a Velvet Damsel? My Girlfriend loves the Royal Gramma fish. Would that be compatible with the Puffer as well?

Another area of concern is the one that I really can't find an answer for as everything I read tends to counter act what I read in the place before. That is Lighting and Live Rock. Since it's a fish only aquarium do I need to upgrade to expensive high powered lighting? Right now I have a 20W Power-Glo Bulb on the Aquarium. It seemed to be doing well in the Smaller aquarium as we experienced some pretty good Coralline Algae growth. I added about 7 pounds of Base Rock to the Aquarium when we upgraded. I think the combined total is around 21 pounds of rock right now(14.5 live and 6.5 base. ) I think I've read that a good amount is about 1.5 lbs of rock for every gallon of water. If I add about 15 more pounds of base and 10 more pounds of Live Rock, should that be sufficient? Also will the coralline alge grow on the base rock eventually, or would it be best to just buy live rock only and not worry about saving the money on the base rock? Also I've been trying to research, but have found nothing about Caribsea Purple Up. Does it really work, and is it worth getting a bottle to kick start some of the algae growth in my aquarium?

Last but not least is Filtration. Right now I have a 200 gallon per hour hang on filter that I was using for our freshwater, before we converted over to the Saltwater Aquarium. I know that probably is not sufficient enough. What type of filtration should I look into for my set up? Is a Protein Skimmer good enough for a Fish Only Aquarium? If so, which skimmer would be best for me? Also, is there anyway to hide the Heater, Filter, Etc. so that it's not visible hanging in the back of the aquarium?

I'm sorry I asked a lot of questions, but I want to make sure my Puffer is healthy. I love that little guy, and don't want to lose him due to poor set up. Thanks a million for any help anybody can give me. Also if you have any suggestions on anything I didn't mention, go ahead with them, I'm willing to listen and learn!

Here's a few pics

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c99/M ... 150643.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c99/M ... 220741.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c99/M ... 220749.jpg

<edit OL- I fixed your image links>

[OraLacerta]

Hi there.

Ok, first of all from what I have read you did not quarantine the new puffer before adding him to your tank- a bad idea. You should always set up a separate tank to QT all new additions for at least 4 weeks to prevent spreading diseases to your main display tank. Hopefully the puffer will not show any signs of illness in the weeks to come.

As for the tank size, a 29 gallon is around what we recommend for the sharpnose puffers, but you definitely do not want to add anymore fish. Puffers are very messy fish so you already have quite a bio-load just from him. The clownfish is ok because he will probably not bother the puffer and he may help eat your puffer's scraps, but I would consider removing the Damsel. Dascyllus aruanus get to be 4" long and become quite territorial with age. That will be stressful to your puffer and the clownfish down the road once the Damsel matures. With all of your fish full-grown you are looking at three 4" fish, all of which will be quite territorial and will probably be stressed. How long have you had them all in the 29, and what are your parameters?

For LR you want to have at least one watt per gallon to have decent Coraline algae growth. You definitely want to upgrade your lighting. Also I think 1.5 LR per gallon is a bit excessive in your tank. With your large bio-load you will want the extra water volume that 1.5 Lbs per gallon would take up. I'd say get enough LR to have 1 Lb per gallon. Be sure to cure your live rock before adding it to the tank, even if you buy it 'pre-cured' since there is always some die-off.

You definitely want to add a Protein skimmer to your tank to keep nitrates down. I am liking my Coralife super skimmer that I bought after asking for advice on good brands on this forum. It is cheaper than some of the favorite skimmers (Euroreef, AquaC, etc) but it performs quite well and it much cheaper which allows you to spend the extra money on some good LR, powerheads, etc. The Coralife SS 65 would work well in your tank and you can find it online for less than $100. I use the 220 on my 75 gallon and it produces a lot of waste. It fills a 4 gallon bucket half-way in a month, so I'd say it's doing a good job! Just be sure to get the needle-wheel model and not the venturi model which is much less expensive and also less-effective. I wish I could give you reviews on other brands but Coralife is the only one I have used, but it was recommended to me by Pufferpunk who has more experience in SW than me.

As for hiding the pumps and heater, the only suggestion I have is to aquascape the tank in a way that hides some of the equipment. Also a submersible heater can be placed behind rockwork so it isn't visible, but always be sure your rocks are secure so that they do not fall and smash fish, equipment, or the tank.

Something to keep in mind-
If you set up the 15 gallon as a sump for your 29 you would be able to support the bioload of your fish with the added water volume, but I would advise removing the Damsel and replacing with something less aggresssive- AFTER quarantining. The Gramma loreto will also get to about 4" but is less likely to be aggressive, is smaller bodied, and will spend much of its time in the LR. And with the added water volume of the sump and the use of a Skimmer your nitrates would likely stay under 20 ppm. Do not replace your Damsel with the Three-Spotted Domino or any other Damsel as they all tend to be territorial with maturity, but the Three-Spotted is one of the most notorious biters in the bunch.

A good site to go for researching fish to find out their compatibility and their full-grown sizes is http://www.wetwebmedia.com .


If you have anymore questions let us know!

[Pufferpunk]

Great advice there! Damselfish do get quite mean. I've been attacked by many, while scuba diving!

[McCahill1983]

Thanks for all the advice! Another question... would it be best to go ahead and get all the stuff I need for this aquarium, or Upgrade to a larger aquarium first? Down the road I planned on upgrading to probably a 46 or 55 gallon tank anyways(before my G/F came home with the Puffer). Should I maybe upsize all the equipment I buy for the 29 so that I can switch it over to the larger tank when/If I purchase the new one?

[Pufferpunk]

Absolutely. Get the CSS 125 then.

[OraLacerta]

Agreed. Go for the larger skimmer, more powerful powerheads, and- depending on how soon you're going to upgrade- possibly cure a larger batch of LR so you'll have a nice amount to put in the new tank.

[McCahill1983]

What about the compatibility with a Purple Pseudochromis?

[OraLacerta]

That would be a good choice as well. Just be sure that you don't ever want to add anything from the same genus (including Grammas, Gobies, Wrasses, etc) because they can get territorial with these fish. Not always true, but problems might occur.

Otherwise your puffer and clown should be ignored so it would be fine.

[McCahill1983]

Thanks! I set up a 10 Gallon as a Quarentine tank. Should that be sufficient, or am I best using the 15 I have(That tank is cycling now with brackish water as I'm contemplating an F8 Purchase? A friend of mine is setting up a saltwater aquarium and is going to take our Damsel off our hands. Once the QT is cycled I'm going to get a Pseudochromis(my G/F is infatuated with the bright purple, haha) and attempt to introduce him the correct way, instead of the way I did with the other fish.

[OraLacerta]

A 10 gallon will work great, and a Figure Eight is a great choice for your 15!

It sounds like you have a good plan. Just be sure to keep a close eye on your SW tank to be sure the puffer didn't introduce anything to it.

By the way- you can instantly cycle your QT tank with filtermedia from your main tank.