The Puffer Forum

c4greene wrote:I will check the water quality when I get home from work. Why not a canister filter for a saltwater tank?

Cos your live rock is your filter, so as long as you have the correct amount for the tank & a powerhead to create the movement, all the cannister filter does is harbour a build up of nitrate & other organic matter.

How much live rock is necessary for a 55 gallon aquarium?

There are many other Qs above in red that you can answer without test results. Canister filters are for chemical filtration only, in SW. If you use the FW media that comes with it, it will raise your nitrate.

c4greene wrote:Also I don't have a hospital tank, but I could set a small one up so that I could used some sort of medicine in the tank. Or could I use medicine in the tank if I just seperate them. Would medicine harm the other fish? If medicine would be good what medicine is recommended?

c4greene medicine isn't the cure all for everything, clean water is your best defense against a lot of problems. We can't suggest anything until all question in red are answered. Puffers are very sensitive to a lot of medications sold at the LFS so please don't add anything just yet. Usually 1 pound per gallon of live rock. A 55 gallon aquarium is much to small for a porc a suggest min tank size is 120 gallons.
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Marine/D_Holocanthus/

Lets start our with all questions in red to begin with and see if we can figure something out.. One thing I am concerned about was you puffer ever eating in the LFS before you bought it?

Well tonight when I got home from work he was dead unfortunately. I was going to keep him in a 55 gallon for about a year and then upgrade to a larger tank. Thanks for all the help. I've definitely learned a bit from this. I still think I'd like another puffer someday.

I'd still like to know more about your tank.

My puffer sometimes lays against the overflow to sleep. I was alarmed at first but have learned it is just something he likes. Don't know if this translates to your situation. Was he stuck to the point he couldn't get off? Anyways, better luck next time and i hope you give the next the proper space and living environment. 55gal w/canister is not nearly sufficient at all.

jdak wrote:My puffer sometimes lays against the overflow to sleep. I was alarmed at first but have learned it is just something he likes. Don't know if this translates to your situation. Was he stuck to the point he couldn't get off? Anyways, better luck next time and i hope you give the next the proper space and living environment. 55gal w/canister is not nearly sufficient at all.

My clown loaches love to do that as well. They do it when I am not looking. When I approach the tank they immediately swim away from it.

I think overflows are fine for fish to stick too since they don't nearly have as much suction power as a canister/powerhead/power filter intake tubes have. I know my cichlids can't get away when they are stuck on one of my Aquaclear Power Filter intake tubes and if I don't catch it when it happens and free them they will die.