The Puffer Forum

I would bring the SG down back to FW (since the puffer you are buying are probably in that now anyway), keep the barbs in there until you go to buy your fish & trade the barbs in towards that puffer. Then your tank will stay cycled, up until the puffer goes in.

The puffers at the store are in brackish.

Are you sure? What SG? Are they using marine salt?

I am confused, yesterday I got my water tested, my ammonia is the only problem, I think it was at around .5, everything else was okay, my parents say a water testing kit is a waste, so i cant get one...

And yes they are in brackish i went yesterday and asked, there was 2 sections of them, one in a brackish section and another in the salt section... the one in the salt section seemed much happier, but are 10 dollars more

"my parents say a water testing kit is a waste, so i cant get one..."

Oh, I know how you feel. I've had this exact problem.

You do not "pour" in fish food. Add the amount you would feed if the fish were present, just a bit less. Do not use meaty foods (no frozen or freeze-dried meaty food, for example).

The food will decay by bacterial action - or add some common pond or ramshorn snails if you have them - that will speed up the process. The ammonia, etc. from that will keep your biofilter alive.

It's pretty difficult to keep a successful tank without water tests. After ammonia comes nitrite & after nitrite comes nitrate. You need to know where your tank is at those levels at all times. What if your fish look stressed & you can't test immediately, for problems?

I ask again--are they using marine salt in their BW tanks? What SG?

He said they were kept at 1.004-1.006 sg.
Didn't specify the salt type yet.

Yeah, I found that, thanks.

I am gonna say its marine, but i cant put my life on it. Also not to sound like a guy who doesn't care about fish, but i dont give a damn about my tiger barbs..... I have decided to keep them just to lower everything, I just really need them to lower my amonia. yeah yeah call me what you want, but i will keep good care of my puffers and whatever other fish I like.. But what other fish can i put in there?

My HD PVR wrote:I am gonna say its marine, but i cant put my life on it. Also not to sound like a guy who doesn't care about fish, but i dont give a damn about my tiger barbs..... I have decided to keep them just to lower everything, I just really need them to lower my amonia. yeah yeah call me what you want, but i will keep good care of my puffers and whatever other fish I like.. But what other fish can i put in there?

Well, personally I've had good luck with pond snails in low brackish water if they are adjusted to it slowly. The tiger barbs should be moved even if you don't care others do .

Where should I get the pond snails?

Pond snails are the pest snail at your LFS.

They don't lower ammonia, they produce ammonia. You could easily keep that tank cycled with plain, pure ammonia & not harm any fish in the process.