The Puffer Forum

There are no totally valid rules for co-housing puffer, with conspecifics or with other fish. It always depends on the "persolanity" of the particular puffer or puffers.

F-8s and BBGs can work, but not always. DPs and shrimp can work, but not always. There is even one keeper who co-houses Fahakas, which I certainly cannot do.

Things which can work and have worked for multiple keepers are worth a try, but with the knowledge up front that there are no sure things on such practices. You weigh the risks and make your own call on attempting such or not.

I want to thank everyone who has responded for their feedback/help. I am probably ~1 month away from getting a larger tank. (need to buy steel, fabricate the stand, and then get it powder coated -- and cycle the new tank)

I have a few more questions:
I have been doing water changes with RO water + instant ocean. Do I need to be adding anything else (trace elements?) or is just instant ocean ok?

I'm having a hard time finding tank prices online, I realize most places can't ship them.. basically I just want a rough idea what good pricing is, and I assume some people on here have shopped quite a bit. I would prefer a 38 gallon 3ft tank if it is not significantly more than a 30, but maybe also a 29 if the cost difference is significant. I can find prices for the hood/filter/heater I am planning so that is not an issue. I am hoping not to pay much over $50 for the tank. (already breaking the bank with the stand)

When I get the new tank I want to convert the current 10 gallon to a snail tank. I will keep the current hood/filter/heater, but what else do I need to get? (substrate, plants, kind of snails?) -- are there any good articles for keeping a snail tank?

Should I bother with live plants in the brackish tank? I have lots of nice silk fake plants, but it would be nice to get something that is a good nitrate sponge. Preferably something that won't require anything more than a standard fluorescent hood and no fertilizer.

RTR wrote:There are no totally valid rules for co-housing puffer, with conspecifics or with other fish. It always depends on the "persolanity" of the particular puffer or puffers.

So far my F8's show no food aggression (or any aggression for that matter). They are still quite young so I'm sure that could change...

Does anyone keep freshwater flounders with F8's? I realize the compatibility probably depends on the personality of the puffers, much like any other tankmates, but are the potentially compatible?

Snail breeding isn't difficult. There are a couple of great articles in the library. Check them out. You'll be up to your eyeballs in no time.

Pufferoni wrote:Snail breeding isn't difficult. There are a couple of great articles in the library. Check them out. You'll be up to your eyeballs in no time.

Thanks.

Well I went to the LFS today to buy RO water and frozen brine shrimp, and I came back with a 38 gallon tank and hood. So I have a few more questions (sorry I have so many questions, I am just an enthusiastic newbie)

I didn't buy the filter and heater I wanted (Aquaclear 70 and Visi-therm stealth 200) as they were a bit overpriced at the LFS. Would I be ok transferring the substrate, filter and heater(Aquaclear 20 and Visi-therm stealth 100) from my 10 gallon to the new tank? I realize both are a bit small, but it would only be temporary, and the bio load should be pretty small. heater only needs to raise temp 4 degrees F (keep room temp at 74 and tanks at 78. If I did this, should I expect a mini-cycle? Also, how would I transition to the new filter when I got it? Could I just put the bio media from the old filter into the new one for say a month or so? Or keep both filters running on the tank for a month and then just remove the old one?

The other alternative is ordering the filter and heater, waiting for them to arrive, and then cycling the new tank (could be a month or longer before I can transfer the fish)

If you transferred everything over, nothing has really changed apart from the amount of water in the new tank, the Bio-load should be ok temporarily, I wouldnt have thought you would get a mini cycle as nothing will have really changed apart from more water. I'm assuming you will be ordering the new filter and heater soon so then just bang the new filter on and let it run for a month or so to seed it properly and job done.

If i'm wrong though someone will come and shoot me down in flames very shortly.

I see no problem with the transfer. That sort of move has been do multiple times on my tanks without problems. I don't always move the substrate, but still have had no issues with the fish, decor, and filters all going to new home. Hilly's advice sounds good to me, especially with the new filter's extended break-in later.

One of my puffers died last night. I'm trying to figure out that could have caused it. Ammonia and Nitrite are both 0. I don't have a Nitrate test for salt/brackish so I don't know what the Nitrate is, but I did a 30% water change yesterday with just RO water and instant ocean. So I think it should be fine. Temp hasn't changed (78 deg F), and I made sure the water change didn't drop the temp. I premixed the water and poured it in slowly.

He seemed fine yesterday, was eating well and active. I checked his body for any bites/cuts/parasites, but it looks perfect. His fins were a bit nipped, but I'm 90% sure that is from the LFS (he was in an overstocked tank with larger GSPs, scats, and some other brackish fish).

Any ideas? I fed them frozen brine shrimp for the first time yesterday, but that's the only other thing that has changed. I also added a half-dose of both pimafix and melafix when I introduced the fish (last saturday) for three days, but I don't think that would've caused any problems.

I am a bit worried they may have internal parasites. I've been watching the other puffer, and his belly is a little sunken in before I feed him. then he has a big belly, but it is back to flat in ~2 hrs. Is this normal?