The Puffer Forum

I've never had to stir my argonite sand, while I hear it's absolutely necessary with regular sand. That alone is enough reason to be happy with it. I guess the low density and porosity help?

If the sand bed is shallow, stirring is not essential. If I need or want a bed deeper than 1/2 inch, I use OE-RFUG.

But you still need to clean the substrate somehow, right?

I've been using a bed averaging an inch thick with no problems using argonite sand, I don't know if I would have to use a heavy reverse flow UGF or stir if it were thicker. The isopods seem to break down any wastes on the surface very quickly into small bits that get trapped or in the flooded tray or organics that get skimmed.

I have used deep beds (DSB), shallow beds, plenums, and OE-RFUG. DSB and plenums are both minimal to no routine upkeep for me. OE-RFUG and shallow beds (no more than 1/2") require very little routine maintenance - unlike silica sand bed in FW. For my own use in BW, the choice is OE-RFUG to keep the alkalinity higher than the marine mix alone would provide, and that level is more stable.

So should we buy a fish that has been in the store for a week with feeder guppies and another fish with a nematode or do we buy a fish that's specially ordered and never sees their tank but may not be eating dead foods etc. Employee said that many of their puffers die in the first week and other than the feeders they're fed well.

neither. Ask the LFS to hold the new comer in a different tank. OR inspect the specimen as it arrives. If it is arriving at an LFS you have the right of refusal, and can walk away (politely)

Oh yes, we are allowed to check the fish out before it leaves the bag and if we don't want it then he'll just put it in with the others. I don't think they'd be willing to QT it for a week though as any newcomers aren't QT'd anyways, they go right in the main puffer tank. So we can grab the fish before or after it hits their tank. We're thinking before but there's always things we may not have considered

I have done both. There are trade-offs on both sides. If the store tank is on a central system, or from a fixed-use long-term store tank (such as the puffer tank mentioned), I don't want any fish from it, as that at least doubles my QT time with it/them - they stand much greater risk of some nasty infections (GI parasites, gill parasites, drug-resistant bacteria etc.). But if you take the fish home after only "in the bag" visual inspection, any shock/stress loss of the fish is in your wallet. And you have to willing/able to treat any parasite issues as well as training the fish to eat available foods. For $$ fish, I opt for the post-visual inspection acceptance purchase. For schoolers, I most often get them after they have been in the store a week or more.