The Puffer Forum

I personally would just use the chart PP posted online, but if you are concerned about the printer not getting the color exact, you could try to request an original print. I think printing from online, unless the printer ink is terribly off, would be sufficient.

Pufferpunk wrote:http://www.tropicalfishforum.net/showthread.php?t=2407

Thanks PP! Definitely going to have to go and test water over again.



So, I was wondering, what is a good "grocery" list of stuff, that's not immediately recognized when setting up a puffer tank? '

-Medications? (I have Bifuran)
-Vitamins?
-Different food types? (Only have frozen blood worms, ghost shrimp and snails at this point in time, the latter two are gut loading in their own tank)
-Water treatments? (have Seachem Stability, going to be getting Prime, I have Novaqua and Amquel now)

Any help or suggestions would be very beneficial for me, and I would appreciate it if you guys wouldn't mind telling me what's in your "puffer cabinets" and any recommendations that you might have to help me be better prepared for the little guy's homecoming.

At this point, I have a test kit (soon to be getting normal ph kit as well), a water changing hose, a net, substrate, filter, heater, thermometer, and a food source. I need to add my decorations to my tank, finish filling it (only half way abouts right now. Wanted to start the tank cycling, but I didn't have any decorations = / ) So far my test results are as follows:

Ph: 8
Ammonia: .5 ppm
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0

So, I only have a high ph test range tester. I am not sure if it is giving me a high reading because of that (I am going to assume it is), but I know that my ph is high. Doesn't puffs need a ph under 8? Also, with the tank not being completely cycled yet, is that why the ammonia is still up at .5?

Sorry all, I don't mean to be a bug, I just don't honestly know. Any and all help/suggestions are more than welcome! Thank you in advance!

A pH of 8 is perfectly fine -- don't worry about that. It's fine for your fish, and we often do more harm than good when we try to adjust the pH with products. Mine is 8.5 and I've been keeping fish for years.

Yes, if you're still showing ammonia, you ain't cycled yet. You should have undetectable ammonia once your tank is cycled.

As for meds to keep on hand, I always have Melafix for newly-arrived puffs, because they often have frayed/bitten fins and assorted bite marks from being shipped and kept in close quarters with other puffers. A little Melafix during quarantine seems to get that mended quickly. You're also going to need some kind of antiparasitic/worming treatment. Jungle Anti-Parasite tabs work well, and I've had success with Prazi-Pro. You soak the puff's food in the med. There's a whole page in the library about how to get rid of internal parasites.

Sounds like you're all set for food! Crunchy foods are important, and if you have snails and ghost shrimp, you're basically good to go. My F8s eat a diet of 80-ish percent snails; the other 20 percent is ghost shrimp, frozen bloodworms, clams, etc.

You must be getting super-excited! I can't remember -- are you getting your F8 from a nearby LFS?

Yup! I am up in the Campbell area just a little north of San Jose. There is only one fish store up here it seems, and they carry the F8s and GSPs. I am hoping that they can special order a smaller one for me since the ones they normally get in are close to full grown. =)

I'm getting super excited! I finally decided how I wanted the tank to look-- now I just need to go and get the decorations. I have been putting those off until one of the very last things since they get the most pricey. Can't wait though! I am going to have to find some way to post up pics. Need to borrow the bf's smug mug maybe. All of my photos are too big.

I am probably looking at another week to two weeks. Almost there! =D

What would cause a Nitrite spike? I tested water today and got the following:

Old test results:
PH: ~ 7.8
Ammonia: 0 < x < .25 ppm (it really was between the first and second colors.
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrates: 5.0 ppm


New test results:
PH: ~ 7.8- 8.0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: ~ 1-2 ppm
Nitrates: 0 ppm

The only thing that I can think of is that the filter didn't run for about a day. The biomax and carbon sat in the tank while I changed it out (planned on doing it on Friday, but due to emergency circumstances at work, it didn't work out that way = / ) Either way, tank is cycling again. I just hope that it doesn't set me back too far.

Are these test results from liquid reagent test kits, and were there water changes between the test results?

Do you have an alkalinity/carbonate hardness test kit?

RTR wrote:Are these test results from liquid reagent test kits, and were there water changes between the test results?

Do you have an alkalinity/carbonate hardness test kit?

No WC's between test results (I didn't know you should do WC's if the tank is just cycling, actually thought WCs for a cycling tank are bad, but then again I don't know) and no on the alkalinity/carbonate hardness test kit, but I am sure I can order them off Amazon if I need them. Oh and yes, liquid reagent test kits, I actually have API's Saltwater test kit, but I did double check my colors against the chart online that PP linked, and they were pretty much the same.

goldielocke76 wrote:

So, I was wondering, what is a good "grocery" list of stuff, that's not immediately recognized when setting up a puffer tank? '

-Medications? (I have Bifuran)

I'm not familiar with this medication. I have Tetra parasite guard, maracyn, pimafix, melafix, and ick attack

-Vitamins?

Vitachem

-Different food types? (Only have frozen blood worms, ghost shrimp and snails at this point in time, the latter two are gut loading in their own tank)

Market shrimp, tilapia, earthworms, snails, scallop, squid, etc

-Water treatments? (have Seachem Stability, going to be getting Prime, I have Novaqua and Amquel now)

Prime

Any help or suggestions would be very beneficial for me, and I would appreciate it if you guys wouldn't mind telling me what's in your "puffer cabinets" and any recommendations that you might have to help me be better prepared for the little guy's homecoming.

At this point, I have a test kit (soon to be getting normal ph kit as well), a water changing hose, a net, substrate, filter, heater, thermometer, and a food source. I need to add my decorations to my tank, finish filling it (only half way abouts right now. Wanted to start the tank cycling, but I didn't have any decorations = / ) So far my test results are as follows:

As long as you have a filter, filter media, and ideally substrate, you don't need decorations to start cycling a tank. You will need an ammonia source and some used filter media.

Ph: 8
Ammonia: .5 ppm
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0

So, I only have a high ph test range tester. I am not sure if it is giving me a high reading because of that (I am going to assume it is), but I know that my ph is high. Doesn't puffs need a ph under 8? Also, with the tank not being completely cycled yet, is that why the ammonia is still up at .5?

Your tap water probably has ammonia in it. But you will want to dd ammonia to feed the bacteria it allow it to establish.

Thank you Seven! Got my list together and it's going to be pricey. Holy moly. It's ok though, I want to have all that stuff on hand for just in case situations. I am a worrier like that.

Quick question: how in the surlaW are you supposed to gravel vac a nasty snail tank if there are a bunch of egg gels on the gravel? I don't have many adults left (2-3) so I want as many snails to hatch as possible, so I don't want to vacumm them up, but I need to do a WC. = /

I would get rid of the gravel after your snails hatch and then start your breeder tank over.

lol but that is just me i am not sure if there is a way to vac around the snail eggs...

If tanks have insufficient KH, water changes may very well be absolutely required for successful cycling.

For more info, see:library/water-filtration/fishlessconsiderations/

HTH

RTR wrote:If tanks have insufficient KH, water changes may very well be absolutely required for successful cycling.

For more info, see:library/water-filtration/fishlessconsiderations/

HTH

Thank you RTR!!

What do you all think: I was thinking about getting something for the 20g that increased the flow. tank now has a AC hob 70 on it, but wondered about adding something to give the tank more current for exercise. Too much for a 20g? Thoughts? Suggestions? =D

I have one of the pumice aeration tubes that suction to the glass ($1-$2 at Petsmart) and my figure 8 uses those to swim against. He loves trying to swim down against the bubbles.

That sounds cute! Srkoe's puffer likes bubbles too

Yay on the bubbles, because I am going to have two decorations that have them ^.^