The Puffer Forum

First off I apolpogise for my vague water parameters. I have a Teta 6 in 1 test pack and the readings aren't as accurate as the other posts. I am buying a new test pack today, so I will post the more detailed readings a bit later.

pH 6.8
NO2 0
NO3 50
GH 8
KH 6
Cl2 0

I have a 30 gallon with 3 f8 puffers, 1 plecostomus, 2 cat fish, and one angel fish.

I feed them half a small blood worm block every other day, half a frozen muscle every other day, and a small picnh of flake food each day. (let me know if this is too much, i'm a beginner). I do a 20% water change each week. The only product i use is AquaSafe, which I add to the new watrer i am putting into the tank.

There have been no major changes to the tank in the last week, apart from replacing our dead live plants with fakes.

The tank has been running for about 5 months, excluding the 3 week cycle period.

Phew! Ok, so my questions have sprung from finding 1 small salt like grain on the tips of 2 of the puffers fins. I suspect white spot (ich), but because their behavior hasn't changed, including their appetite, I am hesitant to treat the water with chemicals until I am sure. I plan on raising the temperature to 82c (presently at 75) and I also read about adding marine salt to the water as a "natural cure". This has made me think about changing the tank to brackish, since it seems like a easy switch.

What are your thoughts on this? I have researched whether or not the other fish would be adversly effected by the marine salt, however it seems like they should be OK. Also, would I need to replace my filtering system to accomodate the brackish tank?

Thanks for your time and I would appreciate it if you could point out any other things I am doing wrong. I am not experienced, but I am enthusiastic!

(new water readings to be added soon)

Your tank is extremely overstocked. 15g for the 1st F8 & 10g for every one additional. Plecos are huge waste producers. Hence, your nitrate being so high. It's recommended to keep that <20, so do a 50% water change right now. then get another tank for the puffers & make it brackish 9your other fish won't appreciate the salt). Be sure to cycle it 1st (you can instant-cycle with Tetra Safestart). Read the F8 article in our Library. Good article on ttreating ich too but it would help to get them into proper housing 1st.

Thanks for your feed back. I will get the 50% change made right away.

However according to your tank size on figure 8's, i would need a 35g tank, which isn't much more than what I have currently. The pleco and the cats were in to clean up waste (I wasn't aware that the pleco was doing the reverse). Would you suggest I empty my tank of everyhting but the figure 8's?

All the fish are showing no signs of stress (apart from the ich) so I thought I had a nice ballance. However I will change it if you think I'm on the wrong track.

PaulRMcD wrote:Thanks for your feed back. I will get the 50% change made right away.

However according to your tank size on figure 8's, i would need a 35g tank, which isn't much more than what I have currently. The pleco and the cats were in to clean up waste (I wasn't aware that the pleco was doing the reverse). Would you suggest I empty my tank of everyhting but the figure 8's?

All the fish are showing no signs of stress (apart from the ich) so I thought I had a nice ballance. However I will change it if you think I'm on the wrong track.

Yes. The 35 gallon takes care of the waste of those three puffers. The pleco and cats produce a TON of waste, so that will make your tank go into overdrive.

Just because the fish are not showing any signs of stress now does not mean that they are actually stressed. Plus, plecos can grow to be 18 inches long.

PaulRMcD wrote:
All the fish are showing no signs of stress (apart from the ich) so I thought I had a nice ballance. However I will change it if you think I'm on the wrong track.

Ich could be from the stress. Definitely remove the other fish

Yes, the pleco by itself is too big for a 30 gallon, or will be eventually

Angelfish are cichlids, and can get very large and agressive, that one by itself would be comfortable in a 30 gallon (tall is better for angels). What kind of catfish?

Gallons per fish is just for that one fish. Not 6 different fish.. you have to total it all up. And there's no way the other species will be able to survive in much marine salt. Catfish especially, the angel might be able to tolerate some of it, being a cichlid, but I think angels are from a soft water region if I remember correctly so that wouldn't be good for it.

So yes, you haven't had too many problems yet because they are all likely very young, but letting them be stressed and sitting in dirty water will harm them permanently.. its very easy to damage their bodies now. 50 nitrates is way too high for a puffer, they can survive, but they aren't going to be healthy.

Lots of water changes, research your species, and decide what you are going to do as far as housing.. buy more tanks or find new homes for the fish.

If it is a 30L & not a 29g, 3 F8s should be ok in there, w/o any other tank mates.

Hi guys, thanks for all the feedback, very helpful! After a long hard weekend, I have convinced my wife to get rid of all the fish except the puffers.

I was a little worried the tetra would fit down the toilet hole, but with the help of a plunger and more than a little elbow greece I finally got him through. (kidding).

I have forgotten what type of catfish they are Myaj, (silver with black spots) but they are both growing at a huge rate!

I am taking them all back to the aquatic store next weekend. Also the two tiny white dots have disapeared, so I guess it wasn't ich to begin with.

It's a 30 gallon tank and not 30 liters which is what I think you meant Pufferpunk?

Thanks again!

She was questioning if it is a 30 gallon tank (which are longer and shorter) or a standard 29 gallon tank (taller). 29 gallon tanks, which many people think of as "30" gallon tanks, really only hold 25 gallons of water physically so a lot of people try to fit 30 gallons worth of fish into them and can't figure out why they keep having water quality/health issues.

The white spots may have been ich.. Ich is one of those things that is often present, but until the fish is stressed or sick enough for its immune system to weaken, the ich never gets established enough to progress to the clearly visible state.

f8s thrive in brachish water so i would recommend switching.