The Puffer Forum

Hey Guys,

I'm planning to setup a new tank for my Abei puffer as he's currently in a 20 gallon long which is too small for him. I'm aiming to create a southeast asia river biotope for him. I'm looking at a 75 Gallon tank or a 40 gallon long with flourite as the substrate. I might lean more towards the 40 as this tank will only be for him since he cant get along with other tankmates. The tank will be lightly planted with some driftwood and pebbles. My question is whether or not flourite is a suitable substrate for puffers in general or am i better off with sand as they like to lie down and bury themselves? and also how much light would i be requiring to ensure plant growth in a 75 gallon or a 40 gallon? i was thinking Coralife Freshwater Aqualight 48" Power Compact Light-2 x 65W but it might not be enough for a 75 gallon. Also how much filtration would i require? i was thinking about the filstar xP4. Would this be excessive for a 75 gallon tank as its rated for up to a 260?

Thanks

Sand is a pain in the rear, but if your Abei does like to burrow or lay down, he would probably appreciate it. Flourite is rather rough.. maybe go for a middle route and try Ecocomplete mixed with sand, I've done that and it works very well. Just be sure to rinse the heck out of the sand first, try to get pool filter sand and not play sand, its much cleaner.

Lighting will depend on what types of plants you want to keep. With two 65w cf's, I was able to keep crypts and anubias alive in a 75, but they didn't really do much growing/spreading. For a 40 gallon tank, especially a breeder, you'd have around 3wpg and that means you can grow just about any plant out there, but you'll also need to worry about CO2 levels, fertilizers, controlling algae, lots of pruning due to fast growth, etc.

So worry about the lighting AFTER you decide on the tank size and what types of plants you want to keep (with a more aggressive species like an abei, I'd personally go with things that don't need to be pruned )

The XP4 is rated for 450gph. Since we generally recommend at least 10x the water flow for puffer tanks, the XP4 would be great for a 40 or 45 gallon tank going by our "normal" standards. That said, I have the XP2 and those things put out a ton of flow, so I would say it would be safe to say the XP4 would give you some nice turnover even in a 75, maybe not as much as you'd like total, but you could always throw in a power head or a second filter if necessary. I used my XP2 on a 33xl tank (48x12x12) and it had some pretty major current in there (with powerjet attachment instead of spraybar, postitioned at one end so it shot the output down the length of the tank). I think, personally, that these filters do a great job at an affordable price.

Yeah I have eco complete in my 20 gal but all my plants died with the exception of java ferns due to the ich treatment. Heat and Salt for about 10 days now. I don't like eco complete much as i cant really siphon out things at the bottom especially with puffer waste lol i always tend to suck up some eco complete while trying it. Would you suggest a 40 Gallon or a 75 Gallon for just 1 Abei puffer. I mean a 75 is good for an Abei but if i ever plan to get a bigger puffer i could fit him in there compared to a 40 gallon where im kind of restricted. I was thinking flourite because it seems like its like gravel which i can vac when time comes and its good for plants. Also do you have suggestions on plants that do not need pruning? im kinda scared to stick my hand in the tank with my Abei lol and yeah if i get a 75 gallon i would probably use 2 filters. Maybe start off with one xP4 and get another one later or look for another used canister to help with the flow.

Plants that don't need pruning are any of the crypts, anubias, javas. If you have higher light, short, grassy foreground plants can work nicely.

Stay away from stem plants that grow fast (hygro, anubias, hornwort, etc).