Planning my First Tank Setup! could use advice...

[Ditka]

Hi there!
I am new to puffers, fish and aquarium's in general.
I have been reading/researching brackish, puffers, aquariums, fish in gereral, for the last few weeks and have now put together some ideas/plans for a tank i would like to build and stock. Please help me get off on the right foot and not kill any fish or do anything stupid. Please critique my ideas and set me straight where i am just plain confused.

The Tank:
I would like to build my own rimless tank if not to save money then just to build something. I have seen the youtube videos of it being done and have worked with caulk before, i think i can handle it. I have also read plenty about it... i think. I know which type of caulking to use: GE RTV108 silicone. I am unsure of what dimensions to go with... I like the idea of l=24" w=12" h=16" which is about 20 gallons but i also think a l=24" w=16" h=12" could be cool. Would one or the other or completely different dimensions be best? Should i go larger? Should i paint the back black?

Filter:
i have an Aquaclear 70 and a Penguin 150. i believe the Penguin could do the job but have heard the Aquaclear is the better filter. Which would be better? would the Aquaclear provide too much filtration?

Heater: i have one

Fish:
because i am going to build my own tank i could adjust dimensions in order to accommodate fish/larger volume...
What i would like to have:
2 x Figure 8 Puffer
2 x Bumble Bee Goby
maybe some sort of shrimp but from what i have read i believe the figure 8 would eat any shrimp.

Substrate/Decorations:
I have read that aragonite should be used. i have also seen tanks with gravel and or playground sand. Which would be best?
I would like to have the aquarium planted at some point but i think it would probably be best for me to stick to simple decorations, rocks, driftwood, fake plants, for the time being and then move to real plants after a few months or possibly as a separate tank all together.

Cycling:
I have read guides on many forums and will probably use the frozen shrimp method.

i think that is about it...

Thanks in advance!

[mrgreen]

Hey! Welcome! I am in Michigan, too.

I have had puffs since last year- beginning of April. I now have two tanks- one 5-gallon hex with two dwarf puffers (this is overstocked but more on that later) and a 30-gallon long with two figure-8s.

First, let's talk about the fish you want to house. This is most important, because this will determine what size, shape, and materials you'll need when building. You said you like Figure 8's - they're are just plain cool. They get to be 3 inches and are very personable. They need 15 gallons each. Technically, the rule is 15 for the first and 10 for each additional, but I prefer to give mine plenty of breathing room- and i mean that literally. This tank is their WHOLE WORLD, and much less space than they'd get in the wild. The owner of the forum, PufferPunk, has a signature that says "The solution to polution is dilution." The polution puffers put out is more than just poop. They give off hormones of various types, but mostly it has to do with what they call the nitrogen cycle. "Cycling". If the tank has too much decaying matter, and/or poop, the nitrate level will raise. If the levels get to high, your puff is going to feel BAD- and possiibly even die. (I killed my first puff from an uncycled tank!) So the solution to this is water changes. Large! (And more on the nitrogen cycle and testing in future!)

So once your tank is cycled, you can add your fishies. I have heard the shrimp method is VERY stinky. I prefer to use Tetra's Safestart- instant good bacteria, when you put the fish in at the same time. You MUST get liquid tests for Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates. (That has to do with the nitrogen cycle again.) Its good to check on things for the first little bit.

As for the shape, my tank is "long" because puffs like you swim back and forth more than they do up and down- they are constantly swimming around the decor, moving each eye in various directions looking for food. They also just like to swim really fast! So a longer footprint is a good idea. Lids are also a good idea because puffs have been known to jump out!

Heaters- it should keep your tank at a constant 80F. (Higher temps decrease oxygen levels in the water, for one thing.)

As for filtering, over filtration is a good idea with puffs. They are just MESSY. They eat by tearing off big chunks of their food, so... yeah. lol

My figure 8s have eaten anything else I put in the tank with them- ghost shrimp, snails, and even some knight gobies. Consider anything that moves with them probably food and if live, possible carriers of disease.

As for what I feed them, now its raw, frozen-thawed shimp and various other sea foods. Sometimes blood worms live. I'd done ghost shrimp in the past with other puffs and one got a horrible infestation of worms and died. I'd tried fiddler crabs and even a crayfish. Fun to watch them hunt, but .... That's just me. Others will chime in.

I have finally settled on fake plants and white gravel for decor. I tried sand in another tank, but it kept getting sucked up when doing water changes. Live plants are awesome- but all I have right now is java moss in my fresh tank with my dwarf puffs. Live plants just didn't like the salt content in my fig8 tank and I wasn't up for doing CO2 injection, etc. needed to maintain a live-planted tank. I'd love to have one though! (Some other kinds of puffs- like Fahakas- need a sand substrate so they can burry themselves. Look for pix of this- they're so cute with just their eyes sticking out!)

I hope this helps! This place is GREAT! And sorry in advance if I've overwhelmed or confused you. Just ask. Ask again. Puffs are worth it! CONGRATS!

[LilGreenPuffer]

mrgreen said it! Good advice there. Also, don't forget to check out the articles in the Library (under the Learn tab) on F8s, puffer feeding, and all that good stuff. Later on, you'll want to look at the brackish puffer forum for some info on "Brackish Water Mixing" - parts one and two - to learn how to raise a tank's salinity.

When you get the frozen shrimp, put it in a piece of (new, unused, rinsed) pantyhose. That makes it easier to remove. Fishing for rotten goop in the tank is no fun.

I would avoid playground sand. It can have antifungal/antibacterial stuff in it that you don't want in your tank. Lots of people really like pool filter sand - it's cheap and very nice-looking. If you ever want to plant with brackish-tolerant plants, you should get flourite sand or other plant substrate.

Driftwood, I have heard, is prone to rotting more quickly in brackish tanks. Fake mangroves look amazing in brackish tanks, though.

One last thing: Are you going to have a cover on this tank? I've never seen a rimless tank with a cover. Plants will need strong fluorescent lighting, and, most importantly, fish can and will jump. A cover is very very very important.

Welcome to the forum, and do keep asking questions! We're so glad to have you join us!

[mrgreen]

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[Ditka]

Thanks for the input thus far!

Are you going to have a cover on this tank? I've never seen a rimless tank with a cover. Plants will need strong fluorescent lighting, and, most importantly, fish can and will jump. A cover is very very very important.

Consider advice for a lid for the tank already taken. I think i will put together a plexiglass/acrylic cover for the rimless tank to prevent flying puffers. I know it could take a bit of tweaking/ingenuity, but hey, i am building my own tank, i am eager for the challenge. Oh, i forgot to list a light! I like the looks of the fishneedit.com 24" T5: http://fishneedit.com/t5ho-24quot-2-lam ... ium-l.html
I think i will wait to purchase that for the time being and wait to try out plants and such and go with some cheap shop lights... might just go ahead and buy it.
oh! question pertaining to this light, using this on a 20 gallon tank, i thing i might have too much lighting and end up with algae problems as a result. Could i take out one of the bulbs to reduce the watts/gallon and still have the light work?

As for the shape, my tank is "long" because puffs like you swim back and forth more than they do up and down- they are constantly swimming around the decor, moving each eye in various directions looking for food. They also just like to swim really fast! So a longer footprint is a good idea. Lids are also a good idea because puffs have been known to jump out!

so, puffers like to move horizontally as opposed to vertically. check
So if my tank design continues to be a 24" x something x something the something and something should be in favor of horizontal space as opposed to vertical space, right? Would a 12" deep tank be a comfortable environment for puffers?

I realize that 20 gallons is no where near enough for 2 figure 8's and 2 Bumble Bee goby's.
25 gallons would be the bare minimum for just 2 figure 8's in one tank.
i feel like a 25 gallon tank with just two puffers would look pretty empty... i realize that they will grow up to 3"-4", even still a little bit sparse unless i aqua-scape the tank to the max.
I have read that puffers in general are solitary fish and have no need for a "companion" or other puffers to be friendly with, so if i stay with a 20 gallon tank would i be better going with 1 figure 8 and 2 bumble bee's?
oh also, here are some possible tank configuration options i have come up with... i want to try and stay in the 20-25 gallon range to keep my tank from taking up too much space:
20 gallon: 24" x 16" x 12" high or 24" x 12" x 16" high or 32" x 12" x 12"
25 gallon: 36" x 14" x 12" high or 24" x 16" x 16" yeah, they are both a little over 25
if i did a 30 gallon tank would 2 figure 8 puffers and 3 bumble bee goby's be ridiculously overstocking the tank? Maybe i could keep the tank like this for 2-3 years given that the figure 8 puffer can live quite a few years (up to 18!!!) and then after i have graduated college consider upgrading to a larger tank or removing the goby's from the tank.

Also, i have read that i should consider having a small(ish) snail tank in addition to a tank with the puffers just to stock a good food source and to save a buck or two. Yay? Nay? whats the verdict? My thought is that i could possibly get some glass from the "Scrap Pile" at my supplier and build a 10 gallon cube to house snails and eventually i could also try growing plaints in it.

i know, my posts are too long... i just need write my thoughts down i suppose

Thanks for reading my ramblings... and educating me. Feedback is greatly appreciated