The Puffer Forum

I am possibly deploying in December, so I am going to try to get my tank going as soon as possible but still giving all required time that it takes for everything to become adjusted. Forewarned, I used to work at a LFS but only for a few months and I would take care of the GSP's, but now I got to this base and I have nothing yet, including a tank. I have been researching for weeks on possibilities and now I need some personal opinions. I want to cycle a 210 Gallon tank for 6 weeks with a plecko and some ghost shrimp. Then begin raising the salinity by .002/week as I've found recommended after the tank has been cycled and continually performing 15% weekly water changes. Once towards high end BW I would be moving the plecko into my wife's
FW Koi Tank that is already setup. Once reached 1.024 salinity I have found is time that I will add around 100lb of Live Rock. After a week or so and levels have been checked multiple times for low ammonia/nitra(i)te levels, I want to add 5x starfish, a DogFaced puffer, a porcupine puffer, GSP, snowflake Eel and this is where it gets confusing. If any of these puffers go into the ocean I'm sure they would know not to go into a sea anemone. Now I want to make a small cove in my tank for some clownfish and sea anenomie to give it more character, but am deathly afraid of hurting my puffers. My questions are...

Will 210 Gallons be enough for this kind of marine tank?
6 weeks I have heard is a good time with some starter fish while cycling, any suggestions to improve upon?
Is 15% water changes going to be enough?
Will Live rock die once moved if the tank isn't setup properly, and how do i prevent this?

Please any suggestions upon the fish I'm putting together or possibilities of fish that I could add instead would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you ahead of time for putting in the effort to read my post, and thank you personally to everyone that replies with a helpful answer.

I am not sure if a plecko and ghost shrimp with build up enough bacteria for puffers? I f you have some time-why not do a fishless cycle.. library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/ That way you can build up a good amount of bacteria.

Also porcupines and dog faces have different personalities-which may cause a problem..

The GSP starts in fresh and then moves onto marine. I think if the GSP is small going striaght to full marine may cause growth problems (I think)...also the GSP is nippy and smaller than the other two-which would cause a problem eventually. Also, I am not sure if a GSP would know about anenomies.

I think you are going in the right direction..just may want to consider a different stock list and fishless cycle...

Others will chime in about your other Q's..I am not an expert in marine tanks..

Good Luck!!!

purplecandle wrote:I am not sure if a plecko and ghost shrimp with build up enough bacteria for puffers? I f you have some time-why not do a fishless cycle.. library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/ That way you can build up a good amount of bacteria.

Also porcupines and dog faces have different personalities-which may cause a problem..

The GSP starts in fresh and then moves onto marine. I think if the GSP is small going striaght to full marine may cause growth problems (I think)...also the GSP is nippy and smaller than the other two-which would cause a problem eventually. Also, I am not sure if a GSP would know about anenomies.

I think you are going in the right direction..just may want to consider a different stock list and fishless cycle...

Others will chime in about your other Q's..I am not an expert in marine tanks..

Good Luck!!!

I will look into a fishless cycle, thank you for the advice. As for the GSP and and marine, I am getting a 3-4" if I can find any, still hunting around LFS's. I plan to do a 3 day drip from FW to SW.

Ajepalmer wrote: I will look into a fishless cycle, thank you for the advice. As for the GSP and and marine, I am getting a 3-4" if I can find any, still hunting around LFS's. I plan to do a 3 day drip from FW to SW.

I am not sure a 3 day drip will work. Usually it takes weeks unless you can get one that is already BW.

J-P wrote:

Ajepalmer wrote: I will look into a fishless cycle, thank you for the advice. As for the GSP and and marine, I am getting a 3-4" if I can find any, still hunting around LFS's. I plan to do a 3 day drip from FW to SW.

I am not sure a 3 day drip will work. Usually it takes weeks unless you can get one that is already BW.

Alright, I'll hunt for a LFS that has them already in BW. I may have to go on a road trip, but very much worth it.

I think you will have your hands full just trying to keep the porcupine and dogface happy..The GSP is just not a good match with these two puffers...I wish I could have a porky

Have you looked through the puffer pedia yet?

purplecandle wrote:I think you will have your hands full just trying to keep the porcupine and dogface happy..The GSP is just not a good match with these two puffers...I wish I could have a porky

Have you looked through the puffer pedia yet?

Yes, I have looked through a few articles. I haven't been a member of this site for long, but so far it is the most helpful information I have yet to find.

Here is a good article about marine puffers..about halfway down it lists some possible tanks mates..probably a few you haven't thought of

library/puffers-in-focus/big-marine-pufferfish-care/

purplecandle wrote:Here is a good article about marine puffers..about halfway down it lists some possible tanks mates..probably a few you haven't thought of

library/puffers-in-focus/big-marine-pufferfish-care/

That IS a very helpful article. Thank You. I am reading through more of it now. I didn't know a couple of those would work out. It's strange that I don't see any Snowflake Eels but I hear of alot of people that put them together

IMO, if you are planning on deployment soon, don't buy any more animals. Especially an anemone or more puffers. Stick with the fish you have now & do your best to give them as stable a tank as possible that will be easy for your tank watcher to care for.

Pufferpunk wrote:IMO, if you are planning on deployment soon, don't buy any more animals. Especially an anemone or more puffers. Stick with the fish you have now & do your best to give them as stable a tank as possible that will be easy for your tank watcher to care for.

I do not think he has any animals yet..he just wants to cycle the tank for now..

PP..do what do you think about him doing a DF, Porc, GSP trio?

purplecandle wrote:

Pufferpunk wrote:IMO, if you are planning on deployment soon, don't buy any more animals. Especially an anemone or more puffers. Stick with the fish you have now & do your best to give them as stable a tank as possible that will be easy for your tank watcher to care for.

I do not think he has any animals yet..he just wants to cycle the tank for now..

PP..do what do you think about him doing a DF, Porc, GSP trio?

, I dont have any of the fish yet, just wanting to cycle it. And then put all the fish in on return

As I mention in another thread, I am completely against keeping a porc & DF together. I have always heard of it ending very badly.

They have a spiney fish - looks like a pork puff to me- and a df at the library. Df was added in November. Intetestingly, lfs is in charge of the tank.

The problem doesn't usually happen right away. Just one day...