The Puffer Forum

yayay im gonaa get one almost definatley but just want to check out a few things to begin with in ore depth than before.
1.its a 90 l tank that comes with a filter and heater etc and i was wondering if the filter will be powerful enough im pretty sure its this one http://www.seapets.co.uk/products/aquar ... k-90l.html

2.could i use sand from my beach and if so how to wash it?

3. to cycle it do i just dechlorinate then add a bit of sponge from my other tank (fw) then add salt and something like a dead prawn>?

For the beach sand you will want to boil it to make sure to kill any bacteria that may be living in it. Washing sand is easy. Put it in a bucket fill with water till it covers the sand by a few inchs, then using your hand twirl the sand till none is sitting at the bottom. Then let it settle down and slowly pour off the water. repeat till water is clear.

Dont know much about the rest though

Put it in a bucket fill with water till it covers the sand by a few inchs, then using your hand twirl the sand till none is sitting at the bottom. Then let it settle down and slowly pour off the water. repeat till water is clear.

I agree

Cycle the tank in a F/W mode, after it cycles add salt, but only .002 per week. More then .002 per week will crush your new cycle tank.

wouldnt it be easier to cycle the tank as a sw tank right off the bat?

If he will keep SG at 1.005 as recommended I see no point of doing so. If done correctly, it will take about 3 week to bring his tank SG to 1.005

ya it helps when I pay attention and see this is in the brackish water section lol

got bk from fish shop and the filter cycles 10 times an hour so i i think im good:) just gonna add a bit of salt to water when i get it then add the old filter spongey bit and add a dead shrimp or something from super market or bacon maybw? would that work ya think?

I wouldn't mess with salt until the FW bacteria develops from the sponge you used. No fatty bacon please! Only takes 7-10 days to fishless cycle.

Try this: library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/

lol i was joking about bacon:) why waste it?
can any one think of any plants other than java fern im gonna go for a inch of sand on the bottom a rocky bit at the back and a sort of shrubbery type thang going on at the front but not to thick more leefy than weedy?

I stopped to used real plants in low-end BW. It's a mess! You have to have fertile substrate, CO2 and good light (but F8s prefer medium to low light).

If you really want some plants, try the fake ones. You can have a great aquascape with fake plants as well, and they don't die. If you want a natural scene for your F8, brown rocks e some woods will make it feel more comfortable IME.