The Puffer Forum

Hey all,

We got the coolest call ever, seems the make a wish foundation wants to do something for Sophia, and after brain storming me and my wife can only think of one thing she would really enjoy and thats a new fish tank!.
I am also getting help with making my floor stronger.

We'll being in the hospital where they have alot of salt water tanks, and seeing Sophia's reaction, I think we are gonna go with a salt water setup.

Make a wish was very clear that we are to get everything we think we will ever need, as they only help out once. So I am posting here to ask for some advice and help on what we need. We are planning on getting around 150 Gal setup, full marine.

The two main fish we would like to see in the tank are, a Porc puffer and some clown fish as well as more as we take a look around, the puffer and clowns are Sophia's fav saltwater fish.

The main question I had is, Is there live plants that can be kept in a salt water tank, and can we have any corls and such with the puffer?, I know we need live rock, should we get live sand or corl Substrate?

I am gonna get Bigals here to quote out the setup, but I wanted all your advice as I trust it

This is very exciting, Some of the fish i have seen in salt are breath taking, and sophia does/will be glued to the tank glass, What a blessing.

Thanks in advance

Don

Puffers eat clownfish. Don't you already have a 135g for it?

Pufferpunk wrote:Puffers eat clownfish. Don't you already have a 135g for it?

Yes, but I was told by the rep with make a wish, they would prefer to buy all new. I might keep the 135 Gal as a freash water, but i really dont have the room for it.

um? So are their any fish i could put with a PP, or a puffer I can have with other fish? I see alot of tank on youtube with them, and the bigals here has a dogface with a shark and an el, and a few others I am not sure what they are. If I can not have a puffer, I may not need such a large setup them, I may be able to get away with a nano cube or something?

As much as I want a puffer, this setup is for Sophia, so if i can't fit a puffer in, i guess I will have to have a 55 Gal with some GSP for me .

How about setting up a publicly traded trust fund? For her college / university years?

J-P wrote:How about setting up a publicly traded trust fund? For her college / university years?

That was one of the question we first asked, and they do not do anything like that, but she is also autistic, so the chances she'll ever use it are slim we thought about a horse as well, but where we live is not zoned the tank really is the only thing we can think of, and its also somethigng ahe can inherit as well

Don

LOL!! see if they can team up with one of those challenges on HGTV.ca and get you a home that is zoned with a horse and a fish tank LOL!!

If this was I MFK.. you know what I'd say

You could get a horse and board it somewhere else.

Horses are expensive and are a very long term commitment. They are also not for the inexperienced. Please please please do not get a horse, that is a perfect recipe for disaster. They aren't the pretty, docile, and safe animals that the general public thinks that they are. They are opinionated prey animals and can very easily accidentally kill an adult, never mind an autistic child. If you keep your horse cheaply (i.e. outdoor board at a place without a ring or a coach, which I would never recommend for any beginner) it will very easily cost $150,000+ over its life. That's if nothing goes wrong. Colic, which is the main killer of horses is treated by surgery, this surgery starts at $10,000. For a horse that would be safe with your daughters, not only will it be very hard to find you will also pay through the nose for it. Horses like that are worth their weight in gold so to say and horses weight a lot. You want to get a pony instead? Don't worry, the costs are the same except the pony will live longer and ultimately cost more.

Why not get her a whole whack of lessons at a barn that specializes in disabled people? I volunteered with one for years and years and the lessons are cheap.

A therapy horse would be great if they learned about taking care of it. Of course when I suggested a horse I meant that all the appropriate research and help would happen. I thought if they'd thought about a horse, maybe she already rides.

LilGreenPuffer wrote:A therapy horse would be great if they learned about taking care of it. Of course when I suggested a horse I meant that all the appropriate research and help would happen. I thought if they'd thought about a horse, maybe she already rides.

She does ride here and there, and they don't pay for ongoing things like horses riding or leases, the two main types of wishes are item, and travel, as far as I know, I have a package coming in the mail out lining what can and can't be wished for, I will look it over when it gets here, but from what I was told on the phone, the tank is sounding like the best thing for Sophia, as its something tanglable, a trip to disney world she will not remeber, you guys have to remeber Sophia is autistic and non verbal, She is not like other children.

Can we stay on topic guys, i need help with the fish selection and tank setup?. I know PP you have some saltwater setups, what do you recommand?

Don

I agree with you, a tank is better than a trip. Have you thought of a tank with just a porc? Could she develop a friendship with the fish? You could do a 180gal with a porc. PP might know of more appropriate dither fish. If not, maybe a smaller tank with a pair of clowns.

Flutter wrote:I agree with you, a tank is better than a trip. Have you thought of a tank with just a porc? Could she develop a friendship with the fish? You could do a 180gal with a porc. PP might know of more appropriate dither fish. If not, maybe a smaller tank with a pair of clowns.

Thats what I was thinking, She could have her own pet, and with her standing by the tank so much, it was atach it self to her I would enjoy watching that so much

Don

You also have to consider the future upkeep of this tank. How much are they really willing to fork out? Just for the tank, stand & lights or also the filtration, live rock, sand & fish, including tons of salt for now & in the future? RODI system?

its also somethigng ahe can inherit as well

Also, I hate to ask this but isn't Make A Wish Foundation for dying children? Kind of like a last request of a child's dream that the parents can't afford?

Pufferpunk wrote:You also have to consider the future upkeep of this tank. How much are they really willing to fork out? Just for the tank, stand & lights or also the filtration, live rock, sand & fish, including tons of salt for now & in the future? RODI system?

its also somethigng ahe can inherit as well

Also, I hate to ask this but isn't Make A Wish Foundation for dying children? Kind of like a last request of a child's dream that the parents can't afford?

Wow, I have to admit I am very dissapointed in the responses I have recieved about this I posted asking for help about setting up a tank and fish not about the wish itself some of you feel you have the right to judge me and my wife for our choice?, And I don't think I gave any of you the permission to do that?.

Yes I am not working right now, but it will not be that way forever, not that I should have to justify myself to any of you.

PP that last question you asked was WAYYYY out of line, If you wanted to know that, you should have looked it up?.

I do think this will be my last post on this site, I have tired a few times in the past to contribute to the site and have recieced alot of resistance, I do have a bit of ADD when it come's to tanks, but I have never done anything to warrant being judged like this.

Don't bother posting a responce to this, because I will not read it, or anything else that comes from this site,

Bye to all the kind PPL , Your help has been awesome, thanks JP for all your hard work on the BBQ, your kindness will never be forgotten

Have a nice life all, I'm out of here.

You have been pleading poverty for some time now, to the point that J-P put on a fund-raiser BBQ for you & wound up out about $600 of his own $$$ because of it. Many folks here also sent you donations. This was all because you said you couldn't pay your daughters medical bills. You sold your fahaka tank, saying you couldn't afford to keep it & then then within a year, went out & bought a 135g tank. How about reimbursing J-P for what he's out? Then you say MAW foundation is buying you a tank, so you're selling the 135. Does your daughter really care if she gets to watch a 15g tank with a single fishin it or a monster SW tank with an expensive upkeep? What's wrong with this picture??? I have a feeling this has nothing to do with your daughter & more of what you want for yourself. I will not let this go by at my site without stating my feelings on this.

If anyone here thinks I'm out of line, I'm happy to listen.