The Puffer Forum

i dont have fish or anything but im thinking bout geting a 29 gal tank they sell a kit at the LFS near by does the filter matter for brackish water like can any filter support brackish water? and also is a 29 gal big enough to house a GSP and a figure 8 puffer, and if so would the GSP bully the figure 8?

I don't thing the filter matters for brackish ... but the F8 and GSP live with different salt levels in the tank. Not a good mix

thanks

deathfromabove wrote:i dont have fish or anything but im thinking bout geting a 29 gal tank they sell a kit at the LFS near by does the filter matter for brackish water like can any filter support brackish water?

The folks on this forum recommend a minimum gallons-per-hr filtration rate of 10x the tank volume, meaning for a 29g tank, have at least 300gph in filtration. Most filters included in a kit don't provide 10x gph turnover by themselves. For my brackish tank, I successfully used the hang-on-back filter that came with my 26g kit, plus an additional internal filter; I used a Penn-Plax Cascade filter.

You can use the same types of filters for fresh or brackish water; just be sure that you don't vary the water's salinity more than .002sg per water change, because your beneficial bacteria (that makes up your biofilter) generally can't handle greater jumps in salinity and your bac will die off.

deathfromabove wrote:and also is a 29 gal big enough to house a GSP and a figure 8 puffer

Nope. Minimum recommended tank size for a single GSP is 30g.

deathfromabove wrote:would the GSP bully the figure 8?

GSPs can become aggressive and territorial as they mature, so many of us (me too) house a GSP by itself. And as J-P says, GSP and F8 water requirements differ, anyway.

F8s are lovely fish. You could fit two in that tank. They also require water with a lower salinity and should therefore be cheaper in the long run. Here is some information on F8 puffers:
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Biocellatus/
library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/

thanks

Yeah, IMO that tank would be better for 2 F8s than a single GSP.

Salt or brackish water can tear up some equipment faster. Any light fixtures, impeller spindles etc. can be destroyed in a matter of months.