The Puffer Forum

Hello I have been keeping FW fish for years now and I am looking for information on how much time and money converting an established FW tank to BW would cost(have to get the wifes approval ).


Here is some back ground on the tank:

25 gallon
Glass Top
Aquaclear 50 filter
It currently houses cichlids(that are being moved) and has been running for about 4 years

1) Would I have to recycle the tank at all or can I simply slowly add marine salt to it(I believe I read .002 ppm per week)

2) I believe I need a hydrometer is there anything else required for brackish?

3) as for stocking it I seem to have fallen for a the Fig 8 puffer. Would 1 be ok in this set up? Could anything else be housed with it?

4) current the substrate is a gravel mix would this need to be changed?

Well as far as costs go there are a few things to factor in...

Marine salt, a large pail(plastic garbage can) to pre-mix the salt water in, a powerhead to thoroughly mix the salt overnight, a heater to bring the water up to temp, and a hydrometer or refractometer

Refractometers are more expensive $40-60 but are more accurate...if you get a hydrometer, make sure it reads low level brackish (1.000-1.010)...not all of them do

You are correct, you will not need to re-cycle the tank if you raise the sg .002 per week. You still want to monitor your readings closely during the process.

Myself and many others have done quite well with Bumblebee gobys in with Figure 8 puffers. Mollies and fancy guppies will also do well if they are acclimated properly to the change in SW.

Take care when purchasing your F8. Some are sold from FW tanks, others from BW. If you get one from a FW tank you can add it to the tank before you start to raise the salinity. If you get one from a BW tank then you need to raise your salinity to match beforehand or drip acclimate it. I suggest you have the LFS check the sg for you at the store and try to match your tank before you bring it home.

I would suggest more filtration on the tank. Puffers are messy and eat mostly live or frozen foods(as opposed to dry flakes) so there is more mess going into the water. Over-filtering will help ensure clean, clear water.

I suggest a thin(1/2 to1") sand substrate. I find it much easier to keep clean than gravel. Some may recommend crushed coral or similar substrates. That being said, I don't see a problem if you want to keep the gravel.

HTH

Aragonite sand is far superior to crushed coral for any BW or SW tank due to its higher solubility. It is more expensive but makes a non-trivial difference. Low-end BW does not itself have enough carbonate hardness in and of itself to support F-8s well - the aragonite helps with this much better than does crushed coral.

Any plastic vessels used should be listed as food safe if you do not want to potentially poison your puffer. Otherwise use inexpensive glass or plastic tanks - they should be by definition fish safe.

HTH

Thanks for the info guys. Another question is tap water ok to use in a brackish setup? I have been looking into SW as well and tap water seems to be a big no no.

If you can afford it use RO/DI water for BW and SW. There are less problematic trace elements, etc...so I have heard.

That being said,...I know lots of successful BW and SW keepers that use straight tap water,...myself included.

Unless there is something seriously wrong with your tap water, I see no reason to use RO water for BW & especially with low-end SG. You'd still have to replace essential elements removed by the filtration. SW is a whole other story...

Very strong +1 to PP's comments. There is no reason to waste RO or RODI on low-end BW. Even for FO or FOWLR SW, it would depend on your local water supply. If you go reef or just a lot of other inverts, you usually should be better off with RO or RODI.

Well that makes the transition a lot easier. Another question could I have 2 Fig 8 in a 25 gal or would just 1 be better?

The general rule of thumb here is 15g for the 1st & 10 for every one after but I think you might be happier with the singleton & a few BBGs.

RTR wrote:Aragonite sand is far superior to crushed coral for any BW or SW tank due to its higher solubility. It is more expensive but makes a non-trivial difference. Low-end BW does not itself have enough carbonate hardness in and of itself to support F-8s well - the aragonite helps with this much better than does crushed coral.

Any plastic vessels used should be listed as food safe if you do not want to potentially poison your puffer. Otherwise use inexpensive glass or plastic tanks - they should be by definition fish safe.

HTH

I didnt know that about aragonite sand. Everyone kept telling me that crushed coral was best. I may have to get some to add to my tank. Another thing is that the sand probably doesnt grow algae... the crushed coral does though and it looks yech. *sigh*

Pufferpunk wrote:The general rule of thumb here is 15g for the 1st & 10 for every one after but I think you might be happier with the singleton & a few BBGs.

Are BBGs difficult to feed at all? I know the puffers tend to be pigs.... And how many BBGs in a 25 gal with a puffer would be prefered?

I have 6 BBGs with my puffers. (30 gal. tank) Ive seen them enjoy the bloodworms with the puffers, and flake food, and brine shrimp. But I think the bloodworms is the most suitable for a nutritious diet. Theyve also taken a turn at the jumbo shrimp I hang in the tank.

Make sure you get the BBGs a lot of small places to hide! Theyre territorial and will each claim their own little spot. Take into consideration that the puffers also like to hide or go into caves and under plants, and make sure you create a lot of little hiding places for everyone. If you leave them without a refuge they will get nipped fins from both puffers and other Gobys. I enjoy the Gobys... they are hilarious weird fish...

The BB Gobys are not hard to feed at all. You just thaw the bloodworms prior to feeding. The puffer will prolly try to eat 'em all but the BB Gobys are surprisingly competitive.

I would say you could keep 5 or 6 with a F8 in a 25

fugu99 wrote:I have 6 BBGs with my puffers. (30 gal. tank) Ive seen them enjoy the bloodworms with the puffers, and flake food, and brine shrimp. But I think the bloodworms is the most suitable for a nutritious diet. Theyve also taken a turn at the jumbo shrimp I hang in the tank.

Make sure you get the BBGs a lot of small places to hide! Theyre territorial and will each claim their own little spot. Take into consideration that the puffers also like to hide or go into caves and under plants, and make sure you create a lot of little hiding places for everyone. If you leave them without a refuge they will get nipped fins from both puffers and other Gobys. I enjoy the Gobys... they are hilarious weird fish...

Heh thank you most brackish fish seem to be kinda quirky must be the salt...! Decor is another thing I ment to ask about I would like to do some real and fake plants but have heard plants can be difficult in a brackish set up. I would rather go with low light plants as I really don't wan't to get back into high light and injecting co2 again(used to have a heavily planted 75gal). What has worked plant wise for others? Also do the BBGs like small rock caves or just plants? Any pictures of some set up planted puffer tanks would be great!

Any caves will do for the BB gobys, really,...but what they really like are small (golf ball sized) shells.

The only plants I have had (or have heard of) in a BW tank are Java fern and water sprite. I have heard of people trying others but with little success. Java fern is definitely low-light, water sprite needs mid to high light to do well.