The Puffer Forum

hey guys i am new to owning a fahaka and i have him in a 20 long tank now he is about 2 inches i bought him about two weeks ago and i am wondering what to look for in healthy water...??? what should the readings come out to basically.... i am going to be moving him into a 90 gal tank in about two months after i move any suggestions also i heard you can deworm a fahaka as well... how can i tell if he is healthy and so on???

getting that 90 gallon is a waste of money, get a 110+ also 2 months he will be 4inches and not so happy... get him out in about a week- 2 weeks...

the lfs told me a 90 would be good for a year or so so that is why i got it and my appartment i am in now they wont allow the 90 to be set up so i cant because im on the second story..... but i got the 90 for 100bucks with the stand and light and it doesnt leak i got the fx5 to filter the tank so when i upgrade i wont have to buy another filter. i want to get a wide 120 in about a year.... they also said that if i was to have him in a 20 for two months he would be ok as long as i did constant water changes and and fed him good. is that true?

LFS are there to sell you what ever they can, not there for the good of your Puffer! Get the 120gal and you will be done with his final home. The bio-load on that 20 long is enormous, so water quality is going to suffer badly, puffers are very very messy eaters.

if u have that 90 gallon now put it in now....

i do but i cant because my apparments wont alow me to have it set up with water in it because of it being to heavy or some BS it pisses me off! but i am moving in one month so that will be the soonest i can move him into that tank.

Water changes like a crazy man; at least 50% a day and I please hope the tank is cycled. Buy plenty of prime dechlorinator. Your water quality you are looking for after testing is Ammonia 0, NitrItes 0, and NitrAtes at 20 or below.

The 90 will likely break through, apartments are built cheaply.

Perchmonger wrote:Water changes like a crazy man; at least 50% a day and I please hope the tank is cycled. Buy plenty of prime dechlorinator. Your water quality you are looking for after testing is Ammonia 0, NitrItes 0, and NitrAtes at 20 or below.

so changes that much even though the tank has a 60 gal filter on it.....? if i have to for a month thats fine i just want to do whats right for the fish with what i got...

Everything the fahaka does affects the water quality and seeing that you have a very small tank for a fahakas needs it will be personified, my fahaka is in a 120gal and to keep him healthy and disease free I do 75% W/C at least 3X a week and he loves it. The water changes are diluting any impurities in the water that the filter doesn't get. Think of bathing in the same water without changing it.

The answer to your Q is: ammonia/nitrite 0 at all times & nitrate <20. Did you cycle that tank before adding the puffer? If you did, please explain how.

75% 3X a week on a 120 is borderline insanity! Why so frequently?

You never can do enough water changes,I've grown out 100 of fish from Discus to Africans and the more water you replace the better they grow and the healthier they remain ask any breeder, also in nature water is replaced constantly, and this is our substitute for nature. Ask PP

I know breeder that do 90% W/C a day!

We are not breeding discus here, it's a fahaka. 50% weekly WC on a 120+g tank housing a single fahaka, is plenty.