The Puffer Forum

hey guys i am getting ready to set up my 90 gal tank for my baby fahaka and was wondering what is the best way to cycle a larger tank and how have you guys done it...i would prefer the easy way of doing it if there is one... just want to be sure im doing it right also what is going to be the best media choices for my fluval FX5 for this particular fish and what basckets will they go in top middle bottom? thanks for the help!

2 cycling articles in the Library.

How big is the baby puffer? If very small, you could just add Tetra's Safestart to the filter & add the puffer immediately.

he is about 3 inches tip to tip so pretty small... but the media that goes in the baskets is what im curious about which one to use and placement...and if i just added tetra safestart a few min. before i put him in the water i would be fine?.......after declorinating obviously

here is a picture of my baby fahaka one thing im wondering is... is there a reason why his stripes arent defined...will they define when he grows and his skin is sometimes kinda blotchy which i think is wierd is that normal for baby fahakas....but overall does he appear to be healthy? im a newb so sorry guys and girls...he eats like crazy though i know that!!

Looks healthy to me. Baby fahakas are mottled anyway so don't worry by the time he hits maturity they will be prominent. Follow the cycling articles in the library, do not put him in an uncycled tank

What filters are you using?

im going to be using the fluval FX5 in my 90gal but in my twenty i have him in now i have a 40 gall over the tank filter, just a cheapy... to get me by until i set my 90 up...

Use the filter media from your old filter in the new tank also do regular changes 50% + per week until you get good readings from your test kit , I assume u have 1 ?

yea i do. i also take my water in weekly to get tested by my lfs just to be safe! so should i just take the filter out of my filter and just set it in one of the baskets in the fx5....or if i was to put the substrate from my tank he is in would that work to because i know bacteria gets trapped in the substrate too...

If you use the substrate don't just put it in your tank, put some in a filter bag and run it in your filter.

so that will work though huh! thanks for the tip!

Well someone else can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that will help. Also use the filter media from your old filter as well, that should help establish things a helluva lot faster, as long as you have the same SG.

sorry but what is SG?

specific gravity. It is how we read the salt content of a tank.

This is a FW puffer. If the tank he is in now is cycled, just move everything over: filter media, substrate & decor & your 90g will be cycled. Add more substrate until it's 1-2" deep.