The Puffer Forum

Hey there, first time poster so I will try not to sound to stupid.

Basically, through a friend of a friend I am about to "adopt" a fahaka who currently isnt being cared for properly.

I have spent the last three hours searching the internet for information on what I need and how best to look after my new puffer and this site has helped so so so much but I still have loads of questions.

Currently the puffer is in the smallest of tanks. I would say about 10 gallons. It just seems cruel as its about 4 inches so far. So I said I would have it. So earlier today I went out and bought a few bits needed as I already had a 80 gallon tank which was not being used.

I have the filter, heater and a few caves, rocks etc for the puffer. I have the tank switched on and cycling (im new to this so not sure if its the right word) I have set the temp to around 76F.

What else should I be doing. Im meant to saving him so i dont want to put him in a tank thats going to make him worse. So any input is greatly appreciated. Ive wanted a puffer for years and heres my chance.

Im picking him up Tuesday and its Thursday now so time to get everything right is running out and the longer I leave it who knows what will happen to it.

Any help would be great

Thanks

As far as your tank "cycling", this doesn't mean just running. If you can find a reputable place to purchase some Bio-Spira to "instant cycle" your tank, then add it directly to your filter, right before adding your new puffer.

What kind of filter are you using? I'd go to the produce dept of your grocery store & buy every type of crustaceon you can find there (small portions--you don't know what your puffer will prefer) & freeze it.

One of the most difficult aspects of keeping these special fish is their diet. All puffers are predatory fish and need hard-shelled, meaty foods to keep their teeth trimmed. Like rabbits, their teeth grow constantly and can overgrow enough to cause starvation in the fish. Puffers eat crustaceans in the wild. Foods for smaller puffers are frozen/freeze-dried krill/plankton, gut-loaded ghost shrimp, glass worms, crickets, worms and small snails (the size of their eye). Snails are an essential food to a puffer’s diet, especially when small. Many serious puffer keepers breed their own snails. As your puffer gets larger, there are many more crunchy foods for them to eat. Larger puffers will eat cut-up pieces of scallops, shrimp, crab legs, whole mussels, clams, oysters, squid, lobster and crayfish. Mine love to chase live crayfish, fiddler crabs and gut-loaded ghost shrimp. I gut-load (pre-feed) my live food with algae wafers, so my puffers get their veggies. I buy most of these foods at the fish department of my grocery store, freeze and later thaw in warm vitamin water as needed. Smaller puffers (under 2�) need to eat every day, skipping one feeding/week. Feed them until their bellies are slightly rounded. Medium sized puffers (2-4�) should be fed every other day. Larger puffers (4-6�) should be fed every 3-4 days. You may find this schedule difficult, as puffers are very adept at begging for food! Feeding puffers every time they beg will cause fat, lazy fish and eventually you will be killing them with kindness.

Steve,

First of all, welcome to the forum! You listed your location as UK. If that is correct, locating BioSpira in country probably isn't going to happen. Can you talk your friend into letting you take the filter media he has on the 10G tank (if not the entire filter)? If you can also get him to give you the existing substrate--that would be good too.

Rinse the filter media and substrate out in the water from the old tank, then add it to your new tank. This will help seed the new tank with nitrifying bacteria needed to jump-start the cycle on your new tank. Do not rinse the filter Media and substrate in tap water. The chlorine/chloramine will kill the beneficial bacteria.

Another option would be to leave the fish where he is for a little longer while you properly cycle the tank. Read the "Fishless Cycling" article in our library for more information on this.

You listed your location as UK. If that is correct, locating BioSpira in country probably isn't going to happen.

Oops, missed that, sorry.

Thanks for the help so far.

Just want to make sure everything goes ok as he has had about three different homes in the past 3 months and instead of looking unhappy and miserable he seems in good spirits. Dont know how long that will last the way he is being treated.

If I took a mixture of the puffers current water and new treated water would that work? I really hope so as my friends friend says he no longer wants him after Tuesday. This is why im trying to rush it.

People in the uk, is there a substitute for Bio-Spira I could use?

Pufferpunk your reply was extremley useful thanks. Im so glad I found this site as the guy in my LFS I can now see is extremley useless.

I read the fishless cycling by rocker so thats been a help. Going to visit my local LFS tomorrow and see if they can help with anything.

Im determined to get this right.

So any more input would be greatly apprciated.

Thanks again

adding the water from his old tank wont really help set up the bacteria needed. the bacteria from the tank cycling is in the substrate and the filter. you need those things so you can have that bacteria asap. ask for the substrate and filter media when you pick him up, if not sooner.

puffernuke wrote: ask for the substrate and filter media when you pick him up, if not sooner.

I'm assuming you mean ask sooner, not pick up the media sooner, ya?
The bacteria in the filter will die within a day without a food source from the puffer, or in the form of ammonia from other sources.

Where abouts are you in the UK?

From Southampton

New to all this so trying to learn ASAP/\.

I get the filter media but substrate? I probably seem quite dumb here.

Substrate is the gravel or sand in the tank mate.

OK, moving a puffer into an uncycled or not fully cycled tank can be tricky and will require a bit of commitment on your part. If you are willing to devote the necessary time, money and effort, we're here to help make this as smooth as possible. Discussions with your LFS might not hurt. Then again, following the advice they offer might end up wasting money or even kill the puffer. Here's what I'd recommend:

- Use the old filter media and substrate in the new tank if possible. If your friend is not willing to let you keep the substrate, at least see if you can "borrow" it for a few weeks.

- DO NOT LET THE LFS TALK YOU INTO BUYING OR USING ANY PRODUCT THEY SAY WILL QUICK-CYCLE YOUR TANK! Bio-Spira is the only product we are aware of that contains live bacteria and actually works. All other miracle products (Cycle, Stress-Zyme, etc.) are bunk and a total waste of money. <<off soapbox>>

- Very important: Purchase a kit for PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate tests. Go with the liquid drop tests rather than the test strips (strips are not accurate).

- Buy a bottle of chlorine neutralizer. Make sure it will remove chloramine if that is used in your local water supply. "Prime" neutralizes both and is used/recommended by many members of this board.

- Have the tank/filters up and running at least 24 hours before you bring the fish home. Make sure that the water temp of the tank and whatever you bring the fish home in are within a degree or two of each other.

- Using airline tubing, start a slow drip from the tank to the temporary container with the new fish. When the water volume in the temp container is doubled, remove and throw away half of the water. Continue the slow drip until the water volume has doubled again.

Now comes the tricky part...

Use a large glass, plastic bag or other container to catch the puffer while he is still in the temporary container. Do not net or lift him out of the water. Otherwise he might puff up with air.

Transfer the new, smaller container with the puffer to the new tank and dip it into the tank just enough for the puffer to swim out. Throw out any remaining water that is in the temporary containers. Top off the tank with dechlorinated water (check temps before doing this...), sit back and enjoy the fruit of your labors.

Since the tank will not be cycled, you will need to monitor ammonia and nitrite levels closely for the next few weeks, maybe two or more times per day as these levels rise to detectable levels. Both are very bad for puffers (and most other fish) and large, frequent water changes will be required to keep them under control while the tank cycles. We'll be here to cheer you on and to offer advice though!

OK fellow TPF'ers, did I leave anything out?

Thanks alot YBeNormal that was great. Just off to my LFS and then to my friends friend to talk to him.

Will purchase all the necessary stuff needed and if regular checks and water changes are whats needed then thats what will be done.

Hopefully I can report back a positive day.

Thanks for all the help everyone gave me.

Got "Ruffa" today (cheesy maybe) and he seems to have settled in just fine. Checked the water and everythings seems good so far but will keep a close eye on it like people have recommended.

He is extremley friendly. Swims to the glass when im about. Swims to the top when the lid is open. And he has already eaten. Ate it so quick it looked liked he hadnt eaten in days.

Have some snails in seperate tank and some ghost shrimp arriving tomorrow.

Just wondred if anyone has any tips for cleaning out your puffer? Ways to make it easier and what I should be doing throughly if anything.

Hopefully I can get a picture on here soon.

Cleaning out your puffer?? what does that mean?

Most of us use the python