The Puffer Forum

Ok so heres what I have so far 20 gallon long tank Fluval 205 cannister filter,casscade 100 internal filter(mostly for water movement), penguin 100 bio-wheel caribsea crushed coral substrate four smaller pecies of lace rock, large snail shell, some eel grass, and four plastic plants lighting is a aqua ray 20 watt bulb instant ocean salt mix, hydrometer, test kits

I hear bio-wheels are not good for brackish even low end is this true? what about a aqua tech 5-15 instead? I like alot of filtration as all my tanks are setup that way

I have some API proper ph 8.2 could I use this? my lfs keeps there figure 8"s in freshwater, about how long after intruducing him or her to there new home should I wait to start raising the salinty

Add more decor to give a visually complex environment. Do not mess too much with ph, stability is much more important. You can start raising the sg 0.002 per week as soon as your f8 is settled in. Bio wheels cause salt creep

Crushed coral and the Instant Ocean salt mix with keep the ph where you need it. No need for an extra buffer. And everything else sounds good to me..

If you want to get your SG up before bringing your puffer home just raise it by .02 per week, and then once at the proper level, buy your F8 and just drip acclimate it.

Nuclear_Glitter wrote:If you want to get your SG up before bringing your puffer home just raise it by .02 per week, and then once at the proper level, buy your F8 and just drip acclimate it.

Could you give me more info on how to do this correctly? Ive never done this before, drip acclimate i mean
thanks for the help everyone

Well first, you'd get the tank to the SG of the F8 over the period of a few weeks. Before you went to the fish store you'd set up a container (I'd suggest something like a Rubbermaid one) that has a heater in it and fill it less than halfway with freshwater, that's been dechlorinated. Set it right below the fish tank you'd be putting your puffer in. Then, get your puffer, bring it home, and place it into the container (be sure your puffer never touches air though, because it's bad to let them inhale any). Then, use an air line hose to run water from the tank to the bucket. Tie a knot in it so it's a slow drip. After a few hours, test the SG, and once it's the same as the tank, (or at least VERY close to it) you can move your puffer to the actual tank (Again, don't let him touch the air).

If you need any more information, let me know.

If he's in fresh then cycle fresh and up the salinity at your first water change by SG0.002 there's no need to rush.

Thanks Nuclear glitter, I think I will try this

Commercial buffers are one of the most effective means of screwing up water quality known to man. They are quite effective at enriching the owners of fish stores also, as they are short-lived. They are not lasing and make absolutely no contribution to fish and tank health, It is not the pH that matters, it is the KH.

Crushed coral is not as effective at supporting the KH as is aragonite. The increased solubility is important at the low specific gravity used for F-8s.