The Puffer Forum

Hi guys and gals,

My name is Gabe and I've been a lurker on here for quite some time. I am currently planning a DIY plywood tank 48/24/24 if my math is right that should give me around 120 US gal. Ill also be running a 55 gal sump/refugium. Keeping a porky is my sole concern the only fish i want in the tank. I have a few questions though that i couldn't find specific answers for.

1. I would like to "breed" feeder snails in my refugium. Could you please recommend a species of snail that could easily reproduce in a refugium.
2.Are there any special lighting requirements for these guys? I have never seen anyone make mention of it so i thought i would just throw it out there.
3.I realize my tank is the bare minimum to keep this species. I plan on buying a top of the line skimmer any recommendations?
4.I will be stocking about 150 lbs of texas holey rock with a 4" live sand bed. Is this rock compatible with bacteria i need to grow and is a live sand bed and dead rock an okay way to go to start?
5.After 2 or 3 years i'd like to try keeping a mandarin which doesn't get too awfully big. horrible idea?

Sorry for all the questions at once I just like to cover all my bases before i put my hands on power tools . Any and all advice is more greatly appreciated.

Hello look forward to following your build, and welcome to posting on the forum. First, don't waste your money on live sand, it may have been live before but it's just dead material now get normal sand and seed with LR. Buy some LR and start seeding the dead rock you got before you get the porky. Go through a local reef club or eBay so it's cheaper.

I'll have to ebay some live rock then. The only thing within 2 hours drive is a petsmart . Whats a good amount to seed a tank that size? I was planning on using dr woseits one and only to kick start my cycle.

Welcome to the forum. Yes that size is 119.7 gallons before displacement. Is there no way we could convince you to make it 30" front to back to aid his turning circle? This would also get you to the 150 gal mark. Lighting is no issue just don't go mega bright as puffers have good eyes. Definately skip the live sand and go down the live rock route. Keep researching the mandarin and make your decision closer to the time, your porc will more than fill your tank with personality. Please at least consider going a little bigger.

I was considering going 48w 48 and 24high. Do they really need that much room to turn? I was afraid i would run into money issues finding a good skimmer for a tank that size. If i could find a reasonable skimmer say 400 ish it would be doable. What kind of salt cost are we talking about for the larger sized tank?

Thanks again guys really appreciate the input.

If you do a fish only with LR in there then you only need to do 1 30% wc a month.

With fowlr, weekly water changed are still needed. Add a skimmer, a water change every ~2 weeks. Add macro algae with the system to space out water changes to 3-4 weeks. Perhaps longer depending on skimmer and algae growth rate.

I think a 24" wide tank is good enough for these fish. Anything wider is hard to come by. 180+ gallon usually have good length and width for a porc.

You can get away with 24", but if you are custom building the extra 6" depth would be good for the fish, bigger is better. As for decent skimmers for that I am not sure but someone will soon chime in to answer that one. Bear in mind once you add live rock to the tank that will take up swimming space

yeah building the tank to 48/30/24 will be the best option then I had not considered how much room the LR would take up holey rock is not that heavy and 150 lbs of it looks like it will be quite a lot of displacement.I have a fresh water friend who is graciously donating the rock I'll just have to seed with ebay LR. i was considering a 48 width build but that puts me at 230 ish gal and that's a bit too much tank for my first build.

So really just need advice on the snail breeds that i might be able to cultivate myself and skimmer recommendations.

Another option is to put a lot of your live rocks in a sump (if you decide to go in that direction). It frees up a lot of space.

I think you're better off breeding the regular freshwater pond snails in a small separate container or tank.

I've read a lot of good stuff about Reef Octopus skimmers. Its not too overly expensive.

So the freshwater fella i made mention of above is getting married. The kicker is the new wife hates the tank and he is donating his setup to me for some manual labor moving. Later today I pick up a 60x18x26? Not sure on the height its a 120gal though.

My new questions are about starting the tank and filtration. I am strapped for cash right now and was thinking of making a wet/dry out of a three tier plastic cabinet with a power drill and some pot scrubbies. Can i use one of my big Rubbermaid totes as a refugium just to get the cycle going also what do i use for a bio load to start the cycle?

Don't waste your $$$ on wet/dry, that's old technology. Save it for LR & a good skimmer.

Your friend's tank doesn't come with anything at all??

More front to back space is highly desirable if you are custom building a tank. If limited to commercially available tanks, go for the 180 at least (2x2x6').

I second the ideal of not co-housing with a mandarin. Those are highly specialized feeders and really should be housed in a scaled down verion of the FOWLR +good skimmer and definitely with a passive-return 24/7lighted macroalgae refuigium. The refugium is highly significant for these fish as their diet is almost entirely 'pods and similar infusoria/mico/macro critters generated within the system. A pair of them in their own system is ideal and spectacular. High water quality and loads of tiny critters are both required for long life for these beasts.

Just picked it up today came with a 48" T5 lighting system a Fluval FX5 canister filter 2 heaters two air pumps with bubblers and a 30" MH lamp that was one of a pair original to the tank. It passed its water test today and I am unbelievably excited.

I've got some questions as usual. I've heard I can't use a canister filter with SW. what about in conjunction with a protein skimmer?

So far I just plan on stocking a porky and a pair of clowns no anemone if I get really comfortable maybe a wartskin angler on the bottom any compatibility issues?

To start this tank, from what I've gathered so far, I need a skimmer in a smaller tank under the stand and a couple power heads for water movement?

Any advice is GREATLY appreciated.

EDIT also any suggestions on buying Live rock online I have nothing local for live rock.