Pea puffer tank set up
Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 12:37 pm
Hi I'm new here I am just getting out of the saltwater hobby and I miss the fish with personality. I was wanting to use my 5g fulval chi tank and set it up as a planted tank for a single pea puffer and an Otto to help keep the tank clean.
I have a few questions I found mixed answers too which is why I started an account here.
1) would a 5g tall be big enough for those 2 fish? (I have a 10g bow front tank, just smaller is easier to do water changes)
2) I heard Java moss and Java fern are good starter plants. What kind of substrate should I use and what is the best way to place the plants? I read something about tying them to rocks or driftwood with white string????
3) The LED lights the fulval comes with suck, I'm thinking if I use that tank/filter system I'd need to retrofit different LED lights into it??? Any suggestions of what would be better to use? Or if I use the 10g what type of lightning should I buy for it? Also guessing an aquaclear filter system rated for a 10g would work, but I was thinking for more flow should I add the koralia nano powerhead? Do I need a bubblier? (I have a few and know bubbliers are used in FW, but wasn't sure about planted tanks and pea puffers)
4) I can get tiny snails from the LFS, was thinking of adding some and hoping they reproduce faster then the puffer can eat them. However I don't want the puffer to over feed on them so maybe adding a bunch is a bad idea? Better to add a few every once in awhile??? My LFS feed their pea puffers frozen mysis (which is what I'll feed) how often do they need snails to eat?
5) what type of special care do the plants need? I have no intention to buy a CO2 unit but I read somewhere about adding drops of stuff to help the plants. What stuff do the plants need and I'm guessing you add it weekly?
Just want to plan everything ahead of time and know exactly what's involved before I start. Thanks for the help
I have a few questions I found mixed answers too which is why I started an account here.
1) would a 5g tall be big enough for those 2 fish? (I have a 10g bow front tank, just smaller is easier to do water changes)
2) I heard Java moss and Java fern are good starter plants. What kind of substrate should I use and what is the best way to place the plants? I read something about tying them to rocks or driftwood with white string????
3) The LED lights the fulval comes with suck, I'm thinking if I use that tank/filter system I'd need to retrofit different LED lights into it??? Any suggestions of what would be better to use? Or if I use the 10g what type of lightning should I buy for it? Also guessing an aquaclear filter system rated for a 10g would work, but I was thinking for more flow should I add the koralia nano powerhead? Do I need a bubblier? (I have a few and know bubbliers are used in FW, but wasn't sure about planted tanks and pea puffers)
4) I can get tiny snails from the LFS, was thinking of adding some and hoping they reproduce faster then the puffer can eat them. However I don't want the puffer to over feed on them so maybe adding a bunch is a bad idea? Better to add a few every once in awhile??? My LFS feed their pea puffers frozen mysis (which is what I'll feed) how often do they need snails to eat?
5) what type of special care do the plants need? I have no intention to buy a CO2 unit but I read somewhere about adding drops of stuff to help the plants. What stuff do the plants need and I'm guessing you add it weekly?
Just want to plan everything ahead of time and know exactly what's involved before I start. Thanks for the help
also, if you want them to crunch on the shells, smash it between your finger and the glass. That way they have to chew through she'll to get to meat 
it is rare to get one with an overgrown beak since I had one that was too hard for me to trim and he died of starvation 
I keep a close eye on them making sure they all have happy little puffer tummies 
