How fast do F8 puffers grow?

[jake_vdb]

I just bought 2 small (~1") F8 puffers. Right now I have them in a 10 gallon tank with a few bumblebee gobies. My question is; how fast will they outgrow this tank? I was thinking I could probably pick up a 30 gallon tank around christmas time. I assume they wouldn't outgrow the 10 gallon by then, but I have no idea how fast they grow...?

[brian]

I'd say there gonna outgrow that tank before the end of December. Most fish grow faster when there really small then slow down when they get big enough to fend for them self's.

[Hilly]

You could do with getting a 30 gallon ASAP. I fear that if they remain in the 10 gallon until Christmas they may have already started to suffer from stunting.

[SkeptikaL]

that and their gills may ALREADY be perminately damaged from toxic levels of ammonia... Meaning they may not be able to live a full ifetime no matter what you do...

I understand financial situations, trust me, but maybes the best thing you can do is return em until you've got al l the ammunition you need to fight the war with puffs!

[Jayhawk]

If it was just one figure 8, I'd say you'd be fine with good , frequent, large water changes.

Keep on top of the nitrate levels (and make sure no nitrite or ammonia appear) with lots of big water changes. You'll be able to see how frequently you should do this, but at the very least a 50% water change weekly is in order...maybe two.

Eric

[Pufferpunk]

How was the tank cycled?

[jake_vdb]

How was the tank cycled?

I converted the tank to brackish (was freshwater). I changed the gravel to cichlid sand, added lace rock, and 1/8 cup per gallon of instant ocean. (specific gravity should be around 1.005, but my hydrometer doesn't read that low). Then I did a fishless cycle. (dropped a big prawn in there and waited for ammonia and nitrite levels to drop to 0, took about 3 weeks). I removed the prawn did a 50% water change, and added a few bumblebee gobies. Gobies have been in there for 2 weeks with no ammonia or nitrite spikes. Added the Puffers yesterday, so far they seem to be doing fine.

I guess I will just keep up the water changes and get the new tank as soon as possible.

[Pufferpunk]

Perfect cycling technique!

[Hilly]

Jake just curious about the prawn cycling, was there any noticeable odour from the tank when the prawn started to decompose?

[jake_vdb]

Jake just curious about the prawn cycling, was there any noticeable odour from the tank when the prawn started to decompose?

I had to ask my wife because I have a terrible sense of smell. In fact it didn't even smell bad to me when I took the prawn out... My wife said she could smell it when I took the prawn out, but otherwise she didn't notice anything.

This is the first time I cycled with a prawn. I have used pure/clear ammonia from the drug store in the past. I just decided to stop using it because a lot of the different bottles I have seen have surfactant/detergent or other ingredients, the one I was using didn't list the ingredients (was clear and didn't have soap bubbles when shaken). I just thought the prawn idea sounded more natural, so I gave it a try.

Honestly both methods seem to work very well.

[Pufferpunk]

I've come across a shrimp tail I accidently left a coupla days in a puffer tank. Boy did it stink!

[TheSmJ]

Watch those BBGs. Once your puffs get larger they'll begin to vanish one by one.

[Pufferpunk]

Yeah, I used to have 8 of them--somehow 1 has still escaped the F8s, he's the only 1 left!.

[jake_vdb]

Watch those BBGs. Once your puffs get larger they'll begin to vanish one by one.

Thats kind of disappointing. I had read that they can be kept together. I'll keep my fingers crossed and give them lots of hiding places in the new tank.

You want to know the funny part. The Puffers are probably twice as large as the gobies (not in length, but def. in girth). When I first put them in the tank one of the gobies attacked the first puffer out of the bag. I couldn't believe it, he must be suicidal. Anyway he seemed to give up after 30 seconds or so and I haven't seen him try it again.... Wish I had video it was pretty funny to watch.

[TheSmJ]

Well it can depend on the individual puff. One of my Fig8s showed no interest in BBGs what so ever for months - it wouldn't even look at them. The second one polished them off inside a week (by the time I caught him in the act it was too late).