The Puffer Forum

ive just brought a baby fig 8 when i got him the shop owner he said it was fresh and brakish but reading up they are brakish puffers hes in fresh at the mo untill friday when i get some marine salt will he be ok in there untill then and when adding the salt do i just put it straight in ?

Can you get a picture of him so we can get a positive ID on him?

How big is the tank?
Is there anything else in the tank?

Figure 8s do best long term in low end brackish water. 1.004 to 1.008 SG range. You'll need a refractometer (preferably) or a hydrometer (not preferred), to test the salinity of the water.

The best way to raise the Specific Gravity (salinity) is to mix your water change water with the salt and test it, and slowly raise your SG over the course of several water changes/week. It's important not to raise it too fast, or you'll likely end up killing off the bacterial filter.

Check out the library and do some reading to get a better idea of what's involved in a brackish tank.

hes about half an inch im sorry but i dont have any pics im pretty surte hes a figure 8 after looking at lots of pics the tank is 30 gals and i have 2 external filters on it i do 2 water changes a week is it best to start mixing it on my next water change and gradually bring it up ?
he in with two dalmation mollys

If you've match him up to pictures you've seen, that's pretty good. The tell tale sign of a figure 8 puffer is the "eye" spot they have right before their tail fins start.

First step would be to find a swing arm hydrometer that starts at 1.000 (fresh water) and goes up from there. If you're planning on keeping this tank for a while, I highly recommend investing ~40$ and getting a refractometer instead. They are far more accurate and easy to use. This is important for long term maintenance of the tank, because hydrometers are notorious for giving inaccurate readings after a while if they aren't properly maintained and cleaned on a regular basis.

Next is to find some marine salt mix and a baking table spoon to do some measuring.

The best way to raise the salinity is to make up your water with your dechlorinator and start adding a few tablespoons of salt at a time. Mix it until it dissolves completely and test it with your hydrometer or refractometer. Then simply use this water when you do a water change.

It's important to only rise the SG of the tank by ~ 0.002 SG per week to give the bacteria a chance to adapt. To do this.... for a 30G tank, if you replace 50% of the water, you'd need to mix up 15 gallons of replacement water. If you make your replacement water 1.004 and mix it with the 15g of water in the tank, you'll end up with 1.002 for the first week.

does that make sense?

how long do i have to mix it up for before i can use it
thanks very much for the info ill try and get my head around mixing up the salt gradually

Whereas true marine tanks need the new water to sit and aereate for a good while I believe, it's not necessary for the puffer

I pour my salt into a big tub, mix it with the hot water first and then fill up with cold. Stir thoroughly to make sure it's completely dissolved and then test the SG and add to the tank

RachelS wrote:Whereas true marine tanks need the new water to sit and aereate for a good while I believe, it's not necessary for the puffer

That would depend on the O2 level of your source water...
some city water is so processed that it is devoid of a fair amount of O2
--you see reports of processing plants on lakes and rivers where the return water actual causes native species to suffocate. Then again that could be from other contaminates.
In other instances you hear of the reverse...Locally I have heard of people complaining that our is over oxygenated, and that in its own right causes problems (not sure what those were)...and many let it sit to off gas the excess.

As for marine mix salt...true the new small crystals seem to dissolve instantly...but different elements in marine mix dissolve at different rates.
This may be more important in a reef aquarium, where the inhabitants cant move out of the way...but IMHO why chance it...

If you are looking for Refractometers try good old eBay. I got mine for £22 plus postage.


Clicky

I like the way you explained adding the salt Phaedrus. I too am setting up a brackish aquarium and have been trying to understand it all. Boxermom has been a great help!

If the nearly deoxygenated/way overoxygenated water thing was the reason for letting it sit, woudln't it be just as bad to use the water for freshwater fish?

Phaedrus,

I am moving my GSP from a 15 gallon tank to a 30 gallon tank. The 30 gallon is ready for my GSP except for the salinity rate. Can I just add salt slowly (and stir it) until I reach the salinity rate of the 15 gallon tank, which is 1.004? I'll then take another water sample to the lfs to make sure all other readings are acceptable.

MinPin Mom

Is the 30g tank cycled already?

Moving the GSP from 1.004 to fresh water isn't a very large leap and the GSP will likely feel no ill effects from the change.

Even better, you could do a 50% water change on the 30g tank with some 1.004 SG water, which would result in it now having 1.002 SG, which would be even less of a jump for the GSP to make. Next week, you could do another water change and be back up to 1.004.

Do you have your own test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and a refractometer or hydrometer for salinity?

Nick wrote:If the nearly deoxygenated/way overoxygenated water thing was the reason for letting it sit, woudln't it be just as bad to use the water for freshwater fish?

Yes it would be...but it depends on what you get out of your tap...if you notice your fish gasping after a water change..it might be wise to aerate it.

In practice, I think, a fair amount of people use an airstone to facilitate water movement (thus speeding the dissolving) , with the benefit of aeration...personally I never have used an air stone...I dont even own an air pump...if I want to mix I use a powerhead. I dont mix my water as described above, at least not exactly as described above (which is a better way to go about it, especially when starting out)

But this is a whole other post...sorry for the hijack...

Phaedrus,

Thanks for the advice.

I have a hydrometer and test kits, but I still take it to the lfs periodically to make sure the water is O'K.

I've never owned anything but a goldfish I inherited, so I'm very careful to do everything right.

I'm going to put a Figure 8 in the 15 gallon tank, so taking out over 1/2 of the water will probably benefit the Figure 8 also.

Thanks again,

MinPin Mom (aka Mary Anne)

hiemstra23 wrote:I like the way you explained adding the salt Phaedrus. I too am setting up a brackish aquarium and have been trying to understand it all. Boxermom has been a great help!

Yeah, I was a great help in getting us both confused. Credit goes to Neale Monks who was the one that helped me figure it out so I could help you.