The Puffer Forum

As far as pH, gH and temp go, what are ideal parameters for my T. Abei? Water comes out of my tap at ~6.5, but I am willing to correct it every water change if it will optimize the health, colors and behaviors of my T. Abei. This will be a planted tank, so naturally the pH will drop over time.

Check with our Pufferpedia. All your answers are in there.

If you are going to adjust the pH, don't do it with chemicals. The best way to raise it is to either use crushed coral as substrate or use some in a bag in the filter. Adjusting with chemicals will cause swings that can be deadly for the fish.

Yeah, I guess I was looking for something a little more specific. Pufferpedia gives a pretty wide range for the pH. Doesn't mention whether they come from hard or soft water. I did a quick search on the Mekong River, but the river has so many different habitats it is hard to really pinpoint the locations these puffers are caught.

Most fish, including puffers, can adjust to a wide range of pH and hardness, as long as they are acclimated properly and the water parameters are stable.

Yeah, I was actually thinking of blending some leftover calcite from my GSP tank into the sand of my Abei tank. If I put in a good amount of Calcite, and did several small water changes throughout the week instead of a larger one 1x a week there should be no drastic pH swing. The water should sit at about 7.8 and fairly hard, but I don't want to do it unless these puffers come from and thrive in hard alkaline water.

I get what you guys are getting at though. Puffers tend to migrate alot through their rivers, and are exposed to lots of different parameters(i.e the GSP going from freshwater-> saltwater throughout their lifetime.

Maybe I will just leave it alone, if it will not make any difference in their health and behaviors, there is no reason to make water changes more difficult for me. I already have a brackish tank to mess with, no need to make any of my other tanks a pain.

My Ph is about 7.5 and my tap water is fairly hard, he does fine.