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FAQs about Figure Eight Puffers,
Systems Related
Articles:
Alone
But Not Lonely: The Importance of Keeping Puffers Individually
by Damien Wagaman, Figure Eight Puffers,
Freshwater/Brackish Puffers, Green Spotted
Puffers (GSP's),
The Arrowhead Puffer, Tetraodon suvattii,
miraculously malicious,
True Puffers,
Puffers in General,
Burrfishes/Porcupinefishes,
Tobies/Sharpnose Puffers,
Boxfishes,
Puffy & Mr. Nasty, Puffer
Care and Information, Pufferfish
Dentistry By Kelly
Jedlicki and Anthony Calfo,
Related FAQs: FAQs,
FAQs 2, & FAQs on:
Figure-Eight Puffer Identification,
Figure-Eight Puffer Behavior,
Figure-Eight Puffer Compatibility,
Figure-Eight Puffer Selection,
Figure-Eight Puffer Feeding,
Figure-Eight Puffer Disease,
Figure-Eight Puffer Reproduction, &
BR Puffers 1,
BR Puffers 2,
BR Puffers 3,
BR Puffer Identification,
BR Puffer Compatibility,
BR Puffer Selection,
BR Puffer Systems,
BR Puffer Feeding,
BR Puffer Disease,
BR Puffer Reproduction, |
This species can live in "freshwater" of high pH (8.0 or so), as
young, but fares better in slightly brackish water (1.005-008 spg). About ten
gallons per specimen for space.
|
Puffer question, please help 5/28/2009
Dear WWM crew,
I've recently (4 days ago) bought two adorable Figure 8 puffers for my
62 litre planted tank
<Will ultimately be too small for this species... would recommend 90
litres/45 gallons for two Tetraodon biocellatus.>
that has been running fish-free for about 3-4 weeks prior to that. I
have been adding beneficial bacteria to the filter (an Interpet PF2,
adds air
bubbles to the water, has filtration capacity of 500L/hr, has 2 foams
and active charcoal as well as ceramic substrate for bacteria).
<Do be careful with "bacteria" products -- on the whole these don't
work, especially the ones that are NOT sold from refrigerators.>
I've been monitoring the nitrite levels every week and it seemed like
the tank has cycled as after two or so weeks the water got cloudy and
nitrite
levels shot up but after a couple of days it cleared and the nitrite
went down to 0. So some days later I got the puffs. A day after the fish
came the nitrite went up to around 0.2 mg/ml at which point I started
doing daily 10% water changes as well as added some BioSpira to my
filter.
<BioSpira is one of the better products...>
The nitrite level remains at this level for several days now and the
puffers don't show any obvious signs of poisoning, have healthy appetite
and are generally quite active (and I do watch them literally every 10
min).
<Do take care here... fish will eat well past the point when water
quality has turned nasty. Best to moderate food input... would offer one
meal per
two days.>
Although they do often swim facing the stream from the filter system,
could that be a sign of oxygen deprivation or they are just playing?
<Are an active species; will feel "cramped" in a system this small.>
I keep the water fresh so far, as that's how the puffers were kept in
the shop. I use deionized water and supplement it with a balanced
mineral
powder for fish tanks to 12 dGH, 7 dKH, pH 7.6 and 26 C. I read
everywhere that puffers are very sensitive to nitrite which is quite
disconcerting as it would make me extremely sad if something happened to
these guys.
<Nitrite is a major problem for pufferfish; should be 0 at all times, as
should ammonia. Tetraodon biocellatus is also a brackish water -- not a
freshwater -- species, and will not do well unless you're adding about 6
to 9 grammes marine salt mix (e.g., Instant Ocean) per litre of water;
or 0.8
to 1.2 ounces per US gallon. Marine salt mix is essential; don't imagine
that products sold for freshwater fish will do.>
I presume that the tank hasn't cycled completely yet hence the nitrite
spike. So my question is, has anyone else kept Figure 8 puffers at 0.2
mg/ml nitrite until the tank has finished cycling and the fish was ok?
<Not a good idea, no... would watch these fish carefully, and act
accordingly. Marine salt mix has a beneficial effect by reducing
nitrite/nitrate toxicity, so assuming these fish are in brackish water,
I'd imagine them to survive a few weeks. But in freshwater, they will
not likely do well.>
What is the tolerance threshold? Should I change 50% of water every day
(if yes, how does this affect bacterial colonization of the filter?) or
should
I return my guys to the shop for safekeeping which unavoidably implies
some hefty fish stress?
<Would concentrate on water tests, water changes.>
I've never had a fish tank before so any suggestions/sharing of
experience will be very welcomed. (Also, I keep my tank at my work place
which is a research institute so any imaginable buffers, equipment, etc.
are at my disposal, can that help?)
Thank you, Valeria R.
<Do read re: brackish water fishkeeping here at WWM. Cheers, Neale.>
(Puffer question, please
help) correction 5/28/2009
Thank you for your help, I have started adding marine salt to the water
<Good.>
and use sachets with detoxifying resin.
<No idea what this might be.>
I want to correct a typo in my last message, it should have read 0.2
mg/L nitrite rather than mg/ml.
<If it's not zero, it's not good!>
Thank you again, Valeria
<Happy to help. Cheers, Neale.>
Figure Eight Puffer - new tank/tankmates
1/27/09
Hello,
I have a 10g low salinity brackish tank with a
year-old figure eight puffer and one bumblebee goby (I had two, but one recently
died). My puffer is in need of a bigger tank, and I'm exploring new tank setups
and new tankmates.
I'm a college student and, when I'm not at home on
breaks, my fish are in the capable care of my mom. With this in mind, I'm trying
to figure out what filtration system would be the best balance of effectiveness
and maintenance. I'm considering a tank size between 45g and 70g. What are your
filtration suggestions for a tank like this, with fairly quick water turnover
and 'mineral mud' or some sand-like equivalent?
With a bump up in tank size,
I'm also looking to add a few fish. I've been doing a bit of research on dusky
panther gobies and knight gobies. Would these fish be compatible with my puffer
(and with each other)? Aside from disc fish, which I'm not a big fan of, are
there any other species that would live well with my puffer? It is fairly
docile, showing no interest in the goby, and even allowed a fiddler crab to live
in the tank unbothered for its lifespan.
Thanks for your suggestions. With
the sparse resources and controversy over brackish setups, all your help is
greatly appreciated.
-Ben
<Hi Ben. Ten gallons is not a lot of space, and
your decision to trade up is a wise one. Even switching to a 20 gallon system
would make all the difference in the world! The bigger the tank, then the more
stable the water chemistry and the less likely water quality problems will
develop in between the times you're about to check on them. So having a bigger
tank will make life easier for your mom during your absences. So whichever tank
you get, I'd encourage you to under- rather than overstock it, so that its
bigger size works in your favour. Beyond that, I don't really think it
matters much what filtration system you use. Personally, I find canister filters
require the least maintenance, and while external canister filters are certainly
the best in terms of value, they're a hassle to maintain. On the plus side, if
you're around every most weeks, and only gone for, say, 6-8 weeks at most, then
a canister filter or two would surely be the best choice. Internal canisters are
(by contrast) more expensive in terms of filtration capacity, but they're very
easy to maintain, requiring little more than switching off, pulling out of the
tank, and then the relevant media either replaced or rinsed. Otherwise, most any
filter will do, provided you accept the pros and cons of each type and work
around them.
Now, "Dusky Panther Groupers" are, I assume, the Waspfish
Neovespicula depressifrons. They're also sold as "Butterfly Gobies". Anyway,
they're neither gobies nor groupers, but more closely related to things like
stonefish and bullrouts. They are hardy and quite good community fish, provided
they aren't kept with anything they can swallow. They are fine with Knight
Gobies of equal size. Feeding them is a bit awkward though as they're a bit
slow, but then so are the gobies. Both species are predators with a fondness for
small invertebrates and fish. I wouldn't use feeder
fish for either though,
for all the usual reasons. River shrimp are readily taken though, and once
settled, both take frozen foods. I wouldn't risk mixing either with Figure-8
puffers; puffers are just a bit too nippy, even this rather mild species. While
the Knight goby might be active enough to avoid trouble, I can't help but feel
the Waspfish would end up being bitten at some point. Figure-8s are best kept
either alone or in groups of their own kind. They do mix quite well with
Bumblebees as well as Orange Chromides, which seem to be punchy enough they
avoid becoming targets.
That's the problem with puffers. If your specimen
happens to be mild, you might risk it, and see what happens. But certainly
provide lots of hiding places for all concerned, in the form of empty oyster
shells, barnacle clusters, plastic seaweed, and so on. There is quite a bit of
stuff out there on brackish fish now. Besides the many resources on WWM, there's
my own book from TFH as well as a book from Aqualog. Both books are entitled
'Brackish-Water Fishes'. They target somewhat different markets, the Aqualog
book being smaller and more about identifying common and rare species and
describing their basic needs, while my TFH book is a much bigger book that goes
into a lot more detail, though primarily on species available in the US, Europe
and Australia. Cheers, Neale.>
F8 Puffer in F.W. – 09/08/08
Hello,
<Ave,>
I have
several tanks, one of them being a 30 gal brackish tank and another a hard
water/ pH of 7.8 planted freshwater tank that has developed quite a snail
problem. Our LFS just received F8 Puffers and GSP's, keeping them both in
freshwater (and together!) in their store tanks. I know that F8's do best in a
SG of 1.005 for long term health, but these guys are dwarf puffer size now and I
was wondering if they would be ok short term (and if so for how long) in the
freshwater tank, or at a lower SG that would not impair the plants?
<The
Figure-8 puffer Tetraodon biocellatus can be kept in freshwater a while,
especially if the water is clean, hard, and alkaline. But they do live much
longer and are much healthier in brackish water. It's impossible to give a
definitive answer to this one, but I certainly wouldn't keep a Figure-8 in
freshwater for more than a few months. In terms of optimal salinity, as low as
SG 1.003 should be fine assuming the water is hard (15+ dH) and basic (7.5-8.2)
and above all very clean (zero ammonia/nitrite; below 20 mg/l nitrate). That
salinity would be tolerated by a variety of hardy plants. Genuinely brackish
water plants will do well up to SG 1.005. I keep a list of recommended species
on my Brackish FAQ, here:
http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/Projects/FAQ/2d.html
>
The Brackish tank I have is a bit higher SG (1.008) with mollies and a few
BBG's.
<That's a bit too saline for most plants. You could reduce the
salinity a bit though, to SG 1.003-1.005 and the Mollies and gobies would be
just fine. That might free up some options, for example adding plants to this
tank, and then keeping the Figure-8. You could move the Figure-8 into the
freshwater tank to eat the plants, and then move him out to the other tank after
a few weeks. Doing this a few times per year would cause him no problems at all.
Alternatively, there are some snail-eating snails in the trade (Clea helena) and
these do an amazing job if purchased in sufficient numbers (I'd recommend four
or five per 10 gallons).
http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/Projects/freshwaterreef.html
They breed, but
slowly, and rearing the babies to maturity is a triumph, not a nuisance. Other
aquarists will happily take excess snails off your hands!
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: F8 Puffer in F.W. – 09/08/08
Thank you for the reply.
<You're welcome.>
Is it true that most freshwater plants that do well in hard
alkaline water usually do well in low end brackish (about 1.003) systems as long
as they are gradually acclimated?
<Up to a point it's true. Some species will
object, but a lot of species seem to adapt, particularly if the lighting is
strong and the substrate nutritious. Put it this way, if the plants are
struggling before you add salt, then adding salt will likely push them over the
edge. But if they're happy and growing fast, then slightly brackish water
doesn't seem to cause problems for things like Amazon Swords, Vallisneria, hardy
Cryptocorynes, etc.>
I have a school of Pristella tetras in the planted
freshwater tank now with a red tailed shark and an SAE, so I could move the 2
scavengers to a different tank and add the F8 and increase that tanks salinity,
providing the plants would do ok at 1.003, they have all been thriving in my
high pH, hard water setup thus far with about 2 watts a gallon of light.
<Pristella maxillaris is one of the few tetras commonly occurring in (slightly)
brackish water, at least in the wild. What it's precise tolerances are is
unknown to me, but I'd expect them to handle SG 1.002, maybe 1.003, if
acclimated to it slowly. I'd adjust the tank slowly, watching their behaviour
and ensuring that they were feeding and breathing normally. The two
shark-minnows are not salt tolerant (to the best of my knowledge) and shouldn't
be exposed to brackish water for any length of time. Cheers, Neale>
Re: F8 Puffer in F.W. 9/16/08
Thanks for the
reply.
What signs other than melt would indicate a plant might not be
adaptable, ie leaves falling off, browning, lighter color leaves etc... I have
Val.s, moneywort, crypts, giant Hygro, Anubias, a sword plant, some unknown
Aponogeton and Ludwigia repens...the Ludwigia took quite some time to establish
itself ANYWAY without the salt, but now it seems to have some yellow tipped
leaves.
<Essentially if the plant is sending up lots healthy growth at a
normal rate, it hasn't adjusted to brackish water. Above SG 1.003 only a small
subset of species will do well, and even up to SG 1.003 your options are limited
mostly to hard water tolerant species. Anything that needs soft, acid conditions
and/or CO2 fertilisation just isn't an option.>
in the meantime I found out
that my bulbs were very dim, being about 8 months old, they had
really lost
a lot of their output, so those were changed out as well.
<Realistically,
good tubes should be viable for a year, assuming you have enough light intensity
to start with. It's a sad fact that the one or two full-length tubes supplied in
most aquaria just ISN'T enough for anything other than shade-tolerant plants. In
most situations, if you don't have 4 tubes in the hood, you don't have enough
light. The old 2 to 3 watts per gallon rule has its limits, but as a basic
guideline it works for plants that aren't too light hungry.>
I wouldn't have
even realized it if I wasn't testing out a hood that I got for my other 20 with
a stock tube that had what I like to call "sterile light". I wanted to see the
difference on how the tank would look with a better spectrum (my planted
brackish twin tube hood) when I realized it was pretty darn dark...anyway....the
mysterious algae growth I was wondering about now seems to, pardon the pun, shed
some light.
<Do take care not to muddle the colour temperature of the light
with its intensity. A cool blue tube at 36 watts will appear much brighter than
a warm pink tube at 36 watts, even though they're both pushing out about the
same amount of light! It's a question of what wavelengths out eyes detect best.
Do remember that plants respond to blue and red light the strongest, and bounce
back the green light, which is why they're green. In general, swapping different
colour tubes in the hood is rearranging deck-chairs on the Titanic: it is pretty
pointless if you don't have enough watts to begin with. By all means optimise
colour temperature (around 5500 to 6500 is ideal) but worry about the wattage
first and foremost.>
I have 2 watts per gallon on a 20 Long (30 inch long 12
high) tank (2x20 watt T8 in the 6700K range) and the SG is now at about 1.002
over this last week
<Right; now, 2 watts per gallon is the low end. You're
looking for dark green plants, such as Cryptocoryne spp. rather than light green
or red plants. (Light green plants, and even more so red plants, need more light
that dark green plants.) In a brackish tank hardy Cryptocoryne species like C.
wendtii and C. ciliata would be great starting points, augmented with Crinum
species, Vallisneria species, and of course Java fern and Java moss and Anubias.
Amazon Swords sometimes do well under moderate light and in slightly brackish
water, particularly the hard water-tolerant (or preferring) varieties like
Echinodorus bleheri, a species that incidentally tends to put up with moderate
light without complaint. It's kind of waste of time to struggle with plants that
won't adapt, so if you have some species that look unhappy and aren't known to
be brackish-tolerant, rip 'em out.>
There is the F8, 2 BBG, a glassfish and 2
small mollies that I decided to put in there for awhile until I get the algae
back under control as current tank inhabitants. I hand feed the F8 so the
glassfish and the BBGS are pretty good about cleaning up the scraps when it's
krill or clams or something other than snails...as well as the mollies., so
there isn't a lot of excess food.
<Sounds great.>
I also add Flourish root
tabs regularly to the bases of the plants an dose with flourish and potassium
weekly.
<All sounds good. By hook or by crook, I suspect you're going to
wrangle this aquarium into shape. Just keep making small changes, look for
plants that aren't adapting, and observe the rest for signs of new growth.
Eventually things will settle down. Cheers, Neale.>
Concerned about my puffer, Fig. 8 – 08/25/08
Ok I got my figure 8 about a year ago, and had no idea it was suppose to be in
brackish conditions. I didn't do any research before I got him, until just now,
because he is always sick. This time might be the last time, because I'm not
sure he will make it. He was in a 55 gallon tank with a few other fish when my
dad noticed he looked terrible. His very back fin is collapsed looking and
discolored when my dad told me. He has had this problem before and it was ich,
so I immediately started treating him for it. It had been about a week and he
isn’t looking any better and isn’t really eating so it is getting me worried. A
couple of days ago I found a smaller 5 gallon tank which I know is to small to
house a puffer, but when I tested my parents water quality it was poor and I
wanted to get him out of there and the other fish are doing fine. The 5 gallon
tank is meant just as a temporary thing to get him back to health and until I
get him his own larger tank.
<Does this tank have a sufficient filter?>
So 2 days ago I began setting up this new tank. I added the water to it
conditioned it and let the water get to a sufficient temp, 79 degrees F. The
nitrite level is 0 ppm, nitrate level is 10 ppm, ammonia level is .25 ppm, and
the pH is 7.5.
<This new tank is not completely cycled yet, beneficial bacteria will need more
time to develop. You need to do daily water changes to ensure ammonia and
nitrites stay 0 all the time.>
I also decided it was best for him to be in brackish conditions like he was
meant to be and added a tsp of aquarium salt.
<Aquarium salt does not make brackish water, you’ll need a marine salt mix…
Please read these three pages:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/bracsystems.htm and
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Biocellatus/
and http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/ .>
In the 5 gallon tank I also added a live plant and some snails so maybe he would
become interested in eating. How long do you think it will take him to get
better if he will get better?
<First the environment should be improved, then the possible finrot and/or Ich
infection should heal up in a few weeks, if it is not too late to save this
fish.>
Do you have any idea as to what treatment I should continue for his fin?
<Addition of a sufficient amount of marine salt should be treatment enough. If
not, you’ll need an additional antibiotic finrot treatment like Maracyn.>
Any information you can offer me because I am kind of new at this and trying to
say a sick fish would be great even the simple information.
<The links above should help.>
Also I would like to know how you trim their beaks because I don’t think he was
receiving the proper diet with my parents. I thank you all for the information
you have already posted but I need some help quick.
<Let’s first save this fish by reading the links above before thinking about
teeth trimming. Buy marine salt mix, a hydrometer (or refractometer) and raise
the specific gravity to 1.005 by no more than 0.002 per week. Do daily water
changes to keep ammonia and nitrites at 0 ppm. Hopefully, the condition of the
fish should improve in a few days. Snails should be sufficient to wear down the
beak again, if he still can eat. If the teeth are really too long, have a look
here: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/hospital/dentistry/ >
Ashley {{ has a distressed and sick puffer}}
Puffer swimming vertical...
(Tetraodon biocellatus; env., hlth.)
8/14//08
I've had my Figure 8 Puffer for about 3 weeks now. A few days ago, I noticed he
wasn't using one of his side fins very often and was somewhat bumping into
objects.
<Does sound odd. As ever, do water tests to check (at minimum) nitrite, pH and
salinity. Puffers are extremely sensitive to declines in water quality, despite
being (on the whole) pretty adaptable as far as water chemistry goes. But being
a brackish water species, acidification would be very troublesome, and this is
something that can happen "of a sudden" if the tank is overstocked/inadequately
maintained.>
All of a sudden yesterday, his tail started floating to the point that it was
vertical, with his head looking straight down in the tank. He wasn't using his
side fins, although he was using his top and bottom fins towards the tail, (but
not actually using his tail to swim.) At one point, he propped his tail against
an object to keep it from floating and just sat there. This continued and when I
woke up last night, he was sucked against the filter and I figured he was dead,
but when I came back with the net, he was swimming around again, but with the
same symptoms.
<Hmm...>
I checked the water and ammonia levels were quite high so I went to the store
and bought ammonia neutralizer.
<Ah, there you go. Now, do understand that "ammonia neutraliser" has no impact
on ammonia produced by the fish. That's the job of your biological filter. If
you've suddenly got a spike in ammonia that wasn't there before, then you have
either done something bad to the filter (e.g., over-cleaned the biological
media) or else overstocked the tank and/or overfed the fish. Ammonia neutraliser
is for removing ammonia from tap water. Nothing more. It makes tap water that
has ammonia safe to use. It cannot be used to reverse ammonia problems caused by
overstocking, overfeeding, under-filtering.>
I cleaned the gravel and changed about 30% of the water and added store-bought
spring water to replace it and cleaned the carbon filter, which was quite dirty.
I added the ammonia neutralizer and also ph minus and also replaced a given
amount of salt...
<Hang on a second... First, under NO circumstances should you be using a "ph
minus" product. Figure-8 puffers are brackish water fish and need a pH around
about 7.5 to 8. The marine salt mix will be buffering the pH level nicely
without any need for additional chemicals. Secondly, what's the "given amount of
salt"? A lot of people mistakenly use aquarium salt or tonic salt with this
species. What you MUST use is marine salt mix (Instant Ocean, Reef Crystals,
etc.) at a dose of at least 6-9 grammes per litre so that you have a specific
gravity not less than 1.003 and ideally around 1.005. You use a hydrometer to
test the specific gravity. Thirdly, carbon isn't really of much use here, and
certainly has NOTHING to do with an ammonia spike. Carbon removes dissolved
organic chemicals from the water, and as you know ammonia isn't an organic
chemical! Carbon (in my opinion) is redundant in a properly run freshwater or
brackish water aquarium, and the space it uses would be better off stocked with
more biological media (sponge, ceramic noodles).>
After the change, he seemed to be doing better within a couple hours.. Using his
side fins more often, not going vertical as much and I hoped all was well.
<He was happier because the water change diluted the ammonia. Nothing more
permanent than that.>
But I just looked up and he was floating vertical at the top, not swimming at
all, and its tail was curved to one side. I touched him with a net and now he's
gone back to swimming, without using his side fins, having a tendency to go
vertical. When he does swim, he slows down and then speeds up.
<Because the ammonia has gone back up again. The ammonia neutraliser is of no
use at all here, and you need to be addressing the actual problem, which is
likely poor choice of filtration, overstocking, and/or overfeeding.>
The 10 gallon freshwater tank (with partial salt) is only about a month old and
went through it's "cycle" a while back, but 2 partial water changes have been
made since then.
<A 10-gallon tank is too small for Tetraodon biocellatus. Even if it wasn't, a
tank one month old will not be cycled properly, and certainly won't be safe for
a species as delicate as a puffer. I have no clue what "partial salt" means, and
I suspect you don't know either: please understand, adding a teaspoon of
aquarium salt isn't what this species needs and won't keep it alive. You need to
be adding a significant amount of MARINE salt mix so that the pH, carbonate
hardness, and salinity are all appropriate. De see here for the basics on
brackish water aquaria:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/bracsystems.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/20qsbrmonks.htm
And also here for more on this species of pufferfish:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brackishsubwebindex/fig8pufsys.htm
>
His tankmates are 3 Danios 1 Cory catfish. It has a gravel bottom and he's been
fed 1 cube of Redworms every day.
<OK, the tankmates are completely inappropriate. As soon as the salinity goes
high enough for the Puffer to be healthy, the other fish die. Move them out.>
If he were dying, I'd think he'd be dead by now so I don't know what it could
be. Help is appreciated.
<I know precisely what's the matter: wrong environment, poor water quality,
insufficient salinity. These are the things you need to fix, or yes, he'll die.>
He has never inflated, "puffed", since I've owned him.
<Not a problem; they don't usually puff unless they're stressed. Anyway, I hope
this helps and you're able to secure a better environment for this fish. Good
luck, Neale.>
F8 Puffer fish, Inappropriate Environment 6/3/08
Dear Crew,
<Hello>
Firstly Great website - I have found this to be a great resource and, at
the risk of perhaps asking a similar question to others previously, I
need to know if my much liked little puffer is on its way out!
<Lets hope not.>
About 10 days ago I put a small (approx 1") F8 puffer into a hex tank of
some 25 litres.
<Way too small of a tank for a messy puffer. Start looking for a tank 5
times as large.>
I happily chewed at the Siamese fighter a bit on the first day and then
spent the next week happily ignoring the rainbow shark and sena catfish
- all of which are not large specimens.
<Way too much and incompatible life in this tank. All except the Betta
need larger tanks, and hopefully you are aware the Figure Eight Puffer
is a brackish fish, while the others are not. However, I am guessing the
puffer will soon make sure it is the only fish in that tank.>
After buzzing around happily devouring frozen bloodworms, he has spent
the last three days almost floating around the tank in all manner of
positions.
He has laid upside down on plantation, floated vertically with face
against gravel, rolled around almost with the flow of the water and
generally looked ... well ... dead.
<Not good.>
Reading your forums I can see that emotional behaviour may well be a
cause and he may just be having an 'off' period.
<I would guess more likely that environmental issues at play here, check
your water quality and start doing lots of water changes. Be aware that
if the puffer dies in the tank it will most likely cause the death of
all the other fish.>
But, as a simpleton with a couple of tanks and trying to make sure that
I don't have to explain to my daughter that the puffer has 'gone', it is
tough to believe that nothing is up and it is just how it is for now.
<Several problems brewing here unfortunately.>
Temperature is around 25-27, nitrates at 0, PH around 7.5 to 8 water
changed twice since he arrived and once a couple of days before. Some
salt added - about a third to half an ounce.
<The puffer does best at 1.005 Specific gravity, which needs to be
measured with a hydrometer, however your other fish would not probably
survive long in these water conditions.>
Some very small snails added as a treat - ignored. I have acquired a
range of frozen shrimp/Cyclops/bloodworm/cockles/muscles in anticipation
and have encouraged my daughter to start small snailerie as an
inexhaustible source of puffer-lunch!
All other fish perfectly happy and perkily doing their own thing paying
no attention to the F8.
<If that puffer dies it will release a powerful toxin that will most
likely poison the whole tank.>
The F8 itself appears healthy in all other respects - not white
blotches, no white clouding, colour slightly dulled but still definite,
white belly looking OK with a slightly protruding bump - certainly not
wasting away. But then I haven't really seen him eat in the last few
days. The only thing left to me I can think of is constipation (Epsom
Salts?) as I am sure that would be debilitating. His small side fins
seem still to be buzzing and you can see his eyes moving around looking.
There seems to be no difference between his performance in the tank with
the light on or off (thinking nocturnal here) although I haven't seen
him in sleeping hours of course.
I have no illusions that he will benefit from a bigger tank in due
course and have that in mind. But first I need him to live that long. My
local aquatic centre has a group of similar F8s living in a tank no
larger and although they are for sale, they have certainly been happy
enough in there for a number of weeks.
<Probably not the same fish in the tank for the whole time, which leads
people to think it is ok. I keep our F8 puffer in a 29G (US) which I
consider the bare minimum for this species of any size. They are very
large and messy fish, and create a lot of waste. A 25L tank is just too
small, especially with tankmates and I think you are seeing the result.
Also these fish do poorly in freshwater, and really need a specialized
brackish tank to do well. Please see here for a start
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav2i6/lonely_puffer/lonely_puffer.htm
.>
Any help/advice/solutions/reassurance would be really welcome.
Many thanks in advance,
Doug Levey
<Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but in this tank, with these
tankmates and water conditions, the puffer does not really have much of
a chance. Best to return it if you can, or begin working on a more
appropriate home.>
<Chris>
|
Figure Eight Puffer Stocking
3-31-08
Hello,
<Hello! Yunachin here.>
I just purchased a 2 inch F8 Puffer and he is a in a 20 long tank with 4 2 inch
mollies and a knight goby.
<Sounds like a little too many fish. I would do one Molly, one knight goby and
Mr. Figure Eight.>
SG is 1.004 for now, Ph is
8.0 filtration is a BioWheel 150 and a Whisper 20. Substrate is aragonite sand
and the tank is planted with Anubias, Val's and Java Fern...as well as a few
other hard water plants that may or may not make the jump to 1.005.
<Raise the gravity slowly, at about 0.001 per week and the plants should be ok.>
The tank as been cycled a long time and all is well but my question is can
another F8 be added at all and if so do I need to lose a fish or two (I have
several other aquariums including a 30 gallon long livebearer tank that the
mollies could easily be added to, these 4 are just my favorites).
<I would move the mollies to ease up on your bio-load.>
I have seen articles saying an F8 per 10 gallons, but I wasn't sure how that
equation added up with other fish in the picture.
<Figure Eights require 15 gallons per puffer. Pufferfish give off massive
bio-loads and adding another one cause more waste in your tank. Also puffers are
not necessarily community fish and can turn on one another unless given ample
space to roam and hide to establish territories and block lines of site.>
Do the "regular" stocking rules apply when you have puffers with other fish
other than how many Puffers you can successfully have in the same tank? Sorry if
these are dumb questions but I really want to do right by the puffer and my
other fish before there is a problem.
<Not dumb questions at all. Like I said, keep in mind the fact that puffers put
off more waste than regular fish and they are messy eaters. If you wanted to get
another one, I would go for a 30 gallon, heavily planted with plenty of places
to hide and explore. Good Luck with your Figure Eight, they are little dolls.
–Yunachin>
Thank you.
<You’re welcome.>
K
Re:
Figure Eight Stocking
3-31-08
Hello again,
<Indeed. ^-^>
In regards to the Mollies, is it because of their potential size, their amount
of waste or that puffers generally like less tank mates
even if I were to increase my filtration?
<To be straight with you, Puffers are generally not community fish. They like to
"taste" other fish and can do some considerable damage to tank mates. The issue
we have right now with the mollies, is their size compared to the size of the
tank. Too many fish can cause stress to a Puffer, even if you have over
filtration.>
Would a couple of glassfish be ok if the Mollies were decreased? I am pretty
religious about my water changes of 25% weekly but have also read that 50%
weekly is closer to the needed with puffers, would 2 gallons a day suffice?
<IMO, I think the F8 and the goby will be fine. As for the water changes, I
would go with about 30% percent weekly. No need for doing water changes
everyday.>
One last thing, what is the temperature range that is best for F8's I currently
have my tank at 82F.
<I would drop it down to 80 degrees. That should do just fine. Good Luck.
---Yunachin>
|
Re: Converting water, BR, Figure 8
Puffers... 8/16/07
Thank you so much for your prompt response, I'm impressed. I have another
question, when I bought the puffer fish the tank they were in was a
freshwater tank. I think I should convert the water to Brackish. I don't
know how I can do that without stressing my puffers. Should I just start
adding salt little by little and monitoring the specific gravity or
something? Thank you very much!
K.B.D.
<For figure-8 puffers there's no rush to change the salinity, so think more
about the filter bacteria rather than the fish. Start by doing water changes
that raise the salinity to SG 1.002, and let the thing settle at that level
for a few weeks. Check the ammonia/nitrate level(s) are safe. If they are,
then raise the salinity to SG 1.004. Figure-8 puffers aren't really fussy
about the salinity, any anything between 1.003 to 1.010 is tolerable, though
1.004-1.006 is probably the ideal. What matters more is that pH and hardness
are nice and high, and that the nitrate levels are very low. So choose a
salinity level that isn't a financial burden. There's no point choosing a
high salinity if that only means you "economise" on water changes. Your
puffers would sooner have clean water at SG 1.003 than dirty water at SG
1.008. Incidentally, there's no harm to varying the salinity every couple of
months; in fact, it's probably quite a good idea. No brackish water fish
naturally experiences a constant salinity, and the species that breed in
captivity (not puffers, sadly) mostly seem to do so when there are salinity
changes. Plants generally don't like brackish water conditions, though a few
do, so if you're using live plants, research this issue first. Java ferns
and Java moss are two of the most reliable species in this regard. Finally,
do not use "tonic salt" or "aquarium salt" -- what you want is marine salt
mix of the kind used in reef tanks. If you happen to have a marine aquarium,
"old" water from a reef tank can be diluted with freshwater and used in a
brackish water tank perfectly safely, provided the nitrate levels are nice
and low. Cheers, Neale>
Figure 8 puffer in a marine tank? 5/19/07
Have had two F8, in a brackish tank for about three years now. Have
always kept them lower end brackish with little to no issues. Happy,
healthy, and maybe a little chubby.
Anyway my question, I have recently began getting into SW tanks. A LFS has
adult F8's in FULL salt water?! This has got me thinking about F8s in a reef
tank. F8's are very hard if not impossible to breed in captivity, what if
they need SW?
<Possible, but improbable, since there are no reports at all of F8s from
marine environments. Many yet unknown factors may be important to induce
spawning.>
Majority of experienced keepers say BW only, no ifs, ands or buts for long
term care. Breanna.
<It may be possible to keep them in a marine tank, but the F8 puffer is one
of he few euryhaline puffers for which long term experience from many
keepers exists (see
http://www.thepufferforum.com for discussions). It can be called a
euryhaline fish, but it is not known exactly, which salinities can be
tolerated for how long, if there are long term damages, and, which other
factors (e.g. nitrates) might be important. Lower end brackish water seems
to be best so far. You have them successfully for three years, I’d carry on.
If you try putting them in marine water, be sure to move them back, if any
signs of diseases or strange behaviour occur. Cheers, Marco.>
How Many Puffers can a Pickled Person Pick? 1/6/05
Hi Guys,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I was just wandering how many figure 8 puffers one can keep in a std 3 ft (about
90L) aquarium. Great Site.
<Well, since I'm in the US, I've converted that to about 23 gallons. You can
keep 2 figure 8s in there. Here's a great article on them: http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/puffer/f8puffer.html ~PP>
Howard Snoyman
Care & Feeding of Figure 8 Puffers 2/19/06
Hi,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I'm looking into getting figure eights but I want to make sure everything is
right, like what kind of salt and to make sure I have set up my tank right. I
have asked around at the LFS and they tell me to use aquarium salt, But other
people say to use marine. The LFS said I should have about 1 teaspoon to every 5
gallon is this right?
<You must use marine salt & measure with a hydrometer. After some
experimentation, I have calculated I use around a cup of salt/5gal to make a SG
(specific gravity) of 1.005 (rough estimate). That is where they seem to be
most comfortable & live longest.>
I have been looking info up on the F8s all night and just want to know how to
start and maintain a brackish water tank. Thank you for your help. Love the
site.
<Check out this article on F8s:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/puffer/f8puffer.html. Check out the
puffer site that article is in too! There is great info on the special food
they need to eat to keep their teeth trimmed & plenty of folks to talk to about
your puffer, before & after you purchase it. ~PP>
Those Tetraodon corr.s
Jen/PP, have made most of the suggested changes you sent along ayer, but am
finding a conflict with T. biocellatus. Fishbase. org lists it as a FW species:
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=25175&genusname=Tetraodon&speciesname=biocellatus
Can you find me a ref. to otherwise?
Thank you,
Bob
Those Tetraodon corr.s
Hi Bob, I thought there might be a conflict w/that one. I have a friend
Robert T. Ricketts (perhaps you know him?) who has been keeping puffers for over
40 years. Almost everything I know about puffers I owe to him. Here is his
article about F8s: FIGURE 8
Comments by RTR on the subject:
Fishbase always cites their references. For the F8 and the GSP, the ecological
info is from Rainboth, W.J. 1996. But I have not looked up the original
citation. Fishbase is a compilation of data from any or all that site being the
population center for that particular fish, or a stray from other habitats, or a
fringe population with marginal survival prospects. The distribution and
ecology of these fish has not been studied widely as they have no economic
importance. Reports include them mostly as found here and there, but they are
rarely key species in studies.
Those indigenous groups using tropical fish collection as an income supplement
are not literate populations. Collections tend to be seasonal (water and
weather conditions permitting) and time-available from other activities. The
collected specimens are pooled and later transported to a "wholesaler" or agent
who arranges transport and handling to a population center or abroad. The paper
trail, if any, is not detailed or particularly accurate. By the time the
creature passes through an importer in the States or elsewhere, the a regional
wholesale distributor, then the LFS, it is highly unlikely to have traceability
back to even the country of origin, much less finer-grained data.
Without some non-trivial economic importance, fieldwork is too expensive to be
supported. What little information we have that is really useful tends to come
from talented individuals, such as Dr. Ebert on puffers, who happens to have a
personal affinity for a group or family of fish, and has made enough side notes
and generated enough personal experience to compile some publication for
hobbyists after years of field work on other topics.
Several individuals have done similar works on Rift Lake fish, Rainbowfish,
etc. Those reports are our only real and valuable ecological source data."
Robert
And again on the same subject:
My personal experience with these fish is that they do best in light brackish
water (~1.005) over aragonite substrates (to support the high pH), with no
exposure to unoxidized metabolites, and minimal exposure to nitrate
(<20ppm). Under such conditions I expect them to live 15-20 years. In FW
conditions I have never had one survive more than a few years, and they have
been subject to chronic or repeated cornea and skin problems. YMMV, but I would
never put one of these fish under my care into FW.
When Dr. Ebert's book came out, one of the things that delighted me most about
it was that this fish, along with the GSP, were both noted as doing far better
in brackish conditions. Both of those observations matched my own.
I have no way of knowing whether or not the fish we see in the trade are
collected from the inland areas reported on fishbase, or from coastal,
estuarine, or mangrove areas and potentially represent different
populations. My personal experience does not at all agree with the fishbase
report. But then they list the fish as being an algae and plant eater as well
(from stomach contents). Obviously they have missed the experience of seeing
these fish feed in captivity - algae or plant material is ingested routinely,
along with the mollusk or small crustacean feeding on it. So there they are not
incorrect as much as they misunderstand and misinterpret, or simply have never
observed either in the wild or captivity, the dynamics of feeding for the fish."
Robert
I completely agree w/RTR. I have read over & over, circumstances where a
person's F8 was failing, only to be put into BW & start to thrive.
I also wanted to remind you that the green spotted puffer (t nigroviridis) is a
high-end BW puffer that prefers SW as an adult. There is also a t nigroviridis
shown in the disease portion said to be a FW fluviatilis.
It might also be a good idea to mention in that section, the high probability of
puffers coming in w/internal parasites. I Usually wind up treating most of them
w/Discomed.
Jeni
<Jen/PP & Robert, I will amend our brief information on this species to include
this note, and post all for others edification. Thank you, Bob Fenner>
F8 Tank-10/27/03
Jeni,
<Hi Ryan>
I want to do a tank centered on a Figure 8 puffer.
<One of the prettiest puffers in my book!>
Tell me what your model Figure 8 tank would be like. Size, substrate, tankmates
if any, plants....as if you were starting from scratch.
<Funny you asked. I just had a 29g tank open up & have been wanting F8s for a
while. I have 3 F8s, 2 pairs of knight gobies & 6 bumblebee gobies. They all
get along great. I use crushed coral for substrate & keep the S.G. at
1.008-10. I have it decorated w/lots of places to investigate & a tall mangrove
root (fake) in the middle. I don't use live plants in BW tanks. They are
usually decorated like SW tanks, w/fake corals, etc. You can see my F8 tank (&
all the rest of them) here:
http://wetwebfotos.com/Home?actionRequest=userview&userID=1918>
On a side note, I think this would be a fun feature for WWM. Have the expert
post there model tank idea for different biotypes.
<Cool idea!>
Thanks,
Ryan
<You're welcome, Jeni (Pufferpunk)>
Puffer Tank Set Up Questions
Jeni,
<Sorry, Jeni's moving...Ananda here today...but I'll keep this around so she can
answer it when she gets back.>
I want to do a tank centered on a Figure 8 puffer. Tell me what your model
Figure 8 tank would be like. Size, substrate, tankmates if any, plants....as if
you were starting from scratch.
<Hmmm. Probably a 75 or 90 gallon tank, for five Figure 8s. I would set up a
modular, Habitrail-like system for them to explore and swim through, along with
assorted rocky nooks and crannies for them to hide in (no sharp stuff in the
tank). I'd want to be able to rearrange stuff pretty easily. Breaking up the
sight lines is a key feature of this tank: the puffs should be able to swim into
places where none of them can see any of the others. The substrate in the main
tank is sand. Filtration is pretty heavy-duty: a wet/dry filter, which feeds
into a refugium full of Vallisneria for nitrate reduction. The refugium is also
the snail farm, with lots of pond snails for the puffers. The substrate in the
refugium is Fluorite. The refugium is lit on a reverse light cycle with T5
lighting and good reflectors. I'd ask the people on the WetWeb chat forums for
suggestions on pumps & stuff. I'd put SCWDs on the returns so the puffs can play
in the outflow, and probably include a couple of powerheads, too, with the
intake guards securely fastened on the powerheads.>
On a side note, I think this would be a fun feature for WWM. Have the expert
post there model tank idea for different biotypes.
<That does sound like a cool idea. I'll pass it on and see what happens....>
Thanks,
Ryan
<You're welcome! --Ananda>
High dKH & dKH: effectively brackish?
Hello there from Chicagoland,
<And hello back from Chicagoland! Ananda here tonight, out in the burbs...>
I have a 30l freshwater tank containing a knight goby, an emerald Cory, and a
Kuhli loach. My water is as follows.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: very near 0
pH: 8.2
dGH: 26 deg.
dKH: 12 deg.
<Just for comparison, in the western burbs, I'm at pH 7.8, dGH 8, dKH 12. You're
going to want to check your phosphates, too. Mine are 0.8 out of the tap
according to the SeaTest kit.>
I know it depends on what kind of fish you keep, but isn't this pH level
generally a bit high?
<Your goby will be fine in that. I have two knight gobies right now, both
female, and I've had a pair that bred in these conditions. If you got the other
fish locally, they should be fine, too.>
What about the hardness, it seems like I'm keeping a brackish tank.
<Close to it! That's why your knight goby is doing well. In acidic, soft water,
these fish die. In hard, alkaline water, they do okay, even without salt.>
My fish seem healthy, but I'm looking to get the tank as comfy as possible for
them. Also, is it possible to keep figure 8, or spotted puffers in freshwater?
My LFS who sells them says it's fine, but they are a brackish fish.. right?
<Yup. Figure 8 puffers prefer lowish brackish levels, while spotted puffs prefer
somewhat higher brackish levels. I'm concerned that Kuhli loach would look too
much like lunch to a worm-loving puffer!>
I really don't want to go brackish because of the limited selection of fish
compatible.
<That's actually the main reason I went brackish... I was so totally confused by
the selection of fish! The "limited palette" of brackish fish isn't as small as
you might think. It includes most rainbowfish and livebearers, for example.>
I really love puffers, and I know they wouldn't get along with my current
community, but I'm looking down the road a bit. Any help would be excellent.
<Check out the WetWebMedia chat forums:
http://wetwebfotos.com/talk.
We've got more Chicago-area fish keepers and a thread or two about local fish
stores on the boards.>
Thanks for a great site. You make no money from us, yet you give us the absolute
best advice. Our LFS makes tons of cash from its' customers, but will tell you
anything to make the sale... Thank God for you guys. Dave A.
<Thanks so much for the kind words! They are very much appreciated. --Ananda>
Specific Gravity for a Figure 8 Puffer 4/5/05
Hi,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I just found a LFS in the middle of know where that has figure 8 puffers!!!
<Lucky you!>
The thing is that they are in freshwater. I know that you need to make it .002
per week so you don't kill off the beneficial bacteria but do you possible know
how much salt (tsp/tbs?) I need to add for a 20G to raise it .002 per week?
<For a rough estimate: it takes around a cup of marine salt to raise the SG
.002. You'll have to do some math, when you replace the salt from a water change
& raise it another .002, a week later. You still need to check with a hydrometer
to be sure. There are several threads on that in this forum:
http://puffer.proboards2.com/index.cgi ~PP>
Figure 8 Puffers--A Brackish Water Puffer 9/12/04
Dear Crew
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
Over the past eight months, we had fish as pets, learning new stuff, and one day
we finally found puffer fishes and we ended up setting up a new tank for
them. So far so good, but we have three of them and one I guess, is trying to
setup dominance over the others, so I called Petco, where I got them and they
suggested feeding them everyday so they will stop nipping each other, but it
seems like the dominant one always nip the others after feeding... :( I do not
want them to keep getting stressed and die, so please help!
<1st of all read this wonderful article on F8s:
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/8puffer.shtml
This should answer all your questions on the care & feeding of these great
pets. I am concerned that you said you set-up a new tank for your fish. Did
you cycle it 1st? How large is the tank? F8 puffers require at least
10g/puffer. Puffers personality vary from fish to fish. Some may be very
mild-mannered, while others may be killers. If you have a killer, it must be
kept singly, or it will kill their tank mates. You just never know with
puffers... ~PP>
How Many Figure 8 Puffers in a Tank? 11/29/04
<Pufferpunk again>
Thank you so much for your help - I wish I would have found you before I bought
the 2 species -- that goes to show LFS are only out to make a buck ..
so can I keep 2 F8 puffers together? and how big of a tank is needed to keep
them happy?
<1 F8/10g is the rule. It always pays to research a fish you are interested in,
before buying it. ~PP>
Figure 8 to Marine? 3/29/04
Hello,
<Hi Dave, Pufferpunk here>
I was wondering if I could acclimate a figure 8 to marine over the course of
about a year. I currently have 3 F8's and 3 Green Spotteds, a shark cat and two
mono argenteus in a 46 gal (to be moved to a 92 when they need it). They are all
tiny right now, so I haven't brought up the gravity yet, but as they grew I
wanted to bring it up to full strength marine so I can use live rock and add a
few Saltwater fish, but I wanted to know how the figure 8's would react. I know
the other fish are very tolerant and preferential of the higher salt as adults.
I always read conflicting information about the figure 8's, and I read your site
that says they prefer light brackish, but then I hear some people acclimate them
to saltwater. Do you know of anyone who has done this?
<Although I have heard of F8s doing fine for short term in SW, I'm not too sure
about long term. I do know that a friend & puffer mentor, Robert T. Ricketts,
has kept them successfully for 18+ years in light BW (1.005-8). No one has ever
documented keeping them long term in SW, so I just can't tell you how they'd
fare. Here is the article RTR wrote on them:
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/8puffer.shtml
. Since F8s are only mildly aggressive, & grow to 3", while GSPs are extremely
aggressive & grow to 6", I really don't recommend keeping them together as
adults. Also, your tank won't be large enough for the Mono's, as they are
schooling fish & would require around a 300g tank for a school of 1' fish.>
If it is possible, I prefer to do this as there are a few marine fish (wrasses
mostly) I would like to add with them, and I want nitrate control without
needing to use mangroves. Thanks, Oh BTW, my gravity is at ~1.014 right now and
everyone seems very happy, very active, and very bright and healthy.
Dave Mencel
<I am having great success keeping my GSPs in SW. Maybe you could keep some
notes, if you do decide to go ahead with keeping your F8s in SW. ~PP>
What Specific Gravity for a Figure 8 Puffer? 3/29/04
Figure 8 Puffer, what SG should I take the water to, and how big will it
get? The SG should be less than
for my GSP tank, right?
<Yes, F8s seem to do best at a SG of around 1.005-8. I have brought mine up as
high as 12, but usually I like to fluctuate it up & down a few points every
weekly water change. Here's a great article on them:
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/8puffer.shtml ~PP>
Figure 8 Puffer Problems 2/29/04
<Pufferpunk here again>
Hello... The last water change I did was about 50%. I usually only do a 1/4 or
so change, but I vacuumed a lot this time so it was more. I only have my Test
strips here right now for testing the water. It comes back with these readings :
pH - slightly acidic
<What pH exactly? Puffers prefer a pH of around 8.0. Aragonite or crushed
coral substrates are used to help maintain a stable alkaline pH of around 8.>
KH - moderate
GH - very hard ( try to use filtered water for the tanks, but live in FL)
Nitrite - 1.0 or so
<Should be 0 at all times!>
Nitrate - very high, at least 200
<OMG!!! Nitrates should be under 20! You must be over feeding your
fish. Continue doing 50% water changes/gravel cleaning daily until both of
those (including ammonia at 0), are what is livable to a fish. All your levels
are toxic! How much are you feeding your fish? Do they eat all the food within
5 minutes? How often are you doing water changes? 50% weekly is necessary for
puffers. This is definitely the problem with your fish. Do you have salt in
there? How much? You might want to buy some extra, because you are going to
need to be replacing a lot over the next few days of water changes.>
The tank has been set up since October and has had fish in it since then with
little problems. What should I do now?
thanks again
JJ
<Water changes, water changes, water changes!!! ~PP>
Tap Water for Puffers? 3/1/04
The large puffers I feed every other day or so, as I read. The little guy
eats once a day. They tend to sneak some of the food for the other fish but not
much. After 5 minutes I clean out what I can with a net.
<Try feeding less amounts, so none is left over. Pieces can still float into
plants & between decor.>
Ill do the water changes and keep you posted. Do you have any advice for an
easier way to filter our tap water? I've been using a regular tap filter, but it
takes ages for the water to go through.
<I fill my tanks directly from the tap (no filter). I add drops of Dechlor
directly to the tank before filling with 80 degree water. ~PP>
F8s in SW? 2/03/04
<Hi, Pufferpunk here, remember me? I get all these Qs now.>
Hi Crew. I've got a couple of vivacious F8's (Tetraodon biocellatus) in a 65
gallon brackish tank. SG is 1.010 and slowly increasing. Browsing around I saw
the conventional wisdom here is that F8's do best in lower brackish
(1.005). What sort of experience is this based on?
<As you know, I'm all over the web. I have never seen anyone post that an F8
kept in SW has died because of it. I am not sure of the life expectancy in SW
either. I know you wanted more factual info, but I don't think you are going to
find it. Just practical experience. Mine are doing great at 1.008-10. My
friend RTR, recommends keeping them in low-end BW & has kept his alive for 18+
years that way.>
Have you experienced/heard of mortality or health problems in higher
brackish/marine?
<The biggest problem I see is keeping them with more aggressive SW fish. F8s
are only mildly aggressive. Folks are always asking me about putting them (&
green spotted puffers) in with their porcupine puffer. Bad idea, since the Porc
will grow 12+".>
Any studies on this? I ask because Dr. Klaus Ebert writes in his book, "The
puffers of fresh and brackish waters," that F8's have "proved hardy and
resilient in brackish and marine aquaria." I just wanted to hear how you feel
about that statement. I want to convert to full marine over time. Will the
F8's thrive in SW or merely tolerate it?
<I always listen to Dr Ebert & RTR. Confusing & conflicting info, I know. Why
don't you conduct a study yourself?>
Thanks -- y'all are awesome as always. Nick (aka sixtyfivegallon)
<Awwwww, shucks! You're alright yourself! ~PP>
P.S. If you want any help on putting together a brackish book, my editorial
services are available. I wouldn't be able to contribute much if any content
(leave that to the experts), but I pride myself on a keen and experienced
editorial eye and would love to help with such a project.
<Thanks for the offer, I'll pass it on!>
Puffers
Hi, I have 5 Green Spotted Puffers, 2 1/2" long.
and 1 Figure 8 Puffer, 3/4"
How long do these kinds of Puffer live?
<Years if/when kept under properly maintained conditions>
and how big can they get?
<Please see the coverage on WWM: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwpuffers.htm and
the FAQs files beyond>
I have them in a 77gal.
I also read that they should be in 6.5 -7.0 Ph. water, Is that right?
<Mmm, no... should be higher... see the brackish set-up, maintenance sections on
WWM>
I have kept mine in Brackish water at 81*F Ph: 8.0 for 2 years and they're doing
great.
Please e-mail me back, Thanks.
<Be chatting. Bob Fenner>
Setting up a brackish tank for a figure-8 puffer
I have bought a 45 gallon tank for my figure-8 puffer. I am trying to set
it up before moving him in. I have heard that sand bottom and plants would make
this kind of fish happy. What kind of sand should I use?
<Please see the WWM Brackish subweb. Index here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/BrackishSubWebIndex.htm>
What kind of plants should I use considering the brackish conditions (I don't
think I can grow mangroves because my tank has a lid)?
<Correct... unless the tank is very tall>
I bought java fern, wisteria and hornwort. The hornwort is not doing well
probably because it hasn't had enough light, but I'm concerned that if I add
too much light, the java fern won't do well.
<Plant the former above the latter>
Should I just get rid of the hornwort? I am reluctant to do this because I read
that this plant prevents algae. Paul
<Bob Fenner>
Figure 8 puffer
Hello, I have a figure 8 puffer and had him in my African C. tank. He and my
green spotted pufferfish did well in that tank for close to 6 months. They have
gotten beat up quite a bit recently so I took them out. the Green spotted puffer
I threw (adjusted the salinity for him in about 30 min before dumping him) into
my salt water tank and he is doing great.
<Yikes... this is a quick (and dangerous) transition... likely damaging to your
puffer internally... these changes need to be made over a period of a few weeks
to months>
I then weeks later tried the same thing to my figure 8 and he has not fared as
well. His eyes got extremely cloudy and his color faded. He was only in the
saltwater for a night. I then saw my poor fish in the morning and put him in my
molly (brackish) breeding tank to recover.
<Good move... you likely saved its life>
I added some Melafix to the tank and his eyes are clearing up slightly. What
should I do to further his recovery? I also thought the figure 8 could go to
full saltwater.
<Please read over the brackish water articles posted here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/BrackishSubWebIndex.htm
The Figure Eight, Tetraodon biocellatus is actually a freshwater to brackish
fish... not marine. Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
Chad
Figure eight puffers
HELP!
I recently got 3 figure eight puffers and was told to add half a bag of Sea Salt
(1 bag does a ten gallon tank, and I have them in a 5 gallon for now) for
brackish water. After careful measuring, half a bag equaled two cups of sea
salt.
<I do hope you didn't add all this... unless the fish you bought were in the
same specific gravity water...>
From all the reading I have done in the past few days (the more information, the
more confused I get), it seems this guy at the aquarium store was on crack!
THAT'S A LOAD OF SALT for a small tank that's supposed to be brackish, not
MARINE ! How do I fix this (even though my little guys seem fine for now, they
are eating fine, maybe just not as active as they could/should be?).
<I wouldn't change anything at this point. A good practice, especially when
dealing with such small volumes is to pre-mix any/all new water... like for
water changes... and use a hydrometer to match the spg...>
I'm afraid to come home and find them belly up! One week and I'm already
attached to Gholum, MeGosh and Abigor!
<Hopefully the beneficial microbes necessary for filtration made the rapid ionic
and osmotic transition. Bob Fenner>
Sincerely, Jennifer Dixon
2 Gallon Tank for Puffers? 9/10/05
Hello,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
My mother was always very, very big into saltwater and brackish tanks. She
always had amazing tanks with seahorses and puffers and such. Unfortunately,
she isn't here to help me, now that I would like to start my own. I only have a
small 2 gallon tank, previously with frogs and cichlids, but for now I only want
to make it brackish to hold a figure 8 puffer or two. I have a few questions
for you though. Is it possible to have a small brackish tank?
<The only fish that you could possible keep in a 2g tank is a Betta. Nothing
else would be comfortable in there. Even a Betta would prefer something
larger. F8 puffers need at least 10g/fish.>
Do I need to have a filter and thermometer with it?
<Yes, puffers are messy eaters & produce a lot of waste. They need heavy
filtration. In addition, they are tropical fish & do need temperatures around
78-80 degrees.>
Also, can damsels also live in brackish water? Please let me know...thanks!
<Damselfish need a specific gravity of at least 1.018. F8 puffers are best kept
at 1.005. There's lots more info on puffers at: www.thepufferforum.org. Check
it out! ~PP>
-Jillian
Brackish/ F-8 Puffers 10/4/05
Puffers were mislabeled at my LFS, and I ended up getting a juvenile figure
8. Would he be happy in a hexagon-shaped five gallon? <For its entire Life? No
not at all.> I heard they do okay
in a tall five gal., but all your forums said otherwise. <Yes this puffer
reaches a length of 3” and they like room to roam, a 30-gallon tank is suggested
for an adult.> Hope you can help. <Also please read the WWM FAQ’s for care as
far as environment (what salinity it should be kept at and how you should adjust
him/her to a new salinity) and diet is also very important as well. In the
future complete your research before purchase of livestock and not after.>
Thanks:)
<No trouble, Adam J.>
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