# Figure 8 puffers



## Vman (Jan 20, 2011)

I'm starting a puffer tank. What is the formula for a brackish 20 gallon tank. I want to know how much and what salt are people using.


----------



## -DC- (Apr 21, 2010)

you'll need a refractometer any pet shop should carry a cheap one then shoot for roughly 1.005-1.008 although in my experience they are happy between a much wider range the latter is ideal.

Just follow the instructions on the salt too hit appropriate level. Make sure your using marine salt like they do for a salt water tank, NOT the aquarium salt that is used for a freshwater one. 


BTW great choice of fish they were one of my favorites back when i kept brackish tanks, Very personable.

Just a bit of advice provide lots of decor make it interesting for them too explore, I even recommend adding/removing pieces or moving things around every couple weeks. They get bored quickly in a tank, become lethargic and hide all the time if their is nothing new or interesting too stimulate them. 

Tankmates help as well mollies are a good tank mate for a tank that size, although they may pic on brightly colored ones the black ones get left alone my lyre taileds were breeding the tank with them. I suggest cycling the tank with mollies first , in my experience puffers are tough and very hardy in a cycled tank, however they don't handle the initial cycle process well at all though. can use food too stimulate them as well (also entertaining for you) i used mussels often, give them a wack just enough too put a crack in the shell and drop them into the tank hole, keeps the puffers busy all day picking and prying too get it open for the feast inside, probably very good for their beaks as well!


----------



## Vman (Jan 20, 2011)

Thank you very much again.I thought you might have something to recommend. What have you not kept?we just took apart our planted tank so not too many plants left,but we kept the media in the filter and also took some out of my canister and added to the filter. This should be enough bb. We were thinking of adding mollies. Also read that we can introduce night gobies violet gobies and bumble bee gobies.Are the violet gobies a Bichir family?


----------



## -DC- (Apr 21, 2010)

so sounds like your tanks already running ? I wouldn't add puffer right away. the change in salinity will cause a drastic die off in any bacterial cultures, I'm sure seeding from fresh water will help but i suggest you test frequently for the first little while and keep stocking fairly low too avoid a crash! I might be wrong i've never tried to seed a brackish tank with FW mulm, let me know how it turns out!

If i were you i'd start your salt levels low 1.002 ish let the tank run for a week seeded with old mulm then maybe 1.003, next week and so on until 1.008. keep the temps high and crank the bubbler, this will encourage bacterial growth and the slow climb can line up with weekly water changes. Shouldn't effect the puffers since they come from an environment that experiences natural swing in salinity due too tides/rain.

and lol, their are lot's of things i haven't kept (yet) But it seems we have similar tastes. 

When you start looking at tankmates Violet gobies will work, not related too bichirs (they are in the goby family lol) but eel like in appearance they do hide allot sorta sit around under a log and arnt always as colorful as you see in pic's/

Bumble bees gobies might be fine they however they are a tiny species with bright stripes puffers will likely prey on them over time.

I suggest Knight gobies if you like them, have you seen these ? very entertaining roughly same size and get along fine with F8's although the puffers might occasionally nip dorsal fin of dom male gobies it grows back quickly . They also are entertaining too watch as much so as the puffers, they form territories and patrol them from other gobies so for the full effect get 3-5 of them


----------



## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

Good luck with the new set up - if it looks anywhere as good as your cichlid set up you'll have a success on your hands


----------



## Vman (Jan 20, 2011)

Thanks Storm.I'll invite you once it's occupied. Just adding mollies today.


----------



## -DC- (Apr 21, 2010)

How is it working ? I'm very curious too know how effective seeding from fresh too brackish is in case i switch some tanks back to brackish in the future!


----------



## taureandragon76 (Apr 21, 2010)

When I first setup my brackish tank it was freshwater, it is very doable you just have to raise the sg very slowly and the bacteria will not die off. I have a complete brackish setup with all the equipment you need, two F8's, 4 orange chromides, 3 mollies, and 1 dragon/violet goby, the tank is a 60g corner setup. The F8's are very healthy and have had them for about 5 years now I believe. If this setup interests you shoot me a message.

Everything DC has told you is right on the money, the only other thing I would suggest is to also get a snail breeding tank going as the best thing to feed the puffers is snails, there is a guy out there that is pretty big in the puffer world, RTR is his name and he fed his a strict diet of ramshorn snails and they lived to be 18 yrs old.

Here is a link to my ad for my setup.
http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/fres...grabs-including-homer-willing-part-now-18763/


----------



## taureandragon76 (Apr 21, 2010)

Also if you buy a F8 from a lfs make sure to acclimatize it properly and slowly, drip method is what I found the best. Reason I say this is most stores do not keep them in brackish water at all. Also make sure it is indeed a F8, alot of places mislabel them as GSP's and vice versa


----------

