New Steup

[fig8puffer]

Hello,

Newbie to the aquarium world!

I am trying to purchase 3 figure 8 puffers for my new 40 gallon tank.
I did have a few questions to make sure I go the right route.

Will having 2 HOB filters on each side of the tank benefit the tank at all? The filters are rated for 60 gallons each making it 120 gallons of filteration for the 45 gallon tank.

I purchased a bulk order of filter floss. Which compartment do you guys normally place the floss into?

How long will you reccomend leaving the lights on for these puffers?


Thanks

 

[BigJim]

Before you go adding fish, make sure your tank is cycled. There's a lot of information on the subject here at AA. Puffers are a little delicate, so you don't want to rush things.

I'm pretty sure Figure 8 puffers are brackish fish. Not really a problem, but make sure you know what you're in for.

I don't think 40g is big enough for 3 puffers. They look all cute, but they have bad attitudes and like to nip. You might get away with three if the tank has a lot of cover.

Overfiltering a tank doesn't hurt, as long as the fish can handle the flow. What kind of HOBs are you planning to use? I'd recommend one Aquaclear 70 for the tank. Two HOBs rated for 60g each is really overkill for a 40g with only a few fish in it.

Filter floss generally goes near the exit of the filter if you're using it for water polishing. If it's your primary mechanical filtration medium, make the water flow through the floss first. I'd recommend using a coarser medium like sponge for your primary mechanical filtration first.

Leave the lights on for 8-12 hours. A cheap timer is a good option.

 

[fig8puffer]

Before you go adding fish, make sure your tank is cycled. There's a lot of information on the subject here at AA. Puffers are a little delicate, so you don't want to rush things.

I'm pretty sure Figure 8 puffers are brackish fish. Not really a problem, but make sure you know what you're in for.

I don't think 40g is big enough for 3 puffers. They look all cute, but they have bad attitudes and like to nip. You might get away with three if the tank has a lot of cover.

Overfiltering a tank doesn't hurt, as long as the fish can handle the flow. What kind of HOBs are you planning to use? I'd recommend one Aquaclear 70 for the tank. Two HOBs rated for 60g each is really overkill for a 40g with only a few fish in it.

Filter floss generally goes near the exit of the filter if you're using it for water polishing. If it's your primary mechanical filtration medium, make the water flow through the floss first. I'd recommend using a coarser medium like sponge for your primary mechanical filtration first.

Leave the lights on for 8-12 hours. A cheap timer is a good option.

I am currently cycling the tank with ammonia and bacteria. I am also aware that they are brackish.

So just 1 AC 70 would be enough for the messy eaters?

 

[BigJim]

It sounds like you've got a good start. I think the AC 70 would be enough to deal with the waste. I have an AC 30 on a 20L and it was converting 8+ ppm of ammonia daily when I was cycling.

You're still going to have to manually vacuum out leftovers regardless of how much filtration you have. Worst case, you can always add a second filter if one isn't enough. As long as you're not using sand for substrate, you might want to look at Marineland HOBs. I think Marineland underrates what their filters capable of handling, but I've had some durability issues that I haven't had with AquaClear.