Picking up f8 puffer today hopefully

[Homer8]

I finally found a place that has them but its an hour and a half away. I was asking the store owner what condition the puffs were in and he said they looked nice. i guess i will take his word for it until i get down there. I also asked him what the specific gravity they were in and he said that they were freshwater fish not brackish. I was always under the impression that they were brackish and then i did research and it seems to be a big debate but what i am getting from it is that everyone who thinks they are brackish think that everyone who thinks that they are freshwater are idiots. I am going to make mine brackish and right now my setup is 1.006-1.008 SG. I figure it will take about a day or two to acclimate him through drip acclimation.

here is the tank

 

[LyndaB]

If you've never purchased from them before, google their name and it should come up with reviews. Another good "test" is to tell them how far your commute is and ask the best way to transport the fish. If they go "duh, idk", do NOT buy from them.

 

[Homer8]

ok i am no longer going to get the puffer. i am going to research getting one online. im going to spend atleast 40 on gas and i would have to drive 3-4 hours and if it dies on the way home that would really suck or i could spend 45 for the puffer and shipping and have a dead on arrival guarantee. if anyone has ever done this or knows a good website please let me know.

 

[tmdavies]

sorry its off topic but how did you make that shelf in your tank and how do you stop the sand falling off the shelf?

 

[1 LARA]

ok i am no longer going to get the puffer. i am going to research getting one online. im going to spend atleast 40 on gas and i would have to drive 3-4 hours and if it dies on the way home that would really suck or i could spend 45 for the puffer and shipping and have a ALIVE on arrival guarantee. if anyone has ever done this or knows a good website please let me know.

You dont want dead on arrival

 

[1 LARA]

I am considering getting some corry cats overnighted

 

[Terrance]

Very few fish stores will know how to take care of a F8. I expect most of them to know very little about FW/BW puffers because they are just workers with very low pay and FW/BW puffers are real oddities.

I would go to any fish store, look at the puffer section, and then pick out a healthy looking puffer that I want. Its really easy to tell if a fish is doing well or not. I'll be nursing the puffer back to health anyways by providing ample swimming space and proper food. I would also ask a few questions just to get a few hints about how it has been doing (ie how long its been in the tank and what has it been eating). Workers won't tell me if the puffer is in bad shape anyways, so it takes some detective work.

The worker's knowledge about puffers is the least of my concern. As long as it has been:
1. fed (don't get any thin bellies)
2. No overgrown teeth
3. Decent activity level or good vibrant coloring.
Then I'll gladly take one of F8 home with me. Not all F8 have beautiful patterns, so its good to pick one that I like.

I feel like online fishes should only be bought if you live more than 100 miles away from a fish store or if you're trying to buy a rare fish.

 

[Homer8]

sorry its off topic but how did you make that shelf in your tank and how do you stop the sand falling off the shelf?

I love talking about my tank so i dont care if its off topic. i cut 4 pieces of pvc pipe and painted them with black spray paint. the shelf itself is made of plexiglass and the way i made the sand not fall off is this stuff i found from the beer distributor i work at, that i think was for shelving or something and i made a quarter inch lip on the edge. the sand stays up there pretty well but every month i take a solo cup or two of sand from the bottom and put it back up. i cant wait till i graduate college and get atleast a 55 gallon with more mudskippers. they are by far my favorite fish ive ever had and are the,not to be feminine, cutest fish. they also recognize me when i walk into the room and "skip" up to the front of the tank looking for food. they are very easy to keep and you dont have to worry about changing SG because they are used to it in nature. they are very hardy. 1-2 crickets a day. sometime some mealworms. ive never been able to get them to eat food that wasnt alive but people have done it easily. mine have been chasing after the 3 shrimp i have in the tank but can not catch them. they will soon be food for a puffer hopefully.

You dont want dead on arrival

obviously but if i brought a fish 125 miles and it died i wouldnt be able to return it and if i could i would have to travel another 125 miles and it would cost atleast $80 in gas just to get a single fish. that doesnt even include the price of the fish. thats only 125 to the place so its a 250 mile round trip each time

I feel like online fishes should only be bought if you live more than 100 miles away from a fish store or if you're trying to buy a rare fish.

the closest fish store that sells them is 125-150 miles away that is why i am considering it. i really want one and where im located sucks. i have wanted one for about 10 years and now that i have an established brackish tank for the past year and a half. i feel that i have the proper information and setup for the puffer and the only lfs i had that would order them went out of business in early june. i would have ordered one earlier but i wasnt ready for him and i wasnt going to be irresponsible and get a fish i wasnt ready for. since i am resorting to buying offline i ask anyone out there that has ordered from the internet, especially fig 8 puffers, to let me know where you got them from because i am desperate for this awesome fish who will have the greatest life i could possibly give him or her. i am a responsible fish owner and dont over stock and dont get any fish i am unable to take care of. i cant stress enough how much i want this fish. the closest fish store other then petco is 75 miles and they dont usually have fig 8s and are not very knowledgeable about fish so id rather not buy it off them.

 

[tmdavies]

i really like the idea of that mini beach around the top of your tank. you should post some more close up pics

 

[Terrance]

I was under the impression that you lived ~80 miles away from the LFS

Anyways, I know a guy who is trying to rehome an F8. I'll message him about you and see if he is able to ship it. What state do you live?

 

[Reiner]

Iv heard good things about ordering fish from liveaquaria.com. I personally haven't ordered from them but I am considering getting some SW fish from them when I get my latest tank all set up. Their figure 8s are under the brackish fish section that you can get to from the bottom of either the fresh or saltwater pages.

Good luck with your puffer no matter where you get it from!! Puffers are my favorite fish

 

[Homer8]

I was under the impression that you lived ~80 miles away from the LFS

Anyways, I know a guy who is trying to rehome an F8. I'll message him about you and see if he is able to ship it. What state do you live?

im in PA in the dead center of the state

i really like the idea of that mini beach around the top of your tank. you should post some more close up pics

these are the pictures from when i set up the tank.

 

[Homer8]

I had two mudskipper but i went away for the weekend and he jumped out of the top of the tank where the cut out is in the hood for the filter. i thought i covered it well enough. i have since covered the hole with screen from an old screen door. i hot glued it on to the top.

 

[1 LARA]

im in PA in the dead center of the state



these are the pictures from when i set up the tank.

So am I , Carlisle PA. There is a place called THAT PET PLACE THAT FISH PLACE in Lancaster PA Central PA that overnight them.

 

[Homer8]

So am I , Carlisle PA. There is a place called THAT PET PLACE THAT FISH PLACE in Lancaster PA Central PA that overnight them.

i go to Penn State and Carlisle is about an hour and a half away. Im going to wait until next week because the lfs that is about half hour(20 miles) away said to check in with them this coming week and if i can i will check their puffers out. if i dont like them or they do not get them in i will order one. thank you for you help im going to check out their website right now.

 

[Homer8]

LARA i just went on the website and they are out of stock. i wish that place was closer.

 

[Terrance]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f25/anything-you-need-fish-coral-plant-invert-wise-165905.html

Last week this person said he sells F8, GSP, dogface puffers, and some other kind of puffer.

 

[Homer8]

thanks i PM'ed him and im waiting for a reply.I wish shipping was cheaper. did you find out if the guy you knew that was rehoming one wanted to ship it. id rather have a young puffer but right now ill take what i can get

 

[Terrance]

I sent him the link to this thread. He's just looking for the best candidate because he wants a puffer lover to really take care of his F8. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what he will do.

I traveled 80 miles to see 2 huge SW puffers today. Also noticed some thin F8 while I was there.

 

[Homer8]

yea if im ordering a puffer off the internet i want to see a few pictures of it before i buy it. i may just have to wait a month or two until i go home and maybe find one there or on my way.