puffer help

[Guest]

i have 2 green spotted puffers... they are in a 10 gallon aquarium with a filter, heater, airator and two 15 watt bulbs. the water is starting to get cloudy with algae. i syphon it 2 to 3 times a week removing app. 1 gallon
I've heard that puffers wont let any "cleaner" animals in such as crabs and snails. Is that true? is there any way i can get other invertibrates(or even other fish) with the puffers

thanks

 

[TCTFish]

is there any way i can get other invertibrates(or even other fish) with the puffers

Absolutely not with inverts. Other fish, it's hit or miss, but in a 10 gallon tank, I highly doubt anything would be allowed in.

What color is the cloudiness? May not be anything an animal would eat anyway if it's suspended algae (green water or a phosphate driven algae bloom).

 

[Guest]

the water is turning yellow replaced filter 4 days ago. would that have anything to do with it? but i added plastic plants, shells, and this natural black cement rock looking thing not to long ago so that might be affecting it.

thanks

 

[krap101]

i think theres a couple things that can be causing yellowness (clear) driftwood, decaying stuff, and i think there might be a couple more.

 

[kaz]

what are your water readings?

 

[Guest]

everythings normal so far i added the ph enhacncers to the water i just got the fish 4 days ago and cycled the tank about 2-3 weeks so mayb the pills chenged it?

 

[TCTFish]

Where did you get the shells and the black cement rock?

 

[Guest]

the shells i bought at earl may but the rock i got at a rock pit close to my house

 

[penpitt]

I would not put anything else in the tank.You will need a 55 gallon tank to house the puffers properly and unless you move them into larger quarters soon you might lose 1 to agression. The minimum tank size for 1 is 30 gallons and you will need to transition them to BW using marine salt in the near future. Puffers are very messy fish and do not fair well in an uncycled tank.

 

[Guest]

ok im kinda confused...

i havent had problems with agression yet but since im switching to marine tank i will probably just take them back to the pet store

thanks for the info

 

[TCTFish]

the rock i got at a rock pit close to my house

It's best not to use anything from outside for an aquarium. You do not know what elements and chemicals that rock has been exposed to nor do you know if it's going to leech into the system and change the water chemistry. I'd advise for this rock to come out. Maybe it's the source of the yellow water. That's why I asked.

FYI, green puffers are naturally brackish fish and should be maintained in a brackish tank. They do OK in freshwater, but are much more aggressive without any salt in their water, though should not be completely marine either. They do get about 6", so eventually they will need a larger aquarium.

There is a small cutie little puffer called the South American puffer. They get about 3" to 4" and are truly freshwater puffers, though do require hard water with a neutral pH value. They are also one of the few puffers tolerable of other tank mates. They are also called the Bumble Bee Puffer.

 

[Guest]

im gonna have to find someone to sell the puffers too. i knew they were brackish but have no clue how much salt to put in so i just add 2 tblespoons per 3 gallons(my closest guess)
the lady working said they get 3 1/2 inches so i didnt know

thanks

 

[TCTFish]

You need a hydrometer to measure salt (salinity, SG). Brackish water is generally about 1.008 to 1.012 on the hydrometer. This salt needs to be maintained by frequent checking and adding freshwater to make up for evaporation. Salt doesn't evaporate with the water, so the SG goes up. Freshwater levels this down.

I'm wondering if the store you got the puffers from would know if it is the Tetraodon schoutedeni (which are freshwater and only get 4" from Africa) or the Tetraodon nigroviridis (this is the brackish species and gets 6" from SE Asia). These two species are nearly identical in appearance. I've no clue what the tell tale difference between the two would be for positive ID. Do an image Google search and you'll see what I mean. It wouldn't surprise me if one was sold as the other from time to time due to mistaken identity.

You could just not put salt in there as brackish, but dose it like one would dose a pond. One tablespoon per five gallons. 7.4 would be an ideal pH value. Puffers certainly aren't community, so might as well just keep them as pets instead of a 'decoration'. They do love sand for substrate with plants along the borders of the tank. Flower pots make excellent hide out 'caves'. Leave the mid section of the tank open for free swimming. Plants suitable in sand bottomed brackish tanks are Java fern, Java moss, mondo grass, and any of the several species of anubias. Anacharis might do OK and hornwart. These two particular plants can be allowed to float to provide surface cover as well as rooted into the sand.

 

[Guest]

i bought them from earl may and i am currently bidding on a refractometer on ebay ph is correct and thanks for the advice on setting up the tank

 

[jim532]

Petco is constantly selling leopard puffers to unsuspecting customers, and not telling them that they are brackish or aggressive or need to be in a larger tank. Its sad because a lot of fish probably end up dead because of this.

 

[penpitt]

From my understanding Tetraodon schoutedeni is very seldom available for the hobby. I would be basically 100% sure that the fish you have is T. nigroviridis.

 

[Guest]

they arent looking to good i wish the people at the store wouldve told me about them before i got them but im swiching to saltwater anyways

thanks for your help

 

[TCTFish]

If they're not looking well, somthing in the water may be making them ill. Do a 25% water change twice this week. Use a bio additive like Cycle or Nitromax. Don't add any more salt...yet. Get the hydrometer first. They'll be OK in FW for a little bit. Test for ammonia.

Maybe it's time to just bring them back to the store and start on your little mini reef??? You'll have more fun.

i wish the people at the store wouldve told me about them before i got them

This is the very reason why it's important to do the homework yourself prior to purchase. You cannot rely on the knowledge of a store's employees. That's true whether a general pet store or a specialty shop like a LFS. Many of these places employ young people, mostly student who are just learning themselves. Others may just pretend to know to 'keep themselves from embarassment' so to speak. Some though will gladly take you to the book section and look up anything they don't know themselves to further help you. This is what I've always done and in turn...I keep learning. Even answering questions on here, I have google and the dictionary ready on hand...LOL.

You'll learn a lot more with marine and in a ten gallon tank, you'll be diving in to one of the more difficult systems to keep balanced...though not impossible. That's only because of the low water volume. It's quicker to foul. So definitely do the homework. Don't 'cut corners' to save money or time. It'll cost you more in the long run. Read and take your time. You'll be building not just a marine aquarium. You'll be creating an eco system. It's fun to do. I love it Takes time and great patience, but it's well rewarding when it's finally grown in and everything is balanced and happy. It's like an art form.

 

[Guest]

they still arent looking good, i want to get them to someone that can take better care of them but no one wants them. what should i do with them?

 

[TCTFish]

Bring them to a LFS whether it's the same place you got them at or not.