20 Gallon Figure 8 Puffer build thread

[Corey]

I wanted a place to write about my Figure 8 Puffer build, so I thought, why not here? The brackish section is lacking here and the puffer family that like a little bit of salt are the most interesting fish I've encountered thus far. So observant and fun to want.

So, this "obsession" started a few months ago as my 10 gallon tank's occupants passed away. I had three fiddler crabs and they slowly passed away after months. Cool creatures as well. I finally stumbled upon Dwarf Puffers or the Pea Puffer and started to research them like crazy. How could you resist these little guys?

So, long story short, I decided, why not get a Figure 8, instead of a few Dwarf Puffers. So I did my research and set up his temporary home in the 10 gallon.

So, I went out and purchased him. Say hello to Pipper (Pip):

So what does my tank project consist of?

Things I have or have purchased:

-20 Gallon tank with Hood
-75W Marineland Stealth heater
-Aquaclear 50 Filter
-Seachem Silver Shore aragonite substrate
-Plenty of plastic and silk plants
-Freshwater API full test kit (Puffers are very sensitive to poor water conditions)
-Cone feeder
-Instant Ocean Hydrometer
-Instant Ocean Marine Salt
-Thermometer, maintenance supplies, etc.
-Large root-like decor
-...and so on!

So the cycling for new tank begins and here is how it looks:

I plan on taking out the red silk plants, I do not like how they look. I also plan on getting another piece of fake wood (Something log like) for the little guy to explore. Another project includes mixing some black/tan gravel with the aragonite. But until then, this is how it's going.

If you need to know anything about puffers in general, do not hesitate to ask, especially about Figure 8's.

Great source of information: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/

Thanks for looking. I will continue to post updates during the upcoming weeks.

 

[paperdog9]

Cool!! Did you get him/her from a pet store? I've never seen any at my lfs.

 

[Corey]

Yep! Some Petcos and Walmarts actually carry them, although, they are not in the best condition. I did some research around my area (Pittsburgh) and finally found a place that had them. I had to take him home when I saw him at the store.

 

[f8fan]

*thumbsup2 YAY! It's so cool to see another Figure 8 Puffer keeper. Your setup sounds great. And your photos of the little guy look good too....have you noticed any potential internal parasite issues (lumpy belly, gray areas, etc)? It seems like they always have them when they arrive at the pet store from being caught in the wild.

Can't wait to see how things go! Have you started adding the sea salt to the tank yet? What's your salinity at currently? What's your target salinity? I really like this link as far as brackish tanks go : Starting a Brackish Aquarium, what you need and what you can keep.

I've been running my brackish tank pretty light on the salinity, it's currently at about 1.006. It's a 55 gallon and has one figure 8 puffer, one knight goby and two swordtails.

 

[Corey]

*thumbsup2 YAY! It's so cool to see another Figure 8 Puffer keeper. Your setup sounds great. And your photos of the little guy look good too....have you noticed any potential internal parasite issues (lumpy belly, gray areas, etc)? It seems like they always have them when they arrive at the pet store from being caught in the wild.

Can't wait to see how things go! Have you started adding the sea salt to the tank yet? What's your salinity at currently? What's your target salinity? I really like this link as far as brackish tanks go : Starting a Brackish Aquarium, what you need and what you can keep.

I've been running my brackish tank pretty light on the salinity, it's currently at about 1.006. It's a 55 gallon and has one figure 8 puffer, one knight goby and two swordtails.

I have been paying close attention to the parasite situation and have noticed some signs. I come home Friday from college and I plan on deworming him and fixing him up by the weekend. Do you have any recommendations to remove parasites? I have been looking around for something this week, but had no definite results. I should have some better photos of the little guy soon as I will be able to use my little sister's camera back at home.

Yes I have begun adding sea salt. My salinity is currently at 1.004 and I plan on running it at 1.006. The new tank is already cycling and I started it at 1.004 as well so it is not much of a change for the little guy. I hope everything works out! I should have a better picture of the new tank in a week as well. As you can tell I have it all visioned in my cranium.

I also may attempt to add a few Bumblebee Gobies in the future. I like the look of these little guys. I'll see if little 'ol Pip will let them go and coexist peacefully

 

[AquariumParadise]

I have one of these guys as well! his name is Porker and i got him from acks exotic pets. He is in a 10 gallon tank, heated and filtered. I do weekly water changes of 25% And hav aquarium salt and a few fake plants with White gravel That seems to have turned yellow because hes so Messy !


After doing more research. some say a 15 gallon is minimum. I have had him 6 months in a 10 gallon. and they also say they need sand and marine salt, my puffer is VERY Skittish, if you go up to his tank he hides and if you try to handfeed him he freaks and he also HATES water changes. anyone know why he is so scared?


My main questions are Really Does he need sand? Is a 10 gallon fine? should i get him a 15? and does he need marine salt? I do not have a hydrometer. Also what kind of Test kit do you think i should get for him? I dont really test his water except for a few times with test strips but most say they are very inaccurate. I plan on getting him maybe a 15 Gallon setup with some Live plants Eventually maybe *Live plants to keep nitrates down, with these would I Still need to do weekly water changes with live plants. Or coulD I get by with every 2 weeks?*



Thank you very much. any other information you can give me is great. Thanks! Btw. nice 20 gallon setup! hes going to love it!

 

[Corey]

Let's see what we got here...

My main questions are Really Does he need sand?
He doesn't necessarily need sand, but when in brackish water (We'll get to this soon), an aragonite substrate is best because it can act as a pH buffer. This substrate comes as sand, crushed coral, etc.

Is a 10 gallon fine? should i get him a 15?
10 Gallon is fine while he is young, but I really recommend you buy him a 15 gallon or even a 20 gallon as he gets bigger. Remember, these are really messy fish, they also need a lot of swim room because they get very bored!

and does he need marine salt? I do not have a hydrometer.
Yes, they do need marine salt! Aquarium salt is used to treat freshwater sickness and help prevent infections. Marine salt will increase the salinity properly. You should buy an Instant Ocean Hydrometer and put in 1-2 tablespoons per gallon. Do not do it all at once or you will kill your beneficial bacteria! The salinity should read between 1.004-1.008.

Also what kind of Test kit do you think i should get for him?
I recently purchased the API Freshwater test kit. Even though its brackish water, API recommends you buy the freshwater kit because brackish is closer to freshwater compared to marine. This kit is about $30 or so, but I got it on ebay for $25 shipped.

Here's the link: API FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT AQUARIUM PHARMACEUTICAL - eBay (item 250613062177 end time May-10-10 12:13:19 PDT) (I hope it works)

I plan on getting him maybe a 15 Gallon setup with some Live plants Eventually maybe *Live plants to keep nitrates down, with these would I Still need to do weekly water changes with live plants. Or coulD I get by with every 2 weeks?*
Live plants would be nice, he would definitely enjoy that. Remember they like a lot of decor and plant work because they get bored easily. You also need to look up what plants do well in brackish water. Here's a link for some: Planting Brackish Aquaria - Tropical Fish Forums

About the water changes. I don't think you should ever hold back on the water changes. I recommend you gravel your aquarium once a week and remove 50% of the water. A 50% water change and removing some of the crud from the gravel/sand/etc. will keep you fish happy and you less worried!

Also, here's a great read on the Figure 8 if you're interested: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/

I hope this helped! Let me know if you need anything else.

 

[AquariumParadise]

Thank you very much, I forgot one thing. how often should I be feeding him? He is being fed twice a day right now *Hes pretty much fully grown in his 10 gallon Btw as of now*

 

[Corey]

While they are young you should feed them once a day, six days a week. Make sure when you are feeding him, you don't feed him too much. Often times problems arise when owners feed their puffers too much and can literally, "kill them with kindness." Puffers naturally use a lot of energy searching for food so if an owner presents food to them, they will overeat. Make sure their belly is a bit lumpy and slightly round. Avoid the food baby, this is when they have had enough. I say feed them six days because I like to fast them for one day to avoid constipation and etc. Older puffers can be fed every other day and so on.. Make sure you feed them a variety and care to their teeth. Here's some articles on feeding:

Basics: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/

Problems feeding your puffer/how often: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/feedingproblems/

Good luck! As you can see, I enjoy helping out with answers, so just let me know.

 

[f8fan]

WOW, Corey...your advice is spot on. Nice! Again, so nice to see another Figure 8 enthusiast!!

To answer your question, when I treat the puffers for internal parasites, I soak their food in Prazi Pro Prazi Pro - Hikari

You can purchase the "whole tank" medication, etc but I really think that you need to go directly to the source - their bellies - to get rid of the parasites.

Don't feed them for a couple days so they are good and hungry, then soak their food (krill, bloodworms, something irresistible to them) in Prazi. I do this for a few feedings until it looks like their bellies are nice and snowy white and smooth.

 

[Corey]

Thanks haha, I've been reading about these little guys before I purchased Pip and for awhile now after. Always glad to help.

Sounds good - thanks for the advice! I was looking at Paraguard too: Seachem. ParaGuard Supposedly it treats a lot of possible illnesses and is very effective. I guess I'll check if either are available before purchasing.

Two more finals and I'm back home. Can't wait to finish up the looks of this tank and get Pip in his new home.

 

[paperdog9]

Very cool! I wish I could find at least a dwarf puffer around here, they sound so interesting!

 

[Corey]

So! Back from Pitt and first thing in the morning today, I put the 20 gallon in my room and filled it up, dechlorinated the water, added another .002 salt and this is how it turned out!

Now I'm running over to a LFS and picking up a dewormer, some Stability by Seachem, maybe some decor, and possibly a few Bumblebee Gobies. We'll see!

 

[Corey]

Uh oh, another set up. Got the things I listed above and did some rearranging. This is what it looks like now!

So I put the log in there and took out a long rock. I also fed Pip some Paraguard soaked worms. He's been exploring more which is fun to watch, always ends up glass surfing for a little though. I'm going to mix the substrate another day and give him some snails soon! Can't wait. Let me know what you think, all plants are fake.

 

[Corey]

And I think this is how it's going to end up for now:

I swear I lose him for a few minutes at a time while he's exploring everything. I'll update when I get some Bumblebee Gobies/do anything else to the tank. I have a snail jail up as well, but its just a 10 gallon with some driftwood in it. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.

 

[mr.p]

Me, mango from yahoo

Hello. Its me mango from yahoo answers. You recently answered a question for me about F8 puffers. When i first bring my puffer home, I know i will have to float the bag, and then what do i do? Should the water already have salt in it even though my puffer will come from freshwater?

 

[Corey]

Hi there, first question is: Is your tank cycled?

Here is an article about fishless cycling: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/

There's many ways to do this. Your tank must be cycled because Figure 8s produce a lot of waste and do not have scales, thus their skin is very vulnerable to poor water conditions. The beneficial bacteria should be fully developed. You can also use products such as Seachem's Stability to maintain water quality, it also greatly expedites the cycling process.

If it is cycled, then you want to start your Figure 8 in the same conditions that it was in at the pet store. In your case, freshwater. So, like you said, float the bag so the temperature change when introduced to the new tank is no different. If there were salt, you could "drip acclimate" him, but since it is fresh water, I usually use a turkey baster or something to take a little bag water out of the bag and introduce some of my own tank water so he gets used to it. Not the most suggested method, but it has always worked for me.

And like I said about the brackish:

To make freshwater brackish is pretty simple:
About 1-2 tablespoons per gallon. Make sure if your tank is freshwater now that you only increase the salinity by .002 weekly otherwise you will destroy you nitrifying bacteria.

If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask. I strongly recommend you look through this thread and the links I posted. It could save you a hassle down the road!

Best of luck!

 

[lacome1102]

I wanted a place to write about my Figure 8 Puffer build, so I thought, why not here? The brackish section is lacking here and the puffer family that like a little bit of salt are the most interesting fish I've encountered thus far. So observant and fun to want.

So, this "obsession" started a few months ago as my 10 gallon tank's occupants passed away. I had three fiddler crabs and they slowly passed away after months. Cool creatures as well. I finally stumbled upon Dwarf Puffers or the Pea Puffer and started to research them like crazy. How could you resist these little guys?

So, long story short, I decided, why not get a Figure 8, instead of a few Dwarf Puffers. So I did my research and set up his temporary home in the 10 gallon.

So, I went out and purchased him. Say hello to Pipper (Pip):

So what does my tank project consist of?

Things I have or have purchased:

-20 Gallon tank with Hood
-75W Marineland Stealth heater
-Aquaclear 50 Filter
-Seachem Silver Shore aragonite substrate
-Plenty of plastic and silk plants
-Freshwater API full test kit (Puffers are very sensitive to poor water conditions)
-Cone feeder
-Instant Ocean Hydrometer
-Instant Ocean Marine Salt
-Thermometer, maintenance supplies, etc.
-Large root-like decor
-...and so on!

So the cycling for new tank begins and here is how it looks:

I plan on taking out the red silk plants, I do not like how they look. I also plan on getting another piece of fake wood (Something log like) for the little guy to explore. Another project includes mixing some black/tan gravel with the aragonite. But until then, this is how it's going.

If you need to know anything about puffers in general, do not hesitate to ask, especially about Figure 8's.

Great source of information: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/

Thanks for looking. I will continue to post updates during the upcoming weeks.

Beautiful pics

 

[Corey]

Thanks lacome!

Went into detail with this picture. It shows the many caves and place he has to explore. Check it out.

I've noticed he's been a lot more observant lately. But as I said earlier, he still loves to glass surf every now and then. I think the dewormer is working well, but we'll see after a week or so.

 

[Corey]

Little update. I added a trio of Bumblebee Gobies!

Pip looked very curious when I had the bag sitting in the tank, but after a few hours, it seems they are living together peacefully. Hopefully I can get the hang of feeding the BBGs