A Little Help needed

[princess8077]

Ok, I bought a 30 gal tank for my office and was going do do brackish, but....someone else says they've done a 55 gal with powerfilter. I've heard smaller SW tanks are harder than bigger ones to maintain etc...(I have an 80 gal bow front at home and love it)
Here's the deal I need help with:
30 gal tank
Emperor powerfilter
Appropriate heater
Standard lighting that came with tank and stand
Do I need
Sand?
LR?
CuC? and what would a Puffer NOT eat?
What else am I missing?
I want a baby Figure 8 Puffer and something else if possible. Any suggestions what to add with it?
Is this set up even possible?

 

[kellenr]

Originally Posted by Princess8077
http:///forum/post/2678194
Ok, I bought a 30 gal tank for my office and was going do do brackish, but....someone else says they've done a 55 gal with powerfilter. I've heard smaller SW tanks are harder than bigger ones to maintain etc...(I have an 80 gal bow front at home and love it)
Here's the deal I need help with:
30 gal tank
Emperor powerfilter
Appropriate heater
Standard lighting that came with tank and stand
Do I need
Sand?
LR?
CuC? and what would a Puffer NOT eat?
What else am I missing?
I want a baby Figure 8 Puffer and something else if possible. Any suggestions what to add with it?
Is this set up even possible?
You 'could' get a puffer but thats probably gonna be the only fish in your tank. They will try to eat any other fish that you put in there that is smaller than it. Even bigger fish sometimes get harrased. I don't think a clean up crew would last very long. They eat anything 'meaty', that goes for fish, crustaceans, snails, crabs etc.. A 30gallon would be the absolute minimum and may actually need a bigger tank depending on how big/how fast it grows. I'm not a puffer expert though so maybe someone else on here will help you out with that.
As for the tank. You're gonna need AT LEAST 30lbs of LR & 30lbs of LS, more would be better. You'll also need probably at least 2 powerheads in the tank. The standard lighting will probably suffice if you don't plan on having any corals or anemones in there. You'll need something to measure specific gravity/salinity (i.e. a refractometer ideally). Also need to get an in-tank thermometer.
Thats a good start.

 

[princess8077]

Originally Posted by KellenR
http:///forum/post/2678219
You 'could' get a puffer but thats probably gonna be the only fish in your tank. They will try to eat any other fish that you put in there that is smaller than it. Even bigger fish sometimes get harrased. I don't think a clean up crew would last very long. They eat anything 'meaty', that goes for fish, crustaceans, snails, crabs etc.. A 30gallon would be the absolute minimum and may actually need a bigger tank depending on how big/how fast it grows. I'm not a puffer expert though so maybe someone else on here will help you out with that.
As for the tank. You're gonna need AT LEAST 30lbs of LR & 30lbs of LS, more would be better. You'll also need probably at least 2 powerheads in the tank. The standard lighting will probably suffice if you don't plan on having any corals or anemones in there. You'll need something to measure specific gravity/salinity (i.e. a refractometer ideally). Also need to get an in-tank thermometer.
Thats a good start.
Refractor is a must.....I have one at home and I agree. Forgot to mention the thermometer, but got one of those too.
Forgot to mention Powerfilter has those wheels - so I need 2 powerheads too?
No coral or anemones for this tank. no no no.
As for the Puffer....I planned on switching it over to a NEW SW tank at home when the time comes.

 

[nordy]

A puffer "probably" can do OK in your 30 gal tank, but keep in mind that they are messy eaters, eat a lot, and poop a lot. That means that you should have a good biological filter setup in that tank (a biowheel at a minmum, or a small sump w/bio media), if you do get a puffer. You should be able to find a small one to start with, but they canget pretty large.That being said, I love the puffers1 They can have so much personality, or at least as much personality as a fish can have LOL, and are just cool looking fish. My puffers never bothered any of the other fish but then again, I kept it pretty well fed.
P.S. I just saw your new post about the biowheels-that's good. Yeah,
I think you should have a couple of powerheads as well. You don't need big ones, but good circulation is very important. I would suggest keeping a close eye on nitrate levels when you get the tank up and running and then add a puffer, being careful not to overfeed or overstock as one puffer can count for a lot of smaller fish.

 

[crazy4reefs]

is your home tank brackish or salt ? If you want a baby figure 8 puffer it will start out really small about an inch and from what I understand (I could be wrong) but I dont think that they get as big as a regular salt water puffer fish. Though they are still aggressive towards other fish and messy eaters. I think its a good idea to start out with going salt with your 30 gallon tank so you can get the experience before you swithch you home tank over. I also think its very important to use live rock in a salt tank and you dont have to have a deep sandbed.
I have had many diffrent size salt tanks, the size I have now is a 15 gallon so a 30 gallon is an ok size tank to start salt with. You just have to learn all you can and get equipment for testing. Its hard work at first but usually once you have your tank running well its just a matter of keeping an eye on your levels (testing the water) and doing water changes so it does get easier.
so just keep reading and asking questions! Good luck

 

[sepulatian]

Figure eight puffers are tricky. Some say that they max out at three inches and prefer only mildly brackish water. Others say that they can reach 7 inches. They do come from the fresh waters of Asia but lay their eggs in brackish water. 1.002-1.012 is the fluctuation that they live in as adults. They can be converted to full salt, but do better in mildly brackish waters. They are biters. Have things for him to chew on such as invert shells.

 

[princess8077]

Thanks for the info all.
My tank at home is full SW.
Recommend a different puffer that I could get small and transfer to a bigger tank later?
Any favorites?