New Tank Thoughts

[gsta13]

0Hey all,
I currently run a Rio 240, just your run of the mill community tank, 2 kissing gorami, 5 Albion corries, 15 Neon Tetras, and 5 (inbred like hell, but hey still 5) Guppies.
Now I have orederd a couple of books on brackish (Neale's) and the Aqualog book on Puffers. At the momment i am thinking of buying a single green spotted puffer for the tank (obviously the current stock will not be in there). I have an external filter currently that i would like to replace because i just dont trust it not to leak !. So i come to my questions.
1) Will the green spotted puffer be ok in the tank?
From all that i have read it seems fine.
2) What Filter would you reccomend for the tank?
3) What protein skimmer would be ok for my tank?

Thanks for reading!
Greg

 

[nmonks]

If this was me, I'd be considering a different pufferfish. A 240 litre tank is a lot of space to play with, and you could quite easily keep one or more figure-8s along with a variety of interesting brackish water fish. A thickly planted tank with a figure-8, a pair of orange chromides, a school of something midwatery like glassfish or rainbows, and then some halfbeaks or killifish at the top would be fun. You could also add a few gobies and blennies as and when you see them in the shops, and perhaps even a Toxotes microlepis archerfish, though these will eat small fish so be careful.

On the other hand, if you know what you're doing with a silicone glue gun, you could try cementing some ledges close to the top and then keep mudskippers along with some gobies and flounders at the bottom, on the open sand. Add some livebearers for a bit of colour and movement, and that'd be a very unusual community tank. Puffers and 'skippers don't really mix, so I'd not risk that combo.

The thing with brackish fishes to get the idea of freshwater communities out of your mind. The joy (and really the only point) to brackish is keeping unusual stuff freshwater guys don't have much luck with: blennies, gobies, flatfish, archers, mudskippers, spaghetti eels, and so on. If all you want is one pufferfish, there are honestly nicer and more colourful marine and freshwater species.

Cheers, Neale

 

[gsta13]

Well after looking around the net for a while I have realised that my favorite puffer is Chelonodon nigroviridis (i think thats right I just love the coloration, compared to the other pufferfish. I do however have a girlfriend... This is where the trouble begns, she would like a community tank including figure8's I dont know what to do now Well im going to wait for the books to come through and then have a look after that.
Any ideas on filters/skimmers?
Thanks a bunch!
Greg

 

[rob newland]

never let anyone - even girlfriends - get in the way of what you want for the tank - figure 8 puffers are cool, but a 240l would be wasted on them as they don't get that big.

I agree with nmonks - you could have something much cooler than a single green spotted puffer in a 240l tank, there is a lot of possibilities for brackish fish in that tank, so make sure you think about what you really want before you go out and buy the first cool fish you come across.

Rob

 

[nmonks]

Rob --

The advantage to putting a small puffer in a big tank is it can't get too "nippy". Your odds of success when combining a potentially safe puffer (like a figure-8) with community fish improves dramatically if the other are [a] fast and able to swim away easily. Eventually, the community fish simply just keep out of the way of the puffer, if it turns out to be nippy.

As for girlfriends, I agree 100%. Average girlfriend lasts, what, 6 to 18 months? Average marriage 6 years. Lifespan of a pufferfish 10+ years, of a catfish, 20+ years. No question: you'll have your fish long after your girlfriend, so I know which one I'd plan around!!!

On the other hand, if you can set her up a nice little 10 gallon tank with some dwarf puffers in, she'll be onside for life.

Cheers, Neale

never let anyone - even girlfriends - get in the way of what you want for the tank - figure 8 puffers are cool, but a 240l would be wasted on them as they don't get that big.

 

[gsta13]

Haha!, Well i wont show her those posts! lol, but i do have a nice little 15gallon sitting around empty......
Hmm well now im spoilt for choice! Guess its back to the reading material to get some more ideas! Neale Im currently waiting for your book just wondering does it have many photos in it? just for insperation. Ill keep you all posted on my thought trail
*Goes to read up on dwarf puffers *
Thanks
Greg

 

[DarkEntity]

Dwarf Puffers are freshwater btw.. and Neale's book is a great read

 

[nmonks]

Greg, there's lots of photos. Mostly of fishes, a few of habitats and tanks. But it's a book about fishes rather than fishkeeping. Read through some of the posts here by Dave Legacy and Sabby (among others); they have some really nice tanks.

Cheers, Neale

 

[gsta13]

Cool, im looking forward to the books arriving, should help me on my university course! Just wondering.... and been thinking all day about my 15gallon. Big enough to house a figure eight? Its 15Uk gallons btw not US. What i have gathered from most internet sites is that....most people done have a clue about these fish, and there are many arguments going over the freshwater/brackishwater debate... So my main questions are now...
1) Is the 15g big enough?
2) Will i need a protein skimmer for such a small tank?
3) What Salinity to keep an F8 in? ... im thinking around 1.002?

Thanks
Greg