Puffer Fish?

Question

Whats the best way of setting up a tank for a puffer fish? Brackish water not salt. And what puffer fish is the best to keep? Should I have more than 1? What other types of fish can I have with them? Ive heard Skats can be in with them? How much salt do u add to the tank to make it brackish? Is sand better? If so whats the best filter to have with brackish water or sand?

Answer 1

brackish has a specific gravity of 1.002 where saltwater is 1.024

Use a hydrometer for the specific gravity.

they will be fine in sand, and filters are the same for brackish, fresh and salt.

the best way to make the water brackish is getting saltwater mix. And mixing it until the specific gravity on the hydro meter reads 1.002. It wont take much salt.

It depends on the species of puffers. Scats and monos are larger brackish, but they should be fine with puffers. Puffers in general are fin nippers so keep an eye out.

What size tank are you working with? this will help with stocking numbers.

Answer 2

All fish like a little salt. It helps to keep their electrolights up and desease down. Brackish is what happens when the river hits the ocean so it veries. Fresh water is a table spoon for each 5 gal. so I tripple that as a base. The salt can be put into a net and placed in the flow area of the tank until it disapates.

Sand is harder to clean. I don't recomend it. There are so many filters out there that every whosale catalog has pages and pages of them. The filter that works for you and that you can keep clean is best. Remember if you get a great filter and no one supplies the replacement filter media you just have a pump.

Puffer fish are fistey little guys that knip fins on other fish. I have found the Gold Green puffer to be less agressive and I keep them with Bumble Bee Gobies, and Flounders.

The Spotted puffer is cuter and more anamated. They pay atention to what is going on outside the tank. This can be fun but they are realy loners and can grow to be prety big.

You can research them for yourself at fishlore.com it is mostly free and all very interesting.

Answer 3

By reading your question I can see you need a good book or two.Don't think about buying a fish until you know what a hydrometer is,and how to use the information that you get from it. Please don't purchase any fish until you get a lot more information.
Some puffers are pure fresh water fish,some Brackish and some can only survive in a pure Marine environment,learn which is which.
There's so much more,but if you can find the answers to these basic questions,you will begin to understand what I'm talking about.

Answer 4

Everything and anything you need to know about fresh, brackish, and salt water puffs:

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/

Definitely do a lot of research before buying one.