Setting up my first puffer tank.

[DeVitaf]

I have a tank that I would like to setup as a puffer tank.

The tank is 27g hex. I built a light hood for it that houses 2 x 13w CFs. It is filtered by an emperor 280.

What puffer would you recommend for this tank?
Is the filtration sufficient?
Are puffers sensitive to light, Is this too much light?
Can I use crushed coral substrate to keep the ph high? (If I go brackish)
Could you recommend a tankmate for the puffer you suggest.

I was thinking of going with a single figure 8 puffer and one other brackfish fish. Not sure what. (I would love to put a dragon goby in there but, I don't think it would like the bright light and I haven't done enough research to know how big they get :))

Thank you for your help.

[Pufferpunk]

Your best bet would be a couple of F8s. The dragonfish would get picked on, as it is slow-moving. You could also add several bumblebee gobys to the mix.

Make sure you fishless cycle the tank 1st, or add Bio-Spira for an instant cycle.

BTW, I don't think light would bother Dragons, as their eyes are tiny.

[DeVitaf]

Excellent, thank you for the reply.

The tank is actually an existing setup I have running at my fathers house for about six months now. I have just bought my own house and now have space to move this tank in and no longer like the freshwater community setup that is in there now.

o I should be ok with the existing beneficial bactaria.

[Pufferpunk]

The existing bacteria should be ok, as long as you raise the specific gravity slowly, about .002/weekly water change. You'll need marine salt & a hydrometer. SW bacteria is different than FW, but it's not known where the change occurs.

[DeVitaf]

Oh, I didn't know they were different =|

I think I will start from scratch and do a fishless cycle then, just to be safe.

[Pufferpunk]

Most lfs keep F8 in FW. You will want to check. Then you can just use the same tank as is & raise the SG. If you do it slowly, it will give the new bacteria time to establish, while the old is still alive.

Also see: http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/8puffer.shtml

[DeVitaf]

Cool, thanks again for the help puffer punk. I will be sure to post pics when the project is complete :).

[kablam]

I've got puffers in a tank with a dragon goby and they don't even notice him. I've got a leapord puffer, a red eye and a south american, 2 knight gobies all live in perfect harmony. It makes me want to join hands and sing "We are the world."
I know that the south american and the red eye aren't technically brackish, but they seem to be thriving in the tank.
-bryan

[Pufferpunk]

How long have they all been living together? How large is the tank? I think you are eventually going to have BIG problems with the red-eye, as mine are very vicious & won't accept even the same species of the same sex. Mine even bit me! Also, eventually the GSP (if that's what you have) will prefer high-end BW-SW, which will be way too much salt for your FW puffers.