F8P - the truth is out there?

I guess I wasn't defending him--he's pretty capable of doing that. I identified him as the author so you could look into some of his advice on other threads if you wanted, to review his experience. I didn't think you were saying anything bad about him, and I can think of several occassions where he has indicated that his way is not the only way, just the one that works and makes sense to him. I guess I was endorsing him more than anything...Though I am not sure about deifying him. ;)
 
Calm down! No one was disagreeing with you or RTR. They were just stating points. I currently have 3 Figs, one in a 55 Brackish tank with some Monos, Anableps, bottom gobies, and mollies. The other two are a school project and live in a 29 gallon at school that will be going in the 55 in about two weeks when school is over. My pH runs 7.8-8.2. Don't test DkH and kH. Salinity is about 1.010. I have had all three for one year now, since I got them. One (the one in the 55) was born with only one eye but that is no drawback for him!
 
Right, sorry - I need more Prozac :D

If I understand correctly you will be adding 2 more F8s to a 55g community tank with 1 F8 in it?

I'd be interested to hear your experiences with that as it is the future of my two that I am interested in. I'm tempted to keep them seperate (maybe even totally alone) but can't decide...

RTRs advice on slowly changing my tank to BW sounds like the way forward for now to me. At what SG would a FW tank recycle when adding salt or does it depend on other factors also (such as speed of salt addition etc)?

Thanks all for responding, I will try to be less sensitive in the future! (but not to my fish!).

Cheers,
Ade.
 
I've never heard anyone state the exact SG that the bacterial change over occurs. I believe that if you raise the SG as slowly as Robert recomended, there will be no recycle, as the new bacteria will be developing while the old bacteria is dying.
 
Hey! I love to have defenders! Pamper me! ;)

I suggested the slow sp. gr. change because that is how I do the adjustment myself and it seems to work. But as I and others have said, there is no one true path.

But along with that massive hedge statement, there still is more misinformantion on puffers in print and on the web than other fish group I know. I do get bent out of shape when folks who have never kept puffers quote incorrect web sites to defend what they want do with their fish. These fish are very like the Cichlids and the Loaches - they are very long-lived, may for some species be slow to mature, and generally are highly specialized predators. All I realy want to do is light the flame thrower and tell those folks to post back in a year or two and let me know how their FW community 20 gal tank with 3 puffers is doing. Yes, there are significant differeces between species. Yes, there huge differences between individuals within a species. But the group still represents highly specialized creatures extremely well equipped to eat very hard, crusty foods. They also have strong demands on water quality. If you don't have personal experience with the adults from this group, listen to folks who do, or learn the hard way as I had to do. It does nothing to me if folk elect not to hear what I or PP or others do and say. I have done my "duty" to the fish by giving my experience - anything beyond that is up to the fish-keeper and is their choice. I don't need to be the puffer police.

Back to topic:
I wish I knew the level where SW bacteria come into action and FW bacteria start weakening and die out. I have no idea. It is reported that they are different, but no one ever specifies the transition levels. That uncertainty is why I do slow changes. Puffers can handle in nature much larger shifts that that, but I don't know if capitve changes impossed on them do as well - to me there is a difference in what wild fish elect to do in response to growth and maturation and what changes fish-keepers force on them. So I take the conservative path and do my changes slowly.
 
Also in the wild, their "tank" doesn't recycle no matter how quickly the SG is raised or lowered.
 
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RTR,

Thanks for your input (and everyone else for that matter).

It was not my intention to quote misleading websites to back my argument, I was trying to illustrate the conflicting information available, and show how confusing it can be for people just starting to look after puffers (like me!).

My motivation is purely for the upkeep of my fish, having bought them ignorantly and then realising my mistake, I want to make the best habitat for them that I can. I guess my way of learning is to question everything! No harm in that in my book.

I fully intend to follow your advice regarding the gradual introduction of marine mix (in all honesty I was going to do it anyway, but thanks for the method you proposed). In fact after re-reading your excellent articles on aquasource I realised how much of your advice I had already taken regarding tank layout, lines of sight, overhangs etc. The tank is not arranged for my benefit at all, just for theirs! My wife thinks I'm mad, but there you go.

As for tank size, as soon as I have room (and money) I will put them in a much larger tank than they are in now. And keep my old one as a backup (in case one of them turns grouchy in their older age!).

Thanks again,

Ade.
 
SBA - my 'bent out of shape' comment was not aimed at you. If you browse other puffer threads here in the last month or two, you may run across some where I have gotten, shall we say, a bit testy?:o
 
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