# 26 Gallon Puffer Playground Journal! (New pic 1/6)



## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

saw the plants bubbling a little today  

water change plus ferts today, a small amount of algea... i think i put too many phosphates in last time anyways


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

Nice, looks great with those new bulbs and substrate!

I love the blue tint the bulbs give off, and thats a neat tank to have in your dorm. Cant wait to watch it grow in.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

organic sideburns said:


> Nice, looks great with those new bulbs and substrate!
> 
> I love the blue tint the bulbs give off, and thats a neat tank to have in your dorm. Cant wait to watch it grow in.


it is nice... i am gettin rid of the 50/50 light though that gives off the blue light, because i have heard they are not helpful for plant growing, i ordered a 6700k/10000k bulb so that should be a little less blue than the one i have in there but still not bad


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## the_noobinator (Jun 10, 2006)

i have not had any problems with a full 10000K bulb, and i've found that 50/50 light actually looks good with a very light-colored substrate.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

the_noobinator said:


> i have not had any problems with a full 10000K bulb, and i've found that 50/50 light actually looks good with a very light-colored substrate.


it looks pretty good, too bad it doesn't grow that good, since adding the light it has definatly helped but not hugely... the new bulb should help alot (~36 more usable watts  )


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

got my root tabs, new 6700k/10000k light and hagen bubble ladder (too much fun to watch) in today! updated pictures will come soon, this thing is pearling like crazy now


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

tank is looking good outside of some small algea problems, here are some glamour shots!

10/19/06
my betta trying to hide


















pearl action on a rosette crypt




































new bubble ladder


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

Nice growth! It is coming along swimmingly....and what a stunning Betta~


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

got the water tested today

pH: 7
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: .1ppm
Nitrate: 20ppm
GH: 180ppm
KH: 120ppm
Co2: 20ppm

Look good to me 

Did a little substrate change today... seachem onyx... pix will be up soon as soon as this water clears up!


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## LoJack (Oct 10, 2006)

what is the purpose of the bubble ladder?


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

LoJack said:


> what is the purpose of the bubble ladder?


to make something fun to look at of course!

actually thats true, and it disolves your co2 into the water


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Big update today:

I couldn't resist the $7 seachem onyx sand on clearance at petsmart... Bought a 7kg bag and used some of it to cover the top of my substrate. I love the new look, it really gives great contrast with the bright green plants. It took awhile to brush all the sand off all the angry plants but I love the results (and the plants will too  ) . I also stole some driftwood from my girlfreinds house and it looks great (see the new corner peices). I think it gives the tank a really nice natural look. Anyways I took some new pix and everything. Its really starting to shape up now if you look at the difference between this and the first picture


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

tank looks great, the sand really makes a diff. and the plants look very healthy, cant wait to watch them all grow in!

updates looking sharp

oh and how'd you take that 4th pic, the pic of your tank with a weird angle?
I have a 46 gal bow and need all the help I can get with taking pics of bowfronted tanks!


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## SunkShip (Oct 29, 2004)

The tank looks really good with the onyx sand and I can't wait till the plants fill in. What a happy betta!


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## CardBoardBoxProcessor (Sep 17, 2006)

I am glad you removed the clown puke. Looks nice and I bet your Betta is in heaven. My betta was in heaven but now he looks like he is getting old and depressed.He also looks like he might be sick. I want to give him a good run about in my 72 gallon but If he is sick I don't want him spreading it. It looks like a scrap or something on his head.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

thanks for the comments! actually my girlfriend took that 4th picture and she took it near the top edge of the tank looking down with a wide angle lense, i liked how it came out too  things are pearling like crazy now! i've already noticed some new leaves since a couple days ago so these plants must love the new improvements as much as I have!


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## CardBoardBoxProcessor (Sep 17, 2006)

Eeevvverybody got to talk about their girlfriends... 

Oh! Nice Betta! any friends in there with him?


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

CardBoardBoxProcessor said:


> Eeevvverybody got to talk about their girlfriends...
> 
> Oh! Nice Betta! any friends in there with him?


nope bettas aren't too friendly 

i'm thinking about moving him to my other tank and putting a pair of ciclids in there though


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## CAMBYSES (Sep 22, 2006)

your tank loooks great, that is a wonderful start and I really like the wood, it kinda reminds me of a cypress swamp. BTW are you a Scion tC owner?


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

CAMBYSES said:


> your tank loooks great, that is a wonderful start and I really like the wood, it kinda reminds me of a cypress swamp. BTW are you a Scion tC owner?


haha yes i am, here is my cardomain site 

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2369914


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## CAMBYSES (Sep 22, 2006)

Very nice car!!! I own an '06 SW tC. Lowered on hotchkis springs, Weapon r CAI, DC sports header and exhaust. no body mods as of yet. Are you on Scionlife.com? or belong to any clubs? Scikotics Philly Chapter here.

anyway beautiful tC you have there. Enjoy it


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## aesthetics808 (Dec 29, 2002)

nice tank. better take your cars in for the recall. wouldnt want your airbags to deploy while closing your door.:icon_roll


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

aesthetics808 said:


> nice tank. better take your cars in for the recall. wouldnt want your airbags to deploy while closing your door.:icon_roll


haha i would but i didn't get the side airbags so nothing to worry about 

yup i'm on scionlife too, same screen name


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Time for an update: I'm battling a little GDA by just letting it sit there and go through its cycle... its killing me... so sorry for the greeness in the pictures (i would clean it up but I don't want to restart the cycle) I built another diy co2 so now I'm going to hook up two to get stuff really cranking! My wisteria has lost its mind and is growing like crazy, so is the jungle val and hornwort, my dwarf sag is starting to take off and sprouting other little plants, as is my microswords (finally). The growth is good, things aren't pearling too much but I think when I add the other bottle on there it will help  anyways heres the pix!

10-30-06









Sprouting Micro Sword









Wisteria Gone Wild


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

heres growth just 5 days later... going to scrape this GDA off the glass soon and see how much stuff grew 

11/3/06


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Alright, scraped down the whole tank and did some trimming while I was at it, its great it see it beautiful again  added another DIY bottle to help keep it away


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## HybridS130 (Oct 23, 2006)

Tank looks good, gotta love it when the green displaces so much water


Oh and cuh cuh cuh cuh classic!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

thanks! awesome car too, those things were quite the car back in their day


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## Aquaseafoam (Apr 6, 2006)

Talk about a lucky betta!
Your tank is looking better all the time.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

here are some new glamour shots from last night, tank is doing great, stuff is growing way to fast though, even though i cut the lighting down to 7 hours  these pictures are just with my 15w 5000k grow light on


11/10/06


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## fish_lover0591 (Nov 11, 2006)

That is one nice tank you have there


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Big update here:

Finally got some more fish! I kicked my beta into my other tank, he doesnt seem to happy about it but oh well, its alot better than the little bowl he came from  Hes in my non planted 5 gallon hex










Anyways, I bought 3 pairs of african cichlids today. A pair of 

Lamp. Tretocephalus (blue with black vertical stripes)
Lamp. Brichardi (Pink with blue and yellow fins)
Juli. Transcriptus (Black and white with yellow and blue fins)

They are gorgous and I can't wait until they grow up and more colorful. They are all from lake tanginika. They seem a little stressed out from the trip today so they are just sitting in the corner hiding in the plants. I hope they become more active so I don't have to look for them to find them. They seem to be good so far as far as killing each other/plants/digging so I think I picked out some good ones. Anyways heres a bunch of pictures!

Soakin the bags









The brichardi









The tretos









The trans.


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## JustOneMore21 (May 23, 2006)

You may have trouble if your Brichardi breed. They are known to take an entire tank to themselves, when spawning and cichlid-forum.com labels them as highly aggressive, so be prepared for the future. 

N. tretocephalus is also pretty aggressive. They can reach 6 inches, which will be too large for that size tank in the future.

I find it interesting that you chose Tang. cichlids for your planted tank. There isn't anything wrong with it, but they come from rocky habitats, so aren't always a first choice for a planted tank. I'd watch for aggression between the 3. They may seem fine now, but with 3 aggressive types, you could have problems in the future, especially in a smaller tank.

Also, African cichlids like a high pH, so I hope yours is higher than 7 now. A pH of closer to 8 would be better.

The tank looks nice though!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

yea... after realizing all this i returned the cichlids and rearranged the tank... a shame they looked really nice! I am looking for new stocking ideas though so if anyone has some ideas/suggestions that would be great!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Stocking ideas ---> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fish/38193-26-gallon-stocking-ideas.html

Heres some new shots after the mild rescape!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

well I ended up buying 5 dwarf puffers and a few shrimp for the tank, I keep avoiding the class community tank for some reason, maybe someday I will get one, these guys are tiny and very entertaining anyways heres some pix


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## Y0uH0 (Dec 19, 2005)

A word of caution,dwarf puffers though small may attack the shrimps you have there.So i would suggest that you observe them. Any sign that they are attacking the shrimps and you should take either of 2 species out.


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

Nice choice, and good thread!  I really like dwarf puffers, I wonder how well those 5 are getting along in a 26g tank? Also, aren't ghost shrimp like $0.30 a peice? i think it's great watching the DP's hunt!!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

esarkipato said:


> Nice choice, and good thread!  I really like dwarf puffers, I wonder how well those 5 are getting along in a 26g tank? Also, aren't ghost shrimp like $0.30 a peice? i think it's great watching the DP's hunt!!


Thanks! They should get along pretty well in there, you usually need 2-3 gallons per fish, they only grow to about 1" full sized. I took out the other shrimp and just left the one amano shrimp in there, the others are in my 5gallon with my betta. I love watching the shrimp though because it just seems to do laps all day :hihi: The DP's are alot of fun to watch too, its just had to find them because they are so tiny! I might go pick up a couple more tomorrow because I have space for them in here, especially with all the vegitation.


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## rlong (Jul 8, 2006)

Very nice Pictures.
What camara are you using?


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

rlong said:


> Very nice Pictures.
> What camara are you using?


its a nikon d50, they would come out alot better but the optical quailty of the curved glass on my tank really sucks... flat tanks are much easier to photograph


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

skiboarder72 said:


> Thanks! They should get along pretty well in there, you usually need 2-3 gallons per fish, they only grow to about 1" full sized. I took out the other shrimp and just left the one amano shrimp in there, the others are in my 5gallon with my betta. I love watching the shrimp though because it just seems to do laps all day :hihi: The DP's are alot of fun to watch too, its just had to find them because they are so tiny! I might go pick up a couple more tomorrow because I have space for them in here, especially with all the vegitation.


I wouldn't stock more than 5-6 DPs in that tank. The males get super territorial sometimes.

Just go with 3 males and 2 females and you should be good to go. =) How much are the DPs by the way?


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## sayn3ver (Sep 1, 2006)

usually its 1 male to 2-3 female ratio...

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

i have 1 female in my 10g by herself with 3 otos.

As for the shrimp, they will probably become a meal. I think thats cool, others dont find it all that great. Make sure they get a varied diet and for a heads up, a few of them will probably need to be removed once they mature due to territorial issues.

I also hope your filtration is over filtered for the tank size, as these little guys are messy eaters and poopers.


btw, welcome to the puffer keeping world. So totally worth it.


slightly off topic, but in the classic car picture yo posted, is that a world rally blue subaru impreza in the background?


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## Justintoxicated (Oct 18, 2006)

sayn3ver said:


> usually its 1 male to 2-3 female ratio...
> 
> http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Freshwater/C_Travancoricus/
> 
> ...



where do you remove them too?


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## sayn3ver (Sep 1, 2006)

another tank or an adoptee....the males tend to fight a lot once they mature but it always depends on the individual puffers.


i def wouldnt add anymore though.

Do you have a snail breeding tank setup?


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

sayn3ver said:


> usually its 1 male to 2-3 female ratio...
> 
> http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Freshwater/C_Travancoricus/
> 
> ...


Right, I meant 3 females and 2 males, not the other way around. Oops. I've kept 5 in a 40 gallon with a bunch of otos before. Worked out great. Had lots of caves and whatnot for them to play in. =)


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

> Do you have a snail breeding tank setup?


Good point. This is an easy way to keep your puffers happy.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

esarkipato said:


> Good point. This is an easy way to keep your puffers happy.


there are a decent amount in my tank already, the puffers don't really seem to be going after them too much though, I feed them frozen bloodworms... I saw one eat a little but they don't really like eatting for a few days/weeks after a move

BTW I just ordered a regulator, solenoid and needle valve  i've already had enough of this DIY co2 stuff :icon_lol: 

Thanks for the compliments!


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## sayn3ver (Sep 1, 2006)

given i havent tried blood worms yet, my dp wont accept any food hand fed, and prefers to hunt snails by herself...thus she has only been on snails the last 3 months. I need to try some live blood worms but dont feel like paying for a full cup when i only need a few since its only the one DP.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

*New pix 11/25*

Well the puffers seem to be doing good, they look like they are having alot of fun in my tank, I bought an otto too but I don't think the puffers liked him much, despite most people having good luck with them and puffers. We won't show pictures of him out of respect. I do have a bunch of pictures of the puffers and the tank itself is doing great, I went out and got a 10# co2 tank too so as soon as the regulator, solenoid and needle valve get here I should be good to go. I have a plastic check valve and some co2 tubing that came with the hagen bubble ladder, so I should be good to go. That will be much simpler than doing these crazy DIY co2 things. Anyways here are the pictures!

Good growth









Puffers playing






















































Little close up action 









Full tank









Thanks again for your comments!


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

Looking great. The DP's look really happy and healthy, nice job.


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## timr (Mar 23, 2005)

Cool tank. Those little puffers look like a lot of fun to watch. Are they hard to feed?


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

timr said:


> Cool tank. Those little puffers look like a lot of fun to watch. Are they hard to feed?


Well I think they have been dining on snails lately because they are just ignoring the frozen bloodworms I've been putting in there. 

BTW I just got in my azoo regulator and 10# tank, got it all set up tonight, all I have to say is that this is the way to go, no more yeast, no more mess, I'll post pictures later but now I can really get the co2 going, my wisteria is already growing out of the tank


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

Yea, pressurized is really the best way to go. And I'd say you will get sick of that wisteria verrrrrry soon!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Here are the pictures of the new system, much much better  plants don't seem to be any happier but they are probably still getting used to the co2 in there



















The result










The tank 11/30/05










Just for comparision here is the tank a little over a month ago


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Alright, well I got all the wisteria out of the tank as it was taking over everything. I got rid of some of the hornwort and anarchis too. Took it all to the local store and traded it in for some red myrio, ludwigia, a crypt and some grassy looking stuff that I don't know what it is. Heres some new pictures 

Red Myrio and grassy stuff in the back that I don't know what it is









Ludwigia









New Crypt









Other side of the leaf


















Crypt Wenditti


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## Justintoxicated (Oct 18, 2006)

Looks great.

My DP hardly ever get snails but I have trained him with a turkey baster / medication dropper. When the dropper is put in the tank he starts looking for blackworms.

He waits for them to wigle once or twice, then chows down. Recently he has taken them right out of the dropper, he usualy waits for them to float past him though.

Sometimes I can tell when he is hungry simply by the way he acts in the tank.

Sorry to heat about your Oto, I was going to try them as well but now I'm getting second thoughts and thinking to move Puff Daddy to a 10 gallon with another female DP or 2, rather than into my new 24 gallon. I'm going pressurized on my 24 gallon, but I my stick with DIY CO2 for my other 2 tanks as they are onthe opposite side of the room. I only change the mix every 2 weeks or so ayways.


BTW how do you get your driftwood to stand up like that?


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## sayn3ver (Sep 1, 2006)

this is great inspiration, as i am upgrading my DP tank to either a 15g or 20g high(i have both and am unsure of how i would scape a 20g high, i prefer the demensions of the 15g better,(24x12x12) but the 15g has a hazed ring around the tank and i'd hatew to setup a nice looking tank with poor looking glass.

just ordered my glass lilly pipes for the 2213 and will be ordering new lighting and a c02 regulator for it as well.

then you can help me with my tank.:thumbsup: 

(i will also add 2-3 more dps to the mix, as 1 in a 20g seems kinda empty.)


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

sayn3ver said:


> this is great inspiration, as i am upgrading my DP tank to either a 15g or 20g high(i have both and am unsure of how i would scape a 20g high, i prefer the demensions of the 15g better,(24x12x12) but the 15g has a hazed ring around the tank and i'd hatew to setup a nice looking tank with poor looking glass.
> 
> just ordered my glass lilly pipes for the 2213 and will be ordering new lighting and a c02 regulator for it as well.
> 
> ...


sounds good, thanks for the complement  the glass isnt the best on this tank either but its too late now  sounds like you have a good setup, make sure there are enough hiding places for the puffers as sometime they get teritorial


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## guitardude9187 (Aug 22, 2006)

wow, what a change it has been for your tank from start to now

I love how it has a forest look to it but yet it's still clean looking


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## sayn3ver (Sep 1, 2006)

i know, i visit thepufferforum.com before i make my rounds here.:bounce: 

How do the puffs handle the increased nitrate levels of a high tech tank? Mine are at zero right now in my 10g low tech.


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

sayn3ver said:


> i know, i visit thepufferforum.com before i make my rounds here.:bounce:
> 
> How do the puffs handle the increased nitrate levels of a high tech tank? Mine are at zero right now in my 10g low tech.


they don't seem to have a problem with it so far!

i'm on the puffer forum too


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## JustOneMore21 (May 23, 2006)

> well I ended up buying 5 dwarf puffers and a few shrimp for the tank, I keep avoiding the class community tank for some reason, maybe someday I will get one, these guys are tiny and very entertaining anyways heres some pix


There is no shame in a non-community tank! Your DPs are very cute! I've always wanted some but haven't had the money or room to setup a tank just for them.

Your tank looks awesome!


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## AnneRiceBowl (May 18, 2006)

Tank's looking great so far!

I also had DPs. I kept mine in a 10 gallon, but I had to rehome them because I needed their tank for my shrimp experiment.I miss those little guys. =(

I'm also on that same puffer forum!


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

Time for an update, things seem to be going ok, some plants are growing, some are just sitting there doing nothing, I put in a glass diffuser instead of the bubble ladder to see if it will help growth at all, looks to be about the same amount of growth. I will try it for a little while long, I bought a few more plants in the clearance section of my LFS because they weren't doing too well. I am hoping I can get them to come back as they were only 50 cents a peice  Anyways enough rambling here are some new pictures!


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## danepatrick (Jul 17, 2006)

is that crypt. spiralis going around all crazy like that?


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## TheOtherGeoff (Feb 11, 2003)

could be soe sort of crinuim spp maybe too???


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

yup its a crypt spiral


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## Color Me Blue (Nov 10, 2005)

Love the B/W puffer photo!  

Nice to see how your tank has transformed too! Keep up the good work! roud:


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## skiboarder72 (Oct 13, 2006)

thanks for the comments guys, I'm back from break now, the tank and puffers survived!  heres a pic


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## LGHT (Aug 21, 2006)

Glad to hear they survived. Also enjoyed puffers, but too passive of a fish for me.


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## hughitt1 (Jun 19, 2006)

Nice tank  

Pea puffers are pretty cool too. I have one now in a community tank (actually he has been an amazingly well-behaved tank-mate, even though many other people have not had the same experience). Most of the time he does kinda move around at a slow almost lethargic pace. When I was was in the room with the lots off earlier today however I could see him from a distance racing back and forth along the length of the aquarium, seemingly tracing the paths of a school of tetra.. Hehe, perhaps he thinks he is really a Columbian tetra and not a little puffer


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