Planted Pea Puffer Savannah

Aww, thank you! They are so much fun. I have a security camera in my house and instead of watching the house I moved the camera to view the tank while I'm at work!

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if I had a camera I would do the same thing so I can watch them lol

 

Err... and solve my algae problem. It doesn't help that I'm constantly grooming the tank of algae. I think the tank will need to be balanced and seasoned before I pull out the Barry White album for them.

 

XD those poor snails never get any privacy with those puffer always hovering near them. I'm so jealous though, the puffers are so cute

 

XD those poor snails never get any privacy with those puffer always hovering near them. I'm so jealous though, the puffers are so cute

This is true, my niece is very sympathetic to their plight as well. They breed so fast tho that I just keep 7 adult snails making all those babies.

 

This is true, my niece is very sympathetic to their plight as well. They breed so fast tho that I just keep 7 adult snails making all those babies.

haha I mean if I was trying to lay eggs I wouldnt want someone watching. yeah snails do breed quite quickly which makes them a easy and good source of food for fish that need live or frozen foods

 

I am going to attempt the screen shot, thanks! I haven't been able to post a pic for a week.

A lot of photo editors do that, sometimes a screenshot on your phone of the pic can allow you to post it without ruining the quality. Not sure if that's where you post from but its a little shortcut that helps me =)

I love your tank. I can't wait to see more pictures. Are you planning on breeding them (I am not familiar with them or if they can be captive breed easily or not)

 

https://

There is also this...

 

that is pretty interesting but probably too much money XD

 

Screen shot of a pic worked for me, thank you MushishI you solved a week long headache for me.

 

I am going to attempt the screen shot, thanks! I haven't been able to post a pic for a week.


I love your tank. I can't wait to see more pictures. Are you planning on breeding them (I am not familiar with them or if they can be captive breed easily or not)

It would be great if I could. Wish me luck!

that is pretty interesting but probably too much money XD

Absolutely too much money. I'm going to put it on my list to Santa.

 

Absolutely too much money. I'm going to put it on my list to Santa.

haha everything that would be useful or make it easier is always expensive

 

Oh I wish I may, I wish I might have this wish I wish tonight.

 

During feeding last night one of the puffers became very aggressive. He tried to intimidate all the other puffers away. I had to wiggle the feeding cone to spread out the worms because he would nip anyone that got near it. Here is the Bully.

 

Great pictures of the feeding. I had little exposure to puffers until my most recent trip to Costa Rica where they seem to have had many species and all of which were rather aggressive and also full of personality. I had 3 and 4 inch puffers trailing and nipping at 9" Rapala Lures. Often they would follow the lure all the way to where I was standing in the surf. While Kayaking I actually caught a large one that made me rather nervous while handling. It was a beautiful fish and I felt bad that it had decided to bit my hook but lets hope it learned to stay away from us evil humans. It was placed back into the water and casually swam off into the depths. I would post a picture of the fish but its a picture with a hook in his mouth and I don't want to get an angry mob started here. I fish, I eat and therefore I am.

 

They can be aggressive sometimes! Males in particular can fight amongst themselves. If it becomes too violent, I would rehome one of them.

 

To combat the hair algae problem I started injecting hydrogen peroxide in 5ml shots directly onto the wood. The algae immediately went white. I took that as a good sign and will continue this until it’s all gone. Here is a part of the wood just seconds after I applied the 3% HP solution.

They can be aggressive sometimes! Males in particular can fight amongst themselves. If it becomes too violent, I would rehome one of them.

I hope that isn’t necessary but I’ll definitely keep an eye on them. Here is a group shot.

 

The Hunt.




The Kill.




Amazing Photos taken by my Fiancé...

Mediocre photos in this thread were mine or my daughter’s.

 

We have noticed there are two types of dwarf Puffers. The ones with roundish black random spots, as the one on the left side of this picture, are more docile. While the one on the right has a diamond shaped spot and geometric patterning is more aggressive. I wonder if they are two different breeds?

 

Ohhhhh plot twist lol. I have never done any research on dwarf puffers so I have no idea. Mabye female/male?

 

We have noticed there are two types of dwarf Puffers. The ones with roundish black random spots, as the one on the left side of this picture, are more docile. While the one on the right has a diamond shaped spot and geometric patterning is more aggressive. I wonder if they are two different breeds?

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It's male and female... Maybe if you're lucky they'll breed.

 

Madeline

Couldn't resist the temptation

 

They would be different species, not breeds But it's likely just pattern differences.

Your fiancé takes such good pics!

 

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Here is the snail hatchery attached to the side of the tank. You can see one puffer watching them wishing he could get in.

I don't think that's bacopa if no-one else has answered that but Jocelyn Adelman would know for sure.

 

Not bacopa... (looking below the box) maybe creeping Jenny or creeping Charlie....

 

Loads of new plants but not quite "heavily planted". I'm sure when they grow out a bit it will be lush... that is for those few plants that will grow faster than those anubias...

Plants I added Wednesday night:

Amazon Swords 2x
Anubias Nana 2x
Anubias Coffeefolia 2x
Banana Lily 2x
Apon Ulvaceus bulbs 2x


Added on 9/24/17

1 Pitiful Amazon Sword
1 Java Fern bunch attached to a piece of coconut
3 Marimo Moss Balls and
14 stems of either .... Lidernis Rotundifolia or Bacopa Caroliniana. I say either because I forgot to write the name of the plant while at the LFS... feel free to clarify for me if you're knowledgeable and can tell the difference.

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I'm considering some water sprite next, that was suggested by H20 Plants when I asked them about puffer friendly plants.

I put up this build in the TropicalFishForum site as well, so you will find some duplication on that website. I'm quite new so I've been reading loads and became a member of both forums at about the same time.

Jocelyn Adelman this was her original question. I didn't think it looked like either really but I'm a total newb

 

Love this thread. Adorable fish, beautiful tank.

 

Ohhhhh plot twist lol. I have never done any research on dwarf puffers so I have no idea. Mabye female/male?

I have no idea. The research I saw said the males have a stripe on their bellies and are more colorful. I’ve noticed a few stripes but not on the aggressive ones. Perhaps their women are taking over?

It's male and female... Maybe if you're lucky they'll breed.

Oh I hope so, I’ve put in the dwarf four leaf clovers hoping they carpet at least part of the tank quickly. If that doesn’t work I’ll get some java moss. I read it’s what they like to spawn in.

Madeline

Couldn't resist the temptation

Oh I love it! lol

 

They would be different species, not breeds But it's likely just pattern differences.

Your fiancé takes such good pics!

Thank you, he is an amateur photographer so these little puffers have paparazzI on them all the time. lol
Just waiting for them to do something goofy so we can release it to the public.

 

I don't think that's bacopa if no-one else has answered that but Jocelyn Adelman would know for sure.

I thought not and was leaning towards the creeping Jenny/Charlie myself but I’m so new I have no idea. They keep shooting out what look like roots all along the stems it made me wonder if it was a carpeting plant that’s been left to grow vertical instead of horizontal.

 

Not bacopa... (looking below the box) maybe creeping Jenny or creeping Charlie....

It would be great to finally know!

Love this thread. Adorable fish, beautiful tank.

Thank you! It’s been so much fun. Even the algae! ... er... only in my weaker moments tho.

 

Haha I love pea puffers! They're so funny, the way they oggle the snails before sucking them out of their shells!

Okay so as to coloring - pea puffers have variances in color IME. Females and males also have different patterns on their undersides, so watch for that as they grow up. It looks like you have sufficient numbers that you probably have both genders.

 

Haha I love pea puffers! They're so funny, the way they oggle the snails before sucking them out of their shells!

Okay so as to coloring - pea puffers have variances in color IME. Females and males also have different patterns on their undersides, so watch for that as they grow up. It looks like you have sufficient numbers that you probably have both genders.

They do seem to think about the meal quite a bit before eating it. Very funny to see.

It also seems the round spots stick together more often when they are weary of something. Like during water changes or when I’m adding a new feature.

I do not know what age they are, but they eat like they are all high school seniors on the football team. They eat until their bellies protrude out. A few don’t do that but they hunt for snails instead.. those are the ones that are too good for frozen worms.

 

Puffers should be round, so don't worry about their bellies sticking out. It's a good thing.

If you got them from a store (and I can't be bothered to look through 5 pages to find out if that's the case) then they are probably young.

 

I bought a new feeding bubble to replace the cone. This one is glass with a suction cup so I don’t have to chase the cone around the tank. It isn’t the best quality and took forever to get delivered but it is nicer to look at.

Puffers should be round, so don't worry about their bellies sticking out. It's a good thing.

If you got them from a store (and I can't be bothered to look through 5 pages to find out if that's the case) then they are probably young.

Sometimes their bellies are ridiculously big! Thank God they can stretch!

I did buy them at a LFS. And yes I think they are young.

 

Love your tank and your research is very thorough. Love the thread too

 

Love your tank and your research is very thorough. Love the thread too

Thank you! I’ve enjoyed the research as much as the hours I spent just watching them swim about. Thank goodness for YouTube!

 

I tried feeding blanched zucchinI to the otos and some shrimp I have in another tank. No one wanted it. I cooled it off and everything....

 

Otos can take a while to recognize veggies as food, so you can keep trying, if you want

 

I ordered a phosphate test kit to see if it was causing my algae. Here is what I got. I’m at 2 ppm. Tomorrow I’ll do a little research and see if it’s too high and if so what to do to remedy that.









And well, since I was testing I figured might as well test everything else too.

PH 7.6 ppm
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrites 0ppm
Nitrates 0ppm

I was surprised my PH no longer drops so I guess enough tannins were removed from the wood. This is good news since the Peas don’t appreciate a PH that is too low.

 

I haven't commented yet, but wanted to say I'm really enjoying your thread and all the adorable pictures!

It would be unusual to have 0 nitrates in a cycled tank. I may have missed this at the beginning of your thread, but did you cycle your tank before adding the fish? If it is cycled, you may want to read over the instructions for the nitrate test. It involves A LOT of vigorous shaking, and that makes a big difference in the test results.

 

Never tried anything beyond the frozen veggie cubes in my tanks. They were luke warm on the idea at first but now it's on like Donkey Kong. My Koi and Shubunkin Goldfish both seem to like Grapefruit when I would put some into the pond. What they came to like more was the Mint that had grown out of my large mint bed and into the pond. Once it gets to the pond it starts shooting roots like crazy and the fish acted like it was catnip. I'm sure they will come around. Perhaps they are simply to young to know any better. I have had many a young fish look at Blood Worms with a blank stare until they saw that other fish were going gaga on it.

 

I haven't commented yet, but wanted to say I'm really enjoying your thread and all the adorable pictures!

It would be unusual to have 0 nitrates in a cycled tank. I may have missed this at the beginning of your thread, but did you cycle your tank before adding the fish? If it is cycled, you may want to read over the instructions for the nitrate test. It involves A LOT of vigorous shaking, and that makes a big difference in the test results.

Thank you. I think I added the fish a bit early since my tank is still not balanced. So I’ve been testing very frequently to compensate and keep an eye on things. Because of the tannins/algae I’ve gone from twice weekly water changes to once a week. I think my nitrates are being consumed by the plants. This weekend I also cleaned the inside of the canister filter. I’m still learning how much these things effect each other.

I was reading recently that a lack of nitrates may cause some plants to go red. My Banana Lily came in with green leaves and now has blood red leaves. I actually like it, but like I said I’m keeping an eye on them. I still have plants melting from the transition of their move so it will be a while until I’m done.

Here is a photo of the Banana Lily.

Never tried anything beyond the frozen veggie cubes in my tanks. They were luke warm on the idea at first but now it's on like Donkey Kong. My Koi and Shubunkin Goldfish both seem to like Grapefruit when I would put some into the pond. What they came to like more was the Mint that had grown out of my large mint bed and into the pond. Once it gets to the pond it starts shooting roots like crazy and the fish acted like it was catnip. I'm sure they will come around. Perhaps they are simply to young to know any better. I have had many a young fish look at Blood Worms with a blank stare until they saw that other fish were going gaga on it.

I’ll keep trying. The puffers won’t be teaching them to eat veggies! I think they finally ate the algae wafer. Either they ate it or buried it!

I purchased a few other items along with the phosphate test.

I noticed the left side of my tank had a bit of a dead spot where the plants didn’t move and the sand was dirty as well. So I purchased the smallest circulation pump I could find and added that in to get more movement in that area which will hopefully circulate the fertilizer better... this also in the hopes of combating algae. Not to mention that it will make vacuuming the sand easier if the waste were to pile up where it was easier to see and reach.

And since I was checking for ammonia constantly I decided to try this 24/7 tester by Seachem.

These shells I got especially for the snails.

ROFL I just read the fine print on the Wonder Shells.

 

That is hilarious!! The idea of snails and "vigor" just doesn't mesh in my mind.

Yes, I would definitely keep an eye on your parameters (which you seem to be doing!). Your tank is beautiful and very nicely planted, but I would still expect to see at least some nitrates in a cycled tank.

 

That is hilarious!! The idea of snails and "vigor" just doesn't mesh in my mind.

Yes, I would definitely keep an eye on your parameters (which you seem to be doing!). Your tank is beautiful and very nicely planted, but I would still expect to see at least some nitrates in a cycled tank.

Thank you, I'll run the test again tonight, being careful to shake shake shake.

FYI, the Phosphate level of my tap water was the same as inside the tank, 2ppm. I'm still researching this but it seems it is too high. I feel like a chemist reading about the different versions of phosphate and how much is necessary for plants but too much for algae.

I just read another post that says I have too little phosphate.

Method of Controlled Imbalances Summary

This is perhaps not where a beginner should start...

 

So instead of shaking bottle #2 bang it on something... I bang mine against a hard counter

Phosphates overall don't cause algae, however, phosphates out of whack with nitrates could cause a problem.

As plants aren't fed what they need they begin to suffer, opening up the door to algae. Algae will them begin to consume the ferts, making plants even more unhealthy...

I would get a fert such as thrive by nilocg or plant food by ultum nature systems. Both of these have the proper NPK ratio and will help the plants outcompete the algae.

 

I'm going to start with the lighting, then step up to the fertilizers if I don't see a significant change. I've ordered a light timer, should be here tomorrow or the day after.

So instead of shaking bottle #2 bang it on something... I bang mine against a hard counter

Phosphates overall don't cause algae, however, phosphates out of whack with nitrates could cause a problem.

As plants aren't fed what they need they begin to suffer, opening up the door to algae. Algae will them begin to consume the ferts, making plants even more unhealthy...

I would get a fert such as thrive by nilocg or plant food by ultum nature systems. Both of these have the proper NPK ratio and will help the plants outcompete the algae.

I had started using Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive, then switched to Easy Green. I've since started using Excel. Lights are easier to adjust!

 

Easy green is a good step up from flourish, way better in K, but is still pretty low on NP. Obviously you have the phosphates covered lol... maybe buy a bottle of seachem nitrogen and dose that separately... this way you can keep using the easy green and get your nitrates up a bit.


Lights for sure are easy to adjust

What lighting do you have and what is the current photoperiod? What type of algae?

 

Easy green is a good step up from flourish, way better in K, but is still pretty low on NP. Obviously you have the phosphates covered lol... maybe buy a bottle of seachem nitrogen and dose that separately... this way you can keep using the easy green and get your nitrates up a bit.


Lights for sure are easy to adjust

What lighting do you have and what is the current photoperiod? What type of algae?

Great, thanks for the tips. I have the Fluval Fresh & Plant 2.0 And I leave the lights on way too long I know. I leave work at about 7:15 AM, that's when I turn the lights on and then don't get home until maybe 6PM if I'm lucky and I turn off the lights about 8PM. I have a light timer arriving tomorrow so that should solve my problem with the lights. Also, I raised the light because before I had it right at the lowest level close to the waters surface.

I've noticed green spot algae, and hair algae on the glass, the wood, some plants and on the sand but the green sand only the first day. The brown diatoms lasted about a week so hopefully those are gone for good. I've read a bit that green spot algae appears when there isn't enough phosphate. Kept reading and it appears the ratio of nitrates to phosphate should be 10:1 respectively, so if my tank stays at the 2ppm of phosphate I should try to reach 20ppm in nitrates.

Weird, when you first start out you try to do water changes to remove the nitrates and now I need to increase them.

 

I know, crazy right? I usually keep my nitrates bet 10-40, shooting for 20-30. Since is ferts raising the nitrates (remember nitrates is a lump sum number, doesn't count nitrogen, etc separately)
If the higher nitrates were from accumulated waste that becomes a different story

 

Don't worry about your lack of nitrates. From the look of things, you have heavy enough planting that your tank won't ever cycle until the fish get large enough to produce more waste. At which point it will happen gradually, so you really don't need to worry unless you start seeing ammonia or strange behavior.