New 5.5 Gallon Dwarf Puffer Tank

[waterdrop]

Thanks John! (I don't know.. would it be adding too much clutter?)

 

[jmiller]

I'll find out.

From everything I've read they like to have a heavily planted tank with lots to explore. If it turns out to be to much then I always have the Beta tank that I can put the extras in.

 

[waterdrop]

I meant the rocks

 

[jmiller]

Oh.

They are different than the other ones. These are flattened, round, smooth, river rock a little smaller than a baseball. I think I have three. I have enlisted the help of my wife Wednesday night to help with the planting so I'm sure she'll tell me if it's cluttered. You know how wives and opinions are.

 

[waterdrop]

Well, with living partners, if the clutter is yours, its clutter. If its theirs, its not! Simple

 

[jmiller]

Still dosing and hitting zeros just like it should. Plants will be here Wednesday and the fish on Friday. They will call me when it comes in and I'll pick it up still bagged from the distributor. I also counted around 10 very small snails in my 10 gallon community tank tonight that may come in handy.

 

[jmiller]

Tonight was big water change night. Stats before the change:
PH..........7.4
Ammonia.....0
Nitrite.....0
Nitrate.....80+/<160

Now to the plants. Here was how I had it pictured in my mind when I bought the plants:



There were a few things I didn't like or they didn't work out size wise once I started the planting so I moved a few things around and came up with this:



I like this much better.

Stats after the WC:
PH..........7.8 (back to normal)
Ammonia.....0
Nitrite.....0
Nitrate.....20+

Nitrate is a little higher than the usual 10 that I maintain in my other tanks so I'll do another water change tomorrow (50%) to bring it down. I'll also stare at the new planting and make any changes tomorrow.

 

[waterdrop]

Well I do think you cleaned things up and arranged better but its an unfair comparison because in the second picture you managed to seem to get much better overhead lighting (looks like you turned the flash off and perhaps changed some camera settings?) So the second picture shows the plants looking nice and healthy. I like how the plants look and the overall arrangement a lot by the way. Are you just "vamping" or still cycling?

WD

 

[jmiller]

Your right that first picture was with the flash. Unfortunately I hated the layout so much that's the only one I took. As far as I'm concerned the cycle is complete since I've hit zeros on the 12 hr test every time since the 14th day, I think I'm on day 20 or 21 now. I've ordered the fish and will pick it up tomorrow. With the water change tonight I'll do my last dose of ammonia.

 

[waterdrop]

I will not say congratulations you have cycled the filter, since technically you both used MM in the filter and cleaned the old filter in the new tank. But I will say: Congratulations, you have successfully cloned your filter!

WD

 

[jmiller]

Whatever you want to call it is fine. I call it done!

 

[jmiller]

Here are the first pics:

I picked it up still in the bag from the distributor. I tested the bag water and it was identical to mine. Floated in a container for about 30 minutes and then released. The first place it went to was the filter intake tube. Before the night is over I'll have to wrap it in foam or a sponge.

It's still real jumpy so I didn't get very many pics. I currently have a few frozen bloodworms in the worm feeder and I put in one snail. I sure hope it eats soon because it's real thin looking.

So what do you think male or female?

 

[waterdrop]

I think my wife would love it, that's what I think. I think I should be thinking about some dwarf puffers. You've got the touch John.
WD

 

[jmiller]

It just ate!, 4 frozen bloodworms.

It is an interesting fish to say the least. If you need any help just holler (KY word). I've done so much research I could probably write a book about them.

Looking much better with a belly full of bloodworm.

 

[waterdrop]

HaHa, fat and happy! I assume ya'll have hollerin contests there too,lol