puffer happiness! new tank :D

[hellohefalump]

I've been cycling a 4 foot tank for about three and a half weeks now gradually adding fish from my old 60litre. What I did, was I added the minnows and the mollies first, then more minnows, then more mollies, then the female gourami, then just yesterday I added the whiptail, the male gourami and my collomesus puffer.

As the 60 litre has been getting emptier and more peaceful, Philip (my puffer) has been getting more and more confident and happy looking. He's been eating a lot better. I was thinking of just keeping him in the 60litre on his own, but my housemates don't like the living room being taken over and three tanks were getting a bit much and there was no where else to put it... so in the end I put him into the big tank with the others.

I thought that he'd be a bit freaked out and hide a lot (like he was when I first got him) but I was surprised because his new found confidence seems to have come with him into the new tank and he's swimming around happy and can be, eating loads, and loving his new big tank!

I'm keeping the 60 litre so that when he grows bigger if he starts being aggressive towards the other fish I can separate him, but I really really hope he stays nice, because he's loving all the space in his new tank. Also if I had a third tank I'd have to put it in my bedroom, which would mean making space... which would mean getting rid of my computer and I don't want to do that.

Just thought I'd share that... it's so great to see him looking so happy

 

[SirMinion]

Territorial puffers like to have as much space to make a territory as possible.
When he was alone in the 60 litre, he saw all that fish-free space as succesfully defended territory which gave him confidence & made him happy.
Now that he's in the big tank, he can maintain his 60 litre territory within the larger area, even though it now contains a few other fish. (but not as many as when he shared the 60 litre).

He's a happy puffer because he's got his personal space.

Puffer psyche 101 class dismissed.

 

[hellohefalump]

ah ha! that makes sense! Thanks sir Minion! and lots of luck to cookie!

 

[SirMinion]

lots of luck to cookie!

Cookie says "Thank you" - well, actually he says "F'nk oo" because his teeth get in the way.

 

[jflowers]

My SAP's love my four foot tank, I have two and have had them for a month or so. The only trouble I have had so far is that I had to remove three of my gourami (on advice from LadyMinion) as they were nipping them. Now I have plenty of mature apple snails (=baby snails) which my SAPs love.

Visited my localish Maidenhead aquatics today to get some more snails and plants and as the guy was adding the mature snails (6 for a fiver), I noticed that they had many baby ones in other tanks and said "If you can chuck in some baby ones for nothing my puffers would love it". The LFS guy spent ages getting baby snails and charged me nothin for them. They are all gone

Jon