Landon

Thought I'd post an update on my puffer, Lord Paimon. Everything is going pretty well, there are no signs of disease in the community tank. I have had an issue with blue-green algae over the past few weeks though. I'm suspecting higher than usual nitrate levels (40-50 ppm). I've tried gravel-vacuuming the sand a few times a week, and 20-30% water changes along with that, but nitrates quickly climb back up to the 40-50 range. The blue-green algae comes back everyday. I've tried cutting back on feedings- 1/2 cube frozen bloodworms in the morning and 1/2 cube at night in addition to some community flake food and a sinking pellet for the cories. I am experimenting with less lighting.. Maybe less intensity so it doesn't hit the sand as much? Maybe I need to scoop out some unfinished snail corpses? This is a high tech setup, so I was fertilizing Easy Green twice a week. Maybe I should only fertilize once a week?

@Chris That's really good to know! Thanks for the tip.

@Patrick_G He's a little over 2 inches long

I had to make a judgement call yesterday. As I started feeding my puffer more in the quarantine tank, the nitrogen cycle started crashing. The water was cloudy and test strips were detecting small amounts of ammonia and nitrites. I did a 50% water change, and it quickly became cloudy again. I was using a previously cycled sponge filter in the QT, and I'd had the tank running for about 10 days before adding the puffer. I had a few plants growing in there too, but maybe that's not enough for a big waste producing fish in a 10 gallon tank. Is it really possible to have a QT accommodate a puffer without substrate and a bunch of plants? Anyway, he looked healthy for that week in quarantine and I trust the retailer I bought him from (Dan's Fish), so I moved him to my display tank. I'm kinda nervous watching him interact with my Congo Tetras because they're so rowdy, but I haven't noticed any issues yet!

@Patrick_G lol, you certainly are! It looks amazing 💯

@mountaintoppufferkeeper Wow, I love seeing these images and gifs! I am quickly becoming a huge puffer fan. And It's great hearing actual amounts that other people are feeding. I'll also try feeding him until he gets bored. That may give me an idea of what my target should be (I guess that is what I tend to do with my other fish at first). @Patrick_G I had the same question and asked Dan if he had any tips for how I should care for him. Here's the response:

@Chris Thank you for the tip! I'll keep an eye on that belly, and I love to hear that they're forgiving. He seems strong to me 💪

I just received my order from Dan's Fish- a Spotted Congo Puffer! I've had him in his quarantine tank for a few hours and he's happily munching on snails and frozen bloodworms. He seems very confident and curious for having just been shipped across 2 states. I had a Pleco from another online retailer die after a few days, so I'm still on high alert. Right now I'm trying to figure out how much bloodworm and how many snails to feed him.. (blue lights are on in this tank) He will eventually be added to a 48 gallon tank with: 6 Congo Tetra6 Orange Laser Cories1 Hillstream Loach 1 Siamese Algae Eater 2 Giant Otos Amano Shrimp (lunch?) More updates to come!

Panda Loaches and they're amazing ☺️

@TheSwissAquarist @Chick-In-Of-TheSea Yep, Panda Loaches (Yaoshania pachychilus). I love them!!

Hanging out 👯‍♂️

This guy died today (day 3)... I was starting to think that he looked healthy. He didn't have any Ich spots, but he left behind some weird looking poop. Maybe it was parasites? I didn't try anything beyond the med-trio. If I could do it over again I might have tried feeding him earlier in addition to salts for electrolytes.

Thank you for your insight @laritheloud! It's very possible I'm being hyper vigilant. Maybe I'll stick with the med trio and try out salt if I see these issues progressing, but he is looking pretty good today.

Welcome! Love the expressions on these Polar Parrots 😗

That plan sounds good to me. And maybe the salt will help the fin damage I'm seeing? Thank you very much for the input @Colu!!

Hi, I just received this Blue Panaque Pleco from an online retailer yesterday. I started the med trio as soon as I got him in a quarantine tank with a cycled sponge filter. Today, I am noticing some disease. I would love some help with these questions: This is my first time diagnosing disease, but I'm guessing that I'm dealing with Ich and Fin Rot. Does that look right? I'm piecing together information from Co-Op videos and other forum posts, but I'm thinking I should do a 30% water change and start treating for just these two diseases using Aquarium Solutions Ich-X and Mardel Maracyn. I guess I should now follow the package directions for both of these? Can they be done at the same time either though the packaging for Ich-X says not to mix medications? When should I feed him? I know this species is especially susceptible to malnutrition and I don't know when he was fed last. I've had the cycled sponge filter in this tank for 5 days, and I've been feeding a mystery snail in there to keep it going. Thank you in advance for any and all help! 🙂

@MattyM Thanks! It's Activ-Flora Black Gravel, but it's much closer to a sand than gravel. My stem plants and crypts seem to like it!

@Beardedbillygoat1975 Done! Looking forward to it 🙂

Wow, his coloring is amazing! Welcome to the forum, Dungeon Master Miso 🙂

Oh! That would explain the size difference. Thank you for the info 🙂 I'll try crushing the flake food into fine bits as much as possible, so hopefully some of that will trickle down.

Very nice! Rosen Maiden looks amazing, and I love all the warm colors in this tank!

I have a 48 gallon tank with: 6 Orange Laser Cories 6 Congo Tetras - 4 males, 2 females 1 Hillstream Loach 2 Mystery Snails Amano Shrimp I was really enjoying my Cories but since adding Congo Tetras, I hardly ever see them. My biggest concern is that the Cories aren't getting much to eat. Anytime the Tetras see a Cory eating (the little buttwiggle), they push them aside and take it away. . I've tried feeding the Cories in a heavily planted corner of the tank, but the Tetra still seem to get in there I've tried feeding the Cories at night. They may be getting some of it, but it's hard to tell in the dark lol I usually feed them all at the same time, and I've tried different types of food (Repashy Gel, flakes, wafers, frozen food). The Tetra just snap it all up until they're bloated and lumpy. Nobody in the tank seems interested in veggies except for my snails One of my Cories has grown quite a bit, but the others are lagging behind. Also, it looks like one of them is starting to lose it's color. Would more Cories restore the balance at feeding time, or is this always an issue with aggressive eaters and Cories? My goal for this tank is to have a Spotted Congo Puffer at some point, so I imagine feeding times could get even more challenging...

I agree! Their tight schooling is amazing, and I love that dark dorsal fin. Pictures don't do them justice.

Thank you! I invested heavily in plants, and I've had alot of extra time to figure things out during a funemployment period.

Hey Y'All! I've been getting into the hobby over the past few months. I stopped into the store in Edmonds and was immediately inspired by the staff's passion for planted tanks. I'm a gardener and houseplant enthusiast, so aquascaping feels like a natural progression! I started with a free 10 gallon tank from a neighbor, then upgraded to a 22 long. One tank quickly turned into two as I work toward my dream fish: the Spotted Congo Puffer. Here's what I have now: Small tank: Cherry shrimp - skittles color mix Sunset Honey Gourami Emerald Eye Rasbora Panda Loaches (just got them today - my new fave) Ramshorn Snails (hopefully breeding for puffer food) + 1 Mystery Snail Big tank: Congo Tetra Orange Laser Cories Hillstream Loach 3 Mystery Snails - might be puffer food someday.. especially all the baby snails that are hatching now Amano Shrimp - puffer may eat these too Lots of brown algae.. diatoms Still have alot to learn!