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natasharos
03/27/2013, 05:24 PM
of my new 40 gallon tank. I'm a newbie. I started my tank about 2 weeks ago.

Had the water tested--too much salt. Guy at the fish shop sold me the right water to add.

Went back--water fine, added two damsels.

Back the following week. Water just fine. Bought a sweet porcupine puffer. Got him Krill and feed him one or two per day. He ate the first night home.

He's in there with two damsels and in the last couple days he's hanging out at the bottom of the tank and I'm worried.

It's Wednesday night and my plan is to take the water in again Friday evening and have it tested.

Maybe the damsels are aggressive with him? Or maybe the water if off?

My plan is to get another puffer--dog faced, and a picasso trigger, all about the same size, but want to make sure my little porcupine puffer is ok first.

Any ideas/suggestions?

Windirmere
03/27/2013, 05:41 PM
Are you topping off your water thats evaporating? how large is the puffer, I believe the fish you are interested get large and need tanks that are over 100gallons :S. We need more information about your tank, like How old it is, filtration, and your maintenance plans to help you out more.

whiteshark
03/27/2013, 05:41 PM
Your tank is not yet cycled. Your LFS is giving you terrible advice. The tank is not ready for fish yet and the messy porcupine is going to make a heavy cycle that it probably won't live through. You should take all the fish back then read all the stickies at the top of this forum. Properly cycle your tank and add the proper equipment. In several weeks (could be up to 8) you'll be ready for fish.

Also know that one puffer in a 40 is already too much. Another one is way too much. A trigger on top of that is way way too much.

natasharos
03/27/2013, 06:03 PM
But I bought live water from the get go. Tank is 40 gallons. Have a 50 gallon filter on it and could change filter to a 75 gallon filter if that would be better. Have not been topping it off. I have a glass cover so not a ton of evaporation.

whiteshark
03/27/2013, 06:17 PM
How much rock do you have? Sand? Were did the rock and sand come from? The bacteria needed to break down ammonia and nitrite are not found in large enough quantities in water alone to quickly facilitate the breakdown of these chemicals into nitrate. What kind of filter do you have? Do you own any test kits? What are your water parameters? Temperature, salinity, ammonia, nitrite? Do you rely completely on the fish store to test your water? What kind of test kits are they using to test the water?

Honestly I think you have a lot of reading to do. An LFS is going to try to sell you anything you'll buy. Yours obviously doesn't care if you succeed or fail and doesn't care about the livestock they sell or else they would have given you better advice and at least asked what size tank you're putting a puffer in.

IloveGreatDanes
03/27/2013, 06:28 PM
I agree with whiteshark, your tank is not yet cycled.

gone fishin
03/27/2013, 06:51 PM
But I bought live water from the get go. Tank is 40 gallons. Have a 50 gallon filter on it and could change filter to a 75 gallon filter if that would be better. Have not been topping it off. I have a glass cover so not a ton of evaporation.

There is no such thing as live water. The sand and rock hold the bacteria that is "live" that cycles a tank. In short order you will most likely have quite a bit of ammonia if not already. This is when your livestock will be in significant danger. Return your livestock and start from the beginning. Do some intensive reading on cycling a tank and on livestock appropriate for your tank. It is your money just my 2 cents.

shifty51008
03/27/2013, 09:50 PM
The size filter you have wont make a diffrence the fish you have will get far to big for that size tank and along with the other fish you want you will need a 200 gal tank at least.

Also just because you got water from a cycled tank wont help much as the bacteria is on the rock and sand not the water alone.

Also i may be wrong but there was a troll here about a week ago that were basically asking the same questions

whiteshark
03/27/2013, 10:20 PM
There are always trolls. Unfortunately you usually have to wait for a few responses before determining if that's the case. Not always, but usually you need a response or two before calling someone a troll. I'm still not sure yet on this one.

Michigan Mike
03/27/2013, 10:23 PM
40g tank & porcupine puffer.... Look towards the future & buy a larger tank very soon.

Oh ya, get a refractometer for testing salt. If your asking someone else to tet your water for anything, especially salt content you need to get situated with a refractometer & testing equipment. Don't bother ith ish unless you have this & cycle your tank before you add fish.

Throw a raw deli shrimp in and let it rot in your tank for a week or so until an ammonia source breaks down into nitrates and cycles properly before adding any fish.

Puffers are very dirty fish so you must export the waste quickly.

Read stickies, ask questions before you do anything, research, research, everything before you get it.
You are a self admitted newbie, you have a TON of stuff to learn. If you stick around and are serious you will learn more in a year than others who started this hobby in decades.

Stick around, go very slow, ask questions before doing anything.

Nothing good happens fast! Good luck fellow reefer!

Cymonous
03/28/2013, 07:32 AM
Please take all of your fish back to the LFS. Try to find another LFS in your area to use later.
Cycle your tank properly. Read all of the stickies at the top of the forum. You have a lot to learn in this hobby. If you think your water is "Live", then you have a lot to learn. We all went through the same thing you did, but we had to research before, during and after while in this hobby.

Buy your own basic test kits for saltwater. Get at least a hydrometer, or a refractometer if you are going to keep coral.

Please save your fish. You are their only hope.