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Dwarf puffers tank layout

28K views 307 replies 11 participants last post by  Chesh 
#1 ·
Ok so went into the lfs today and asked then to order me some of these lil beauties, will be a few weeks though which is really good actuakkynas gives me a chance to get their tank properly 'furnished' before their arrival. They will be in the tank attached below.

This tank is fully established, but I want to scrap it and start afresh. The substrate I think should be changed for play sand and then plants in there won't be used, they will all be new ones depending upon suggestions etc. Tank size is 24 x 12 x 12.

Know they need a planted tank with different areas to break up line of sight and establish territories etc. What else do they need though? Is caves a necessity? Tank has wood which you can see but if there is a better layout am happy to get new in to suit it better.

Any suggestions and even better pictures of established puffer tanks would be greatly appreciated!

Nile
 

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#55 ·
Nile your tank is going to loom good once you have the plants in and everything fills out!

I think I would definitely try Pygmy Chain sword in the front. Though Dwarf Sagittaria weren't look bad either or Broad leaf Chain sword. Those just look cool to me and I think they would full out the front nicely.
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#56 ·
the plants are in!!! Just the Vallisneria gigantea and then front to do.
I know what you mean about the front with the swords....but the reason i thought hairgrass or something of the sort is that i would like something they can explore which is short and in full view for me......yet still lets me look further back into the tank
 
#58 ·
The Vals will look really nice in that setup! I had them for a bit, but they never really did very well for me. From what I've read they can be iffy about soft water, but some people have had success, so hoping you're one of those! I ended up replacing my vals with Crypt.Spirallis. Its more willowly than the straight grassy blades of the vals, but is still a very pretty, similar plant. The odd thing is that, even though my vals didn't thrive, they DID continue to multiply - I had runners everywhere. Never did understand that!

In my tank, the Chain Sword and the Dwarf Sag do stay nice and low, they're just. . . bushier than the hairgrass would be. Those new lights look cool, though. I don't know anything about LED - would that put you in a higher lighting than you are now?

Whatever you end up with, I'm SURE it'll look fantastic! It's a nice setup, I really can't wait to see how the Puffers like it!!!
 
#59 ·
Eleocharis parvula is still wining through - mainly due to the 2 inch height.
I'm going to look into it further though.

Is there any other truly mini's out there?
 
#60 ·
Oooh, vals! I could never get them to grow for me, which is a shame cause I can pull them out of the river all day long, lol. Those will look super pretty in there.
Yeah, the only java moss they sell is wrapped around bamboo, bleh. I just want a clump but I'm not going to buy it online, shipping just kills me lol.

I've never hear of aquarium silver sand, that's fascinating...You bought it from the LFS?
 
#61 ·
Yeah, its good sand from what i read - though finer -and EVERYWHERE it says when you fill you tank expect it to be cloudier than using other sand slike play sand. HA! HA! MAYBE the LAZY people need to clean their sand as many times as me.........and it'll LOOK like crytal 2 secs after filling like mine did! HA!

lol

And i'm hoping they will work out. i have a dwarf one in the other tank that never got going........so im hoping for more luck this time........else i'll have to switch out to something like Jes's crypt spirallis!

can you not just unwrap it off the bamboo? OR is it not growing anywhere in the wild there?!!?

32 hours to puffers!!!!!!!
 
#62 ·
Hm, maybe...I don't know. It looks rooted to it...That's definitely something to think about.
And nyehhh :p I haven't found mosses here, which is a bummer. I'm hoping I can get a canoe sometime this summer so I can go out deeper in the river for plants.

I AM SO EXCITED FOR PUFFERS. I really hope they like their new home! :D
 
#64 ·
I hope your vals take off for you this time! Mine did. . . okay. . . for a long time, it had loads of runners, and it grew - it just was never right. I don't know how to explain it. I ended up yanking most of it after an algae bloom caused by a massive power-out, and it never recovered. Gorgeous plant, though I now love my crypt way more!

Jen. . .bamboo?!! That's one of the oddest things I've ever heard! Anyway, even if it IS root into. . . whatever, you can just pull it off - it's easy to do. Even if some of the strands break, in my experience with moss, that doesn't really matter :)

25 (or so) hours and counting!!! :D SO exciting! I can't wait for those little uns!
 
#65 ·
I had Jungle Val in my 55 gallon and it grew like a weed!! They got huge!!!! Like to the point that they covered the top from one end of the tank to the other! They do better in harder water Jes. So not sure what your hardness is but am thinking its softer then mine. So that might explain why yours didn't do as well.
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#66 ·
Well congrats on getting you tank planted. It will look great once it fills in and you get the additional plans you are talking about. Vals are one of my favorite plants also and I am planning on placing some in my 75 with cichlids. From reading looks like tomorrow is Puffer-Day! like others I am so Jealous.
 
#67 ·
It is! I'm on countdown! 18 hours to puffers! Haha.

I know, looks ok right now, but will be much better once it fills in, I moss the wood, and find something short I want for the front couple of inches. There enough I hope to keep them busy in there till it's finished though...got the wknd to sort it out though!

Just wish I had room to bring all 10 of them home!!!
 
#69 ·
Yeah it was a toss up on the twisted piece of wood on the left too. I have a much bigger, maybe 7/8 inch L 3" W 3" slightly curved flatter piece that I was going too put in but decided for more plants instead. Might Changet later.... hope they do look good covered in the java moss though! Not looking forward to tying it all on with thread!!!

15 and half hours! Lol
 
#71 ·
If there are cracks, you can do it that way, but yeah - tying SUCKS! I actually got some tiny black or transparent silicone rubber-bands - like the kind you'd find in a baby-doll's hair? and use them to just band roots on.It works REALLY well for me, and it's WAY faster, easier, and stronger than tying.You can find them in beauty supply places. I rinse them with warm water and vinegar before putting them in the tanks and never had a problem. :) SOME places you still need to tie, but I bet the bands would work on that driftwood *nods*
 
#72 ·
Your right..... BUT then I'd of cheated. And I'd Always look at them. I was cleaning some early algae off my other wood in other tank and snapped the thread on an anubias. First place my eyes go now is to the band.... makes me grr!!! Lol
So unfortunately I'm screwed and will have to thread it!
Which reminds me that I need new thread.... why the other one got banded. Hmmm should I get green or black etc?
 
#73 ·
I always go with black cuz' it tends to blend better with the roots and wood or *most* rocks. With the moss being so fluffy, you'll probably be able to see where it's attached for a short time, anyway - but matching the green might not be as easy as you think. ALTHOUGH. . . you DO have Maidenhead Aq, so the shop probably has special moss-colored thread for this kind of thing anyway. *jealous*

With the black rubberbands you really don't even SEE them. Only. . . um . . . I use the same bands for my daughter's hair, so when I run out, I've used odd brightly colored ones *giggle* THAT bugs me, but they attach pretty quickly, and I snip the band and all done! Dude... I am all about cheating when it comes to attaching things to other things, lol! I SUCK at tying plants and thread when everything is wet. Seriously. . . I'm very bad at it! *GIGGLE*
 
#74 ·
Haha! I suck too, first attempts went terribly to say the least! Learnt it's a two person job now....Mrs chips in and goes spot on!
Haha maidenhead isn't THAT good. Lmao - moss coloured thread :-D

I'll go with black then! Least I can blame you if it all goes wrong then!! Haha
 
#75 ·
I'm lazier than you guys and I just shove at a plant until it gets stuck in the driftwood somewhere :p Although I'd be afraid the moss would just fall apart. It looks so delicate!

What about fishing line? It's clear, so you wouldn't really see it...Although I can imagine that might be a problem when it comes time to remove it :p

Sometimes I take a pebble and use it to hold down certain plants if I'm trying to attach them, it works pretty well.
 
#76 ·
Dam! That reminds me I was meant to find a mid sized but skinny, squarish stone for a kind of centre piece/ sight breaker that more moss could get on! Poop
 
#77 ·
. . .a mid sized but skinny, squarish stone. . .
Isn't that funny? I mean. . . who SAYS something like that? But I know EXACTLY what you mean, and the frustrations of not being able to find the ideal rock, lol!

It IS a 2 person job, for sure. And my other is usually not around when I'm fiddling with the tanks - it's kind of planned that way, cuz' I give him heart-failure toting big ol' buckets of water around, lol! I have used fishing twine - and you can't see it, easy enough to remove. MY issue with that stuff is that it's hard (for me) to get the knot tight enough, since it's a plastic kind of thread? I know people DO this, but the knots ALWAYS slip when I do *shrugs* There must be a tequnique that I'm missing here, lol! And Jen - I do prefer to wedge stuff in - the natural approach, neh? But there isn't always a way to do that, then you're stuck, lol! Moss. .. is kind of fragile, as in the individual strands will break fairly easily, but by its nature it can root from anywhere, and is fairly hard to kill, so. . . *shrugs*

Are those darn PUFFERS home yet?!!
 
#78 ·
Hahaha no! But we're down to 11 hours!

Well the J moss I'm getting comes rooted into a "mat" or something otlr other....so I can cut it to shame and attach the mat to wood. I could prob glue it if I wanted with aquarium Glue.or w/e. But nah.

The trick IMO is that second person who holds the first knot in place!!!

And yes, the stone.... tbh I just completely forgot about t whilst I mentally planned through planting etc
 
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