Dwarf Puffer Home

[WolfaraRose]

Okay I think I have everything figured out, but I would love more opinions. The Stock should be fine, esp from what I have researched, and I will be on top of finding females and plenty of hiding spaces, and etc.

My Questions are at the bottom of this post.


Stock
4x Dwarf Puffers (1m 3f)

Equipment

Filter- 10-30i Tetra Whisper Filter
Heater- Marineland Visi-Therm 15 Gallon Heater
Air pump + Accessories- Tetra Whisper Air Pump 10+ Airline Tubing+Check Valve+ 1 Marineland LED Moonlight Blue Bubble Wand
Substrate- White Gravel
Hood- Aqueon 20" Versatop + 20" Fluorescent Strip Light + 18" Life-Glo 2 Fluorescent Light Bulb
Ferts-Seachem Flourish, API CO2 Booster
Cleaning Equipment- 5" Mini Lee's Ultra-vac + Small Glass Only Mag-Float Algae Scraper + Aquatic Gardener + 5 Gallon Bucket
Supplements- Seachem Garlic Guard
Water Conditioner- Seachem Prime
Thermometers- In Tank Thermometer +Sticky Outside Glass Thermometer
Food- Frozen Bloodworm, Live Snails on Occasion, Freeze Dried Daphnia
Net- 2" Penn Plax Infra Red Quick Net

Plants
Floating

6 Salvinia
1 Red Blue Water Lily

​Background

1 Dwarf Ambulia
2 Compact Aponogeton
3 Dwarf Vallisneria
1 Tiger Lotus
3 Bamboo

Midground

1 Crypt Wendtii
1 Aponogeton Crispus
2 java fern on Rocks
2 Becketts Crypt
1 Bamboo
1 Dwarf Vallisneria

Foreground

4 Dwarf Baby Tears on Rocks
2 Crypt Willisii


Decorations
Medium Root Stump
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...8456&pcatid=18 456


2 pack and 3 pack Cichlid Stones
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...3&pcatid=21383


1 Bridge
Blue Ribbon Blue Stone Bridge Aquarium Ornament at PETCO


1 Random ruin
http://www.petco.com/product/10543/P...rnaments-10543


Suggestions welcome!


Here are my questions


Do I need to cut back the plant list, and if so how many should it be for each plant? These are all part of the Dwarf Puffers natural surroundings, and the ones I liked outta the list...save for the bamboo.
Any more general equipment that I missed?
What should my WC % be per week, taking into consideration the plants?
Should I add any more different ferts, and if not, are the ones listed acceptable?
The decorations, too many or would it be okay?
Should I add a Proper PH Buffer 6.5, or will my Ph of 7 be adequate?
​Is my lighting sufficient?
​Is there anything else I have missed?
How should I arrange Everything as well?

​​


My Opinions.
I think the stock list is acceptable, and I think I would only have to perform 10% WC's once every two weeks. I like the ornaments I have picked out, so please don't tell me to try something else, because it is my tank, and I like the ornaments. I would love it if someone could point out some names for the future dwarf puffers as well, but remember to keep them linked. I prefer Gaelic origin names, but if you have some Harry Potter Names, just make sure there is one for each of the puffers. I'm OCD so it is a bit of a big thing. Thanks in advance as well, and give me your honest opinion! Thanks All!!!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Is it a 10g tank (20" long)?
I'll try to answer some of the questions, I'm just getting into planted tanks and haven't tried dwarf puffers (cute though they are).

Do I need to cut back the plant list, and if so how many should it be for each plant? These are all part of the Dwarf Puffers natural surroundings, and the ones I liked outta the list...save for the bamboo.
-I think there is a bit too much for a 10g as far as the number of species go. Once they grow in it will be pretty intermingled and possibly crammed. If you're going for a jungle type of look it's up to you, but do remember to take into account the growth. I'm guessing that you'll end up with lower lighting with that light and especially with the floating plants. One plant that sticks out as a problem with that is the dwarf baby tears - those like high light. Crypts are fine with low light, not sure specifically about the rest though.

Any more general equipment that I missed?
-I would nix the stick on thermometer. That's just me though. You don't really need multiple thermometers.
-Straight up gravel isn't the best for plants that feed via roots (the ones that take in nutrients via leaves don't care). Consider as well with white gravel, if it will bother you when there are bits of algae, detritus, etc. on top of the white.

What should my WC % be per week, taking into consideration the plants?
-Keep an eye on your nitrate level (and ammonia / nitrite at first), and then adjust as necessary to keep the nitrates down. It will depend on your specific source water, tank, plant mass, feeding level, etc.

The decorations, too many or would it be okay?
-Do they have them in person where you can look at them? Take them and stick them in an empty 10g at the store, and imagine your plants in between. To me, for a 10g it seems like it might make it crowded there. You can always add or take out as necessary to hit the look you're happy with.

Should I add a Proper PH Buffer 6.5, or will my Ph of 7 be adequate?
-Don't mess with your pH, especially for such a minimal change. It does more harm to keep swinging it around to try to hit a specific number. They'll adjust to your numbers, and then do better with it staying consistent.

​Is my lighting sufficient?
​-It'd be low lighting I'd guess. I'm assuming it is a normal single bulb (not like a T5 high output or some such). The single normal bulbs tend to be low to very low light. You can do higher light without a high expense (like those clamp on lights from home depot with the right spectrum bulb) or go with a more expensive option. Or stick with lower light plants with the current plan. Floating plants will lower the light level further.

Is there anything else I have missed?
-I would nix the garlic guard. There isn't any need for it. If you want, you can look into a vitamin supplement instead.
-Consider adding a background (or painting the back of the tank) as it'll help hide extraneous equipment / wires / the wall behind / etc. Just gives it a cleaner overall look. A solid blue or black looks good, also have seen solid green look really nice with a planted tanks. There are also decorated backgrounds available. Google image "planted tank" or similar and see what looks good to you. Or grab a blue / black / green / etc. posterboard and hold it up behind the tank to see - you can also just tape that up and it'll do the trick.

How should I arrange Everything as well?
-However it looks good to you - you're the one who will be looking at it all the time and enjoying it! It is a good idea to have any hard decorations at least the width of your magnet cleaner away from the glass so you can clean the glass easily. If you can arrange for the filter/heater to be hidden somewhat behind plants / decor that's a plus too.