Stocking new 135 gallon tank.... drools

[Lycanthropic]

So I just bought a 135 gallon tank ^.^
My main concern is my goby. It shall be his new home *dances*
Its going to have to be sand bottomed.
Any suggestions for buddies that will not nip at my goby and will not interfere?

As well, this tank is currently set up for freshwater, with a rena filter and protein skimmers etc.... Will I need to change much when I switch it to brackish?

I have my 30 g for brackish... but I don't know if things would change with a bigger tank...

Thanks everyone!
*So glad I finally have a proper home for my goby ^.^*

[krytan]

You will need more filteration for the bigger tank. Skimmers arn't needed on freshwater or brakish tanks.
What sort of goby do you have?

[Lycanthropic]

Dragon/violet goby. and its like a rena x3 or somthing like that.... I wont know exactly until saturday...

[kyryah]

I have a couple of Bumblebee gobies, and of course my beloved mollies in with my Violet. I have not had any problems with the mollies or the Violet being aggressive with each other, but I do have a large stack of rock caves that provides a home for the goby. He of course rearranged the substrate to his liking, lol.

I would really like to get a couple of Knight gobies or Clay or Jade gobies, but my tank is already fully stocked. I do intend on adding some Ghost shrimp and so far bladder snails and ramshorns and one tiny viviparous snail are surviving at 1.004 (still making the brackish transition.)

Kristina

[heavyhammer]

A few fish that would fit into your brackish tank would be, monos,scats,and columbians to name a few. And your skimmer will not be required unless you plan on eventually going full marine.

[Lycanthropic]

No im not planning on going full marine. This bracksih wont happen for a while because this tank is going to be used for freshwater and then i will transition to brackish. And I cant have mollies because they eat my goby's food and he had a caniption and nips at them, lunges at them.... I had to take them out.
I heard soemthing about puffers... any puffers that would go okay with my goby?

[krytan]

Puffer are best left in a species only tank and there are not many puffers that can be kept in freshwater.

[Lycanthropic]

I think you are getting confused. I will be starting the tank as fresh to get it cycled. Then I will transiton to brackish, which i when I will be stocking the tank.
The puffers, If I get them at all, would be in brackish

[krytan]

If you want a brackish tank you should cycle it as a brackish tank. The bacteria needed in a healthy tank will die off if you suddenly change from freshwater to brackish.

[Gobioides]

If you want a brackish tank you should cycle it as a brackish tank. The bacteria needed in a healthy tank will die off if you suddenly change from freshwater to brackish.

That's why we don't make the change suddenly. The idea is to only move the specific gravity up less than .002 every week until you're at the right SG. That keeps the tank from having to re-cycle.

[krytan]

That's why we don't make the change suddenly. The idea is to only move the specific gravity up less than .002 every week until you're at the right SG. That keeps the tank from having to re-cycle.
Yes that's how i changed my figure8 puffer tank to brakish, but if it's a new tank why not just cycle it as a brackish tank in the first place? It would be ready for fish much sooner.

[Gobioides]

So if it's a new tank why not just cycle it as a brackish tank in the first place? It would be ready for fish much sooner.

Good point. That would save a lot of trouble.
That's what I'm gonna do when I set up my 210 gal.

[bigwave]

I always thought a slow transition to brackish allows you no lose your biological filtration. Some may slowly die off, but they are replaced by bacteria that can live with a little salt.

[kyryah]

Yes that's how i changed my figure8 puffer tank to brakish, but if it's a new tank why not just cycle it as a brackish tank in the first place? It would be ready for fish much sooner.

Because if the fish have been kept in FW, which most BW fish bought from LFS have, they can't be just plopped into BW ;) They need to transition too.

Kristina

[Gobioides]

Because if the fish have been kept in FW, which most BW fish bought from LFS have, they can't be just plopped into BW ;) They need to transition too.

Kristina

Take into consideration how tolerant brackish fish are of salinity changes. A fish bought in fresh can be drip acclimated to brackish in a few hours. Depending on the fish (and the SG it's being moved to) it may not even take that long.

[krytan]

Take into consideration how tolerant brackish fish are of salinity changes. A fish bought in fresh can be drip acclimated to brackish in a few hours. Depending on the fish (and the SG it's being moved to) it may not even take that long.
I agree, i have done this with fish in the past and they all seemed happy.

The quickest way to set up a brackish tank is to set it up as a brackish tank from the start.

[Lycanthropic]

This is going to be hard to explain....
Okay. I am setting up the tank for a bunch of homeless freshwater fishies a friend has. Their tank broke the other day and now all these fish are kinda homeless... or in a very small tank. The fish are freshwater. Once my friend can take his fish back, I will start changing my tank to brackish.
I know, I know, confusing as heck.... but it makes sense in my mind.... could we get back to the topic please though? Ideas for when my tank is actually brackish so I can start saving towards any expensive fish... etc etc?

[Twistersmom]

Archer fish, orange chromides, and knight gobys, can all live peacefully with your dragon goby and enjoy the same salt level.
I also have mollies in with my dragon goby, so maybe the mollies and goby will work well together in the larger tank.

[Pufferpunk]

I keep F8s with my DG. Remember, fish like scats, monos & Columbian sharks prefer high-end BW/SW as adults, where F8s prefer low-end BW SG of around 1.005.