Brackish water to salt water??

[jtdecoff]

Hi this is my first time leaving a message here so i would like to say hello to everyone here. I have a few questions and statements to make so here i go: first of all i have two green spotted puffers, ruby scat, white tipped shark catfish, 2 green corey cats, a blue tetra, a moray eel, a spiny eel, and one red molly in my 55 gallon tall tank. I have a canister filter and different plants live and fake and a lava rock cavern in my tank. So there is the tank background. I have read that the ruby scat has poison glands on its dorsal fin, is this true?? next question is i want to turn this into a salt water tank, and there are some species that are in it now that should not be living in the brackish water conditions - the tetra, the corey cats. What fish will survive if i slowly bring the water from 5 tbs / gallon of salt to the 2/3 a cup / gallon that is requiered to reach the marine level? Or what is the range of salinity that a marine fish can take. I want like a clown fish. How low can the salt level be for a clown fish? what would i have to do to the tank to do this, and does anyone think it is worth it? If anyone knows any colorfull brackish fish besides scats, puffers, and archers then let me know . Thank YOU!!:laugh:

[TKOS]

None of those fish will survive long in a saltwater tank. Why don't you just get a new tank or else give away your old fish. Why are you trying to kill off your fish slowly?

Clown fish need a specific gravity of 1.023-1.026. Most brackish tanks are around 1.005 SG. There is no way you are going to get a good survival rate mixing fresh/brackish and marine fish. The true brackish may survive for awhile.

[MonoSebaelover]

Actually you are a bit misinformed there TKOS. All of those fish except the Tetra Cory and Spiny Eel can be true saltwater fish (most actually thrive in saltwater while only surviving in brackish). The Scat requires saltwater as an adult, the puffers will greatly appreciate the extra salt, the moray eel (assuming it is the Snowflake Moray is actually a saltwater fish but will do fine in brackish). I agree you can't do brackish and salt. You would just have to do salt. A salt level of 1.023-1.025 is required for saltwater fish. If you go salt I would only add 1 Clown are your tank is already maxed as it is. That scat will grow 15 inches, the catfish will get 12", puffers get 6" a piece, etc. If I were you with those fish I would return the freshwater ones and go full saltwater. Anyway, hope this helps and good luck.

[Pufferpunk]

I wouldn't add a single fish, even after removing the FW corys, tetras & eel, which needs to be removed now! My GSPs ate percula clowns. Scats will get as large as your outstreched hand & could use about 30g/fish on their own, the same w/the shark. Archers grow to 12". They & the puffers are messy eaters & large waste producers & you are going to need to do at least 50% weekly water changes=lots of $$$ for salt. I could see the puffers picking on a sedintary fish like your moray, too. I know the feeling of seeing the fish when juveniles & wanting them all. They are little at the time of purchase & they seem to get along fine, but you really need to decide whish fish you want to grow to adulthood & find good homes for the rest. If not, you are going to have problems. You could get a bigger tank.

[cdawson]

yeah I agree with the last two posts, jdecoff you're keeping living beings here and you need to start being a little more responsible about it. Pick a couple species and go with it, your tank is adequate for the GSPs and the moray. That's it.
I have 2 scats (soon to be 3), 5 mono argentus and 1 GSP in a 135g at a SG of 1.020. Let me tell you, I had to add 2 aquaclear 500s, and an xp3 as well as a powerhead for a 70g just to deal with the waste of all those fish. A single adult scat will provide enough waste to fill the base of your palm everytime it excretes waste. They need at least over 100g even for a single scat just for the swimming room alone. As for the GSP... they're swimming eating machines, they'll kill and eat most tankmates out there.
I'm suprised that it hasn't eaten any of your tetras yet, actually i'm suprised the eels haven't gone to town on both the cories and the tetras. Which is eventually what will happen unless you intervene.