View Full Version : Brackish problem!
Oddball~
11-25-2004, 11:59 PM
Im totally resetting my tank to a brackish setup! I got 2 Fig 8s in fresh...but do i just mix the marine salt with the salt in my aquarium? Do i need to cycle the tank again? I only have a 20 gallon...itll just be the two puffer fish in the tank
Oddball~
11-26-2004, 12:01 AM
And another thing.... I may just give away the figure eights and get like 6 dwarf puffers....but the problem is that i paid ~$40 dollars online, $25 was the shipping price... so i dont want to just GIVE them away.....is brackish hard to maintain? Can i convert it to fresh again?
stellablu
11-26-2004, 12:45 AM
"but do i just mix the marine salt with the salt in my aquarium?"
Why do you have salt in the aquarium already?
"I may just give away the figure eights and get like 6 dwarf puffers."
If you are giving your F8's away, then don't bother switching over to brackish. Dwarf puffers are freshwater.
Go buy a hydrometer because you should only raise the salinity .002 at a time, although I've heard of people raising it by .005 per week. I use one tablespoon of marine salt per gallon of water.
Check this page out, it answers a lot of questions
http://wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/BrackishSubWebIndex.htm
stellablu
11-26-2004, 12:47 AM
BTW I found my Dwarf Puffers hidden in a tank at PetSmart believe it or not. I think they were about $2.88 each. A lot cheaper than $40. Have you called around locally to make sure they aren't lurking in the shadows of some tank? It'll save you money for other fun stuff!
If you push the specific gravity up faster than 0.002 per week, you stand a chance of killing of the FW bacteria before the SW bacteria have a chance to establish. Puffers do not deal with ammonia or nitrite well at all. However, F-8s do not need to be at high density, so their final specific gravity is likely still within FW range for the bacteria.
The marine mix should be added to water in a separate container and dissolved before adding to the tank - unlike table salt, it does not dissolve instantly. I allow a minimum of 48 hours before use to allow it to fully dissolve and stabilize.
One tablespoon per gallon is not much marine mix at all, does it even register on a hydrometer? That may do for very small GSPs fo a while, but not for more mature ones.
To me BW is no different from FW in upkeep. Puffers are messy fish (similar to Oscars) and do require more upkeep than some fish, but that is true whether they are FW, BW, or SW.
If you F-8s are healthy, they should live more than a decade, so a quick change back to FW is not likely to be needed. If you get rid of them after the change to BW, gradual reduction of the specific gravity would be the best, but in practice would take longer than breaking the tank down and restarting with a fishless cycle or Bio-Spira. I don't use the same substrates in BW as in FW, so I would have to swap that out anyway - I use crushed coral or aragonite to help support the high pH and alkalinity BW needs.
HTH
Pufferpunk
11-26-2004, 9:27 AM
Why would you want to get rid of your F8s? It sure sounded as if you wanted them, if you were willing to pay that much for them. They sell for around $6 at most LFS, so don't expect to recoup your expenses on them. I find them much more active, personable & prettier than dwarves.
stellablu
11-26-2004, 10:16 AM
Oh, I read wrong. I thought you were paying that much for Dwarf Puffers. Ooops! :rolleyes: I agree with Pufferpunk though, F8's are much more interesting to keep.
Pufferpunk
11-26-2004, 10:23 AM
Stellablu, I notice you are keeping GSPs w/a pleco? What's the SG? GSPs need a really high-BW SG & plecos like NO salt at all.
Oddball~
11-26-2004, 11:28 AM
"but do i just mix the marine salt with the salt in my aquarium?"
Why do you have salt in the aquarium already?
oops....i don't have salt in my aquarium yet....and i REALLY wanted my figure eights, the problem is that is worse comes to worst and the bacteria in my tank wont survive and i KNOW that the bacteria wont survive and that my figure eights wont survive, than its better to give them away then to make them suffer....I REALLY LOVE MY FIGURE EIGHTS, but they are lightly colored, unlike when i see them in brackish!...........
is the SG of FW 1???
and what SG do i have to achieve for just 2 Figure eight puffers?
Would a knight goby do well in these conditions? My LFS only restocks those and no bumblebee gobies....
DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A GOOD LFS IN IRVING/COPPELL AREA??? Its in the Dallas Fort-Worth Metroplex
Oddball~
11-26-2004, 11:33 AM
Stellablu, I notice you are keeping GSPs w/a pleco? What's the SG? GSPs need a really high-BW SG & plecos like NO salt at all.
Since i cant have a pleco.... can i have some LARGE snails?
Pufferpunk
11-26-2004, 11:39 AM
You could only keep nearite snails in BW. FW snails will die in there. As long as you raise the SG slowly, over a period of a few weeks, you won't kill off your bacteria. FW SG is 1.000. You'll want to raise your SG between 1.005-8. I don't see any reason you can't keep the puffers you have. When you start adding the marine salt though, I'd get that leaf fish out of there. Actually, I'm surprised the puffers haven't nipped it. Depending on how large the tank is, you could keep knight and/or bumblebee gobies with them.
stellablu
11-26-2004, 12:49 PM
Pufferpunk, I have just started cycling two new tanks (one SW, one FW) and plan on moving the pleco to the FW. I can't put him with my goldfish and he isn't having a problem in the slight BW right now. I've just start converting to brackish about two weeks ago so my SG isn't that high yet.
BTW Do you know why you're not supposed to put plecos in with goldfish? I was told not to, but no one could tell me why.
Oddball~
11-26-2004, 12:56 PM
You could only keep nearite snails in BW. FW snails will die in there. As long as you raise the SG slowly, over a period of a few weeks, you won't kill off your bacteria. FW SG is 1.000. You'll want to raise your SG between 1.005-8. I don't see any reason you can't keep the puffers you have. When you start adding the marine salt though, I'd get that leaf fish out of there. Actually, I'm surprised the puffers haven't nipped it. Depending on how large the tank is, you could keep knight and/or bumblebee gobies with them.
Yea, the Leaffish is fine....but are there any tips on how to mix the marine salt with my brackish, etc etc etc?????
stellablu
11-26-2004, 12:57 PM
RTR,
It shows on the Instant Ocean hydrometer, but not the Deep Six.
Indigo
11-26-2004, 12:59 PM
goldfish = coldwater
pleco = tropical
The temps they prefer are about 10degrees apart.
stellablu
11-26-2004, 1:00 PM
haha thanks for pointing out the obvious, I need that much too often :)
Oddball~
11-26-2004, 1:50 PM
Argh! Darn you PetSmart and your not fish caring ways! They won't accept my FW fish as credit, so ill have to try PetLand, another chain...i cant find any local pet stores in Irving, Texas.....And the hydrometers at the PetSmart were registering minimum of 1.012, i need about 1.005 - 1.008....