Ok, so here's the deal...
*Note: I have NO experience with Brackish or Saltwater setups--but much when it comes to freshwater.
On Sunday, I obtained (well, saved from the porcelain:bs
4 little (-/+ 1") bumblebee gobies. The gentleman told me that he keeps them in a brackish tank with about 1tsp of salt per gallon and that was it. That's all I know about them and their 4 guppy (3f & 1m) tank mates (which I obtained as well--apparently they were used as a live food source for the gobies--gobies supposedly eat the baby guppies). I was extremely hesitant to get these guys because of the fact that I have little to no knowledge of their needs or a brackish setup. However, after much debate, I decided that I had this 5 gallon marineland hex tank sitting empty and I was confident that I could quickly find the necessary information to get these guys happy. So, on the way home from nabbing the fish, I stopped at petco and grabbed a box of Instant Ocean Marine Salt since all I had here at the house was "Aquarium Salt" which I figured wasn't what they needed. Now, after thinking about it, who knows if the guy meant plain ol' aquarium salt or marine salt (that he kept them in). So, I mixed up 4 1/2 tsp of the Instant Ocean salt in a small container, filled the tank with declorinated water and added the container of salt water after the tank was almost full. I turned on the filter (which I seaded from another filter--from a freshwater tank), plugged in the heater, added a lava rock, stuck the thermometer in there and waited an hour or two. Whew. Hopefully, that was the right process! I then drip acclimated the gobies and the guppes to the tank water. After dripping them, I obviously had lowered the water a good couple of inches, so I filled it back up with tap water (and prime). So that's when I realized that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I assume that those 2 inches of freshwater probably wasn't a big deal this time, but I probably need to be adding brackish water when I replace water. Can someone explain this whater change process? I'm doing a lot of research on brackish setups, but I figured starting a detailed thread might get me faster results. Now, I realize that I need a hydrometer or a refractometer. Which do I get--is one better than the other for maintaining a brackish setup?
Any tips, suggestions, etc? Anything I need to know immediately? Please, tell me anything! Can these gobies live in the 5 gallon hex tank? Do they really eat the guppy babies? Is it wise to keep the guppies with the gobies? What do the gobies prefer to eat? I noticed that they are finicky about flakes. They eat them and then spit them out. I was a bit concerned this morning that they haven't ate anything so I nabbed a ramshorn snail from one of my tanks, smashed it and dropped it in their tank, and the gobbies seemed to enjoy it. I'm guessing I might need a live food source--perhaps start a worm culture? Also, the tank temperature is hanging at 82. Is this ok for the gobies? The heater is a little 2-5 gallon heater and it's not adjustable so I'm hoping it's ok. Can I use my freshwater test kit to test this tank's nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and pH?
Ok, off to search and search and search for brackish setup and Bumblebee Goby info. Thanks in advance for any replies! :worthy:
*Note: I have NO experience with Brackish or Saltwater setups--but much when it comes to freshwater.
On Sunday, I obtained (well, saved from the porcelain:bs
4 little (-/+ 1") bumblebee gobies. The gentleman told me that he keeps them in a brackish tank with about 1tsp of salt per gallon and that was it. That's all I know about them and their 4 guppy (3f & 1m) tank mates (which I obtained as well--apparently they were used as a live food source for the gobies--gobies supposedly eat the baby guppies). I was extremely hesitant to get these guys because of the fact that I have little to no knowledge of their needs or a brackish setup. However, after much debate, I decided that I had this 5 gallon marineland hex tank sitting empty and I was confident that I could quickly find the necessary information to get these guys happy. So, on the way home from nabbing the fish, I stopped at petco and grabbed a box of Instant Ocean Marine Salt since all I had here at the house was "Aquarium Salt" which I figured wasn't what they needed. Now, after thinking about it, who knows if the guy meant plain ol' aquarium salt or marine salt (that he kept them in). So, I mixed up 4 1/2 tsp of the Instant Ocean salt in a small container, filled the tank with declorinated water and added the container of salt water after the tank was almost full. I turned on the filter (which I seaded from another filter--from a freshwater tank), plugged in the heater, added a lava rock, stuck the thermometer in there and waited an hour or two. Whew. Hopefully, that was the right process! I then drip acclimated the gobies and the guppes to the tank water. After dripping them, I obviously had lowered the water a good couple of inches, so I filled it back up with tap water (and prime). So that's when I realized that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I assume that those 2 inches of freshwater probably wasn't a big deal this time, but I probably need to be adding brackish water when I replace water. Can someone explain this whater change process? I'm doing a lot of research on brackish setups, but I figured starting a detailed thread might get me faster results. Now, I realize that I need a hydrometer or a refractometer. Which do I get--is one better than the other for maintaining a brackish setup?Any tips, suggestions, etc? Anything I need to know immediately? Please, tell me anything! Can these gobies live in the 5 gallon hex tank? Do they really eat the guppy babies? Is it wise to keep the guppies with the gobies? What do the gobies prefer to eat? I noticed that they are finicky about flakes. They eat them and then spit them out. I was a bit concerned this morning that they haven't ate anything so I nabbed a ramshorn snail from one of my tanks, smashed it and dropped it in their tank, and the gobbies seemed to enjoy it. I'm guessing I might need a live food source--perhaps start a worm culture? Also, the tank temperature is hanging at 82. Is this ok for the gobies? The heater is a little 2-5 gallon heater and it's not adjustable so I'm hoping it's ok. Can I use my freshwater test kit to test this tank's nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and pH?
Ok, off to search and search and search for brackish setup and Bumblebee Goby info. Thanks in advance for any replies! :worthy:
