:help2:I bought two green spotted puffers and a dragon fish (violet goby) from walmart and I need to change it to brackish water now. One of the puffers died because they got ich. The other is fine and gets along well with the dragon fish. I have alot of questions I hope to find answers to.
1. I dont know what else to feed my dragon fish other than shrimp pellets.
(they make so much mess when they break apart). It has to be something that will sink to the bottom because my puffer will eat anything that floats in about 5 seconds. lol I have only seen the dragon come to the top about 4 times. I usually drop a pellet to it through a straw.
2. Should I put sand in there instead of gravel?
I have seen on the net that the dragon fish prefer sand. I worry its hurting itself trying to dig around in the hard gravel. But I also wonder if it would eat the sand because it just kinda sucks everything into its mouth. I was also thinking it may be easier to keep the tank clean with the sand because the shrimp pellets break into tiny peices and get into the gravel. I dont want to have to move them all the time to clean the gravel. Maybe with the sand it will stay on top more.
3. What is the best way to convert it to brackish water?
I dont want to stress the fish. I have looked at many websites and the information varys from one to the next and I just wish I new someone who had to do this before and still has living fish to prove it worked.
4. Also, I want both of my fish to live the longest possible and I know that the puffers are supposed to go to full salt water later in life but I dont think the same goes for the dragon fish. Should I seperate them later?
5. How often should I do water changes, and how much water should I change?
I've seen something about cycling the tank..I have know idea how to do it or if I really need to. They seem very healthy and they have been in there 2 or 3 months now.
I usually check all the chemicals in the tank and I have had them set perfectly for a fresh water tank. I have never seen any test strips for brackish water mine has fresh and salt but Im sure they must be out there somewhere. I have a heater in there and it is between 74 and 80 right now. Any ideas on trusted testing kits for brackish water? I know I have more questions but I cant think of any right now so I will go ahead a post. I hope I get some help and didnt do all this typing for nothing.
1. I dont know what else to feed my dragon fish other than shrimp pellets.
(they make so much mess when they break apart). It has to be something that will sink to the bottom because my puffer will eat anything that floats in about 5 seconds. lol I have only seen the dragon come to the top about 4 times. I usually drop a pellet to it through a straw.
2. Should I put sand in there instead of gravel?
I have seen on the net that the dragon fish prefer sand. I worry its hurting itself trying to dig around in the hard gravel. But I also wonder if it would eat the sand because it just kinda sucks everything into its mouth. I was also thinking it may be easier to keep the tank clean with the sand because the shrimp pellets break into tiny peices and get into the gravel. I dont want to have to move them all the time to clean the gravel. Maybe with the sand it will stay on top more.
3. What is the best way to convert it to brackish water?
I dont want to stress the fish. I have looked at many websites and the information varys from one to the next and I just wish I new someone who had to do this before and still has living fish to prove it worked.
4. Also, I want both of my fish to live the longest possible and I know that the puffers are supposed to go to full salt water later in life but I dont think the same goes for the dragon fish. Should I seperate them later?
5. How often should I do water changes, and how much water should I change?
I've seen something about cycling the tank..I have know idea how to do it or if I really need to. They seem very healthy and they have been in there 2 or 3 months now.
I usually check all the chemicals in the tank and I have had them set perfectly for a fresh water tank. I have never seen any test strips for brackish water mine has fresh and salt but Im sure they must be out there somewhere. I have a heater in there and it is between 74 and 80 right now. Any ideas on trusted testing kits for brackish water? I know I have more questions but I cant think of any right now so I will go ahead a post. I hope I get some help and didnt do all this typing for nothing.