starting a brackish....

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allaboutfish

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Jul 12, 2011
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johnathon dunn
what are you starting a brackish tank for? like for crabs or fish? when i had my fiddler and red claw crabs id mix it before hand in a bucket, id use a hydrometer to get the salinity i wanted and poor it in. i didnt use a skimmer or anything but make sure there arent any dead spots, you might need power heads.
 

jpappy789

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Feb 18, 2007
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Josh
The specific gravity might be high enough for a skimmer to be effective but I don't think you would need one for the reasons they are used in marine tanks.

You will want to be mixing water beforehand. Most brackish fish are pretty tolerable of swings in SG (within reason) so it's not as picky as say a reef tank in that regard. But some will be better suited to low-end or high-end brackish conditions so keep that in mind.

More of the details would depend on which fish or what type of setup you are looking for...
 

jpappy789

Plants need meat too
Feb 18, 2007
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There aren't really any cichlids that will appreciate a brackish environment except the chromides and a select few CA/SA that may tolerate it...if you are going for Rift Lake species then you might as well focus on raising TDS with something like crushed coral, rather than marine salt. The chemistry is different.
 
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