FW to BW Question

xpmr5 said:

I have an Archer Fish and a Needlefish in a 55 gallon FW tank right now with 1 tbsp. of aquarium salt per 5 gallons. I want to convert it to BW because it is better for their health. The problem is, I already have aquarium salt in the tank right now. If I wanted to convert, would I have to take all of the water with aquarium salt and add new water and slowly put in sea salt, or could I just put the sea salt in with the aquarium salt water slowly over time? Also, is a barometer necessary for BW? I hear it isn't because they can survive in a variety of salinity ranges. If a barometer isn't necessary, how much sea salt should I put in?

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you can add the sea salt slowly over time, just make sure you now the current salinty so you don't mess up.

yes, you need a hydrometer or a refractometer, otherwise you're basically gambling with your fishes lives.

It's easy to do ... I just took one of my tanks to Brackish.

Get marine salt (Aquarium salt is used in fresh water to soften it)

I think it's something like 1 cup per gallon (the directions are on the BAG - don't waist the time on the box - it cost more per pound in a box)

What I did was left the lid open so evaporation was faster.

You want to at least get a Hydrometer (I wish I had got a Spectrometer for most accuracy - I think it's the correct name)

If I recall correctly on my Hydrometer (which really doesn't look like much) Brackish starts at 1.008.

Just take it slow so the fish won't go into shock and you don't force your tank into a MAJOR cycling spike.
Also; if you go slow - the fresh water algae will survive while salt water blooms start taking hold.

If I can help any other way - let me know.

Oh another thing - to prevent cloudiness - make your mix in a bucket, get an air stone or other aeration in there and a heater.

Let it sit (at least over night) to dissolve the salt better.

It makes the salt mix better and won't be as injurious to sensitive residents

Just mix it overnight.