converting freshwater to brackish

[TKOS]

Live Aquaria says that scats are brackish to saltwater and seems to have no info on pacus or knifes.

And the other website says that pacus aren't good for aquariums as they can grow to 24" long. And that clown knifes can easily get to be 18" long and up to 30" long.

I would seriously rethink the fish you have. They are all potential giants (except the scats of course). If brackish is the way you want to go then get rid of all the other fish and get some better suited tankmates for the scats.

Also pleco cannot take living in salt water of any kind for more than a few weeks (the time it would take to medicate them). There is no way they would survive in brackish water for any length of time.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I would not trust the info from websites that sells fish. That is just as bad as asking a fish store. That is not research. Doing research is talking to folks that have had practical experience with the fiss you are interested in. People that have kept them to alulthood & old age. We will tell you the truth. Not someone looking for your $$$.

 

[CCchaos04]

Ive also talked to people from aquatic interiors. The guy i was talking to has had experience with pacus and scats.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I was at an LFS that had a tank of 10 pacus. I asked the guy if he had any idea how large they got. He said, "No larger than silver dollars". I streched my arms as far as they would go (I'm pretty short) & I said, "This big". He rolled his eyes & walked away.

Ask the guy how big his pacu was when it died of old age.

 

[CCchaos04]

I know it will get too big for my 75 gallon and as soon as we finish redecorating the basement we will probably get a 150 gallon tank or bigger, but i figured until they got bigger i could keep the scats and pacu together because juvenile scats are supposed to be able to live in freshwater.

 

[Pufferpunk]

What I am trying to tell you, is that you should find a good home with someone that can handke "tankbusters" like a pacu & clown knife, before they get too large to sell. Most folks don't want large fish.

 

[CCchaos04]

ok. ive started looking for someone to take it when it gets too big.

 

[cdawson]

I know it will get too big for my 75 gallon and as soon as we finish redecorating the basement we will probably get a 150 gallon tank or bigger, but i figured until they got bigger i could keep the scats and pacu together because juvenile scats are supposed to be able to live in freshwater.

Never figure anything when taking info from a petshop or online livestock guide. The only info in this business that should be taken seriously is from accomplished and experienced aquarists. Scats need at least medium to high end BW for the first parts of their lives and then need SW as adults. The pacus should be returned ASAP and then give them a piece of your mind for selling you fish that reach a max size of 36" each! No home aquarium can house pacus unless you have well over 1000 gallons. They're EXTREMELY messy fish, they may be able to FIT into a 300 gallon tank but the water quality would quickly go south in a matter of a month or two. Being able to FIT into a tank doesn't mean it'll be happy or healthy or even last long. Silver Scats even need over 200 gallons and reach a size of 12-13", Green scats reach 18" and these are also VERY messy fish. I had 2 in a 135g and I had to return them because they were so messy and were eating me out of house and home. I learned from my mistakes, these fish come from wild stocks if you force these fish into unnatural conditions they will not last long or be happy at all. Do not assume that a shop will take in overgrown pacus or scats. These are large fish that are expensive to feed and even harder to sell, most places will not take them in and you'll wish you never bought them at all when time comes to getting rid of them. Places say they will take them when they're overgrown but step back on that comment when time actually comes around.

 

[CCchaos04]

Today i went to Just About Fish. This store works directly with aquatic interiors and are very knowledgible. They have full grown scats at the store. They told me that scats can be kept in freshwater all of their life but it will make their colors less intense. They said scats are very leniant when it comes to amount of salinity.

 

[Oddball~]

haha, okay, if you say so!