Converting FW -> BW?

D

DitDa

Registered Member
Mar 20, 2007
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Hello,

I'm new to Brackish, but i've kept Freshwater aquariums for some time now. I have a well established 20 gallon that I would like to convert to Brackish. I've researched and could not find much on this topic. I'm planning on getting a F8 Puffer.

For a 20 gallon how much salt should I add (?)

I know these questions get redundant
Thank you!!
 
What I'd do:

1) buy a hydrometer, some instant ocean, reef crystals or red sea salt, and a molly.

2) move my FW fish to another FW tank, put the molly in the tank that's going BW.

3) add enough salt to the tank to raise the SG to the 1.008-1.010 range over the course of ~ 2 days (2-3 additions per day). I would do it this way in hopes that the bacteria could acclimate, thus avoiding having to cycle the tank (again)

4) watch for nitrite spikes, add a little puffer & some plants/cover

disclaimer - I'm not sure that this is the best approach, but I think it would work.
 
Squawkbert said:
What I'd do:

1) buy a hydrometer, some instant ocean, reef crystals or red sea salt, and a molly.

2) move my FW fish to another FW tank, put the molly in the tank that's going BW.

3) add enough salt to the tank to raise the SG to the 1.008-1.010 range over the course of ~ 2 days (2-3 additions per day). I would do it this way in hopes that the bacteria could acclimate, thus avoiding having to cycle the tank (again)

4) watch for nitrite spikes, add a little puffer & some plants/cover

disclaimer - I'm not sure that this is the best approach, but I think it would work.
Click to expand...

Unless your making a bucket of salted water at a time, then using that water to do a water change, it would be a bad idea to do things in that order. Undisolved salt will burn at flesh. Better to add the salt before the molly...
 
Thanks for the replies!!

That sounds like a good plan. So I should take some of the water out of the tank, and replace it with Pre-Made salt water?

Thank you very much
 
dorkfish said:
Unless your making a bucket of salted water at a time, then using that water to do a water change, it would be a bad idea to do things in that order. Undisolved salt will burn at flesh. Better to add the salt before the molly...
Click to expand...


Good point. I guess it would be safer to do a PWC and siphon saltwater back into the tank via airline tubing (so it's gradual).
 
WRONG! If there are no fish in there now, it will shortly be uncycled (usually within 24-48 hours, the nitrifying bacteria will starve). I can almost guarantee you, the F8 at the shop is in FW now (rarely, do shops keep seperate BW tanks). Adding enough salt to raise the SG to 1.008-10, will no doubt crash any FW bacteria that may be in there. Also, F8s are best kept at a SG of 1.005. Make sure the tank is cycled in FW, then add the puffer. You should raise the SG no faster than .002/week. Do this during weekly water changes. You can raise it slower, if you want.
 
Thanks for your reply. I know for a fact that the fish are in a brackish tank – it’s around 1.007, I believe. (last time I was there)

I still have some small fish in the tank. Does anyone have a simple way to set-up a brackish tank? A link, or something? It’s really hard to get straight forward information on this topic, it seems.
Thank you very much~
 
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