Going brackish

[countrygirl4]

Hello,
I have 2 columbian sharks, and they are beginning to outgrow my tank. I am going to get a large tank, and I am going to set it up brackish. I was wondering if anyone can help me...I heard that you should acclimate them slowly to more salt, so if I have them now in a 20 gallon tank and I am going to set up a new tank, should I set it up fresh water and leave it that way til I add them and then add the salt gradually? Or just set it up brackish and put them straight into the brackish water? Right now they have aquarium salt in the freshwater, so they are used to some salt. Also, how much salt is the correct amount for brackish water? Oh, and my angel fish probably can't be in brackish water, can they? Sorry, lots of questions....just want to do what is right for my sharks! I love them! And my other fish, too. Just want to take care of these guys the right way. Thanks for your help

 

[wataugachicken]

start the big tank out as freshwater with the usual level of aquarium salt when you move them over. i'm not sure what the exact numbers are for your sharks of how much should be added to acclimate them to brackish, but i do know that you will need to use marine mix, not aquarium salt. the marine salt contains all kinds of other minerals and ingredients that more closely match true brackish conditions (which is a mix of fresh and ocean water, not just fresh water with salt in it). you should make sure to pick up a hydrometer so that you can accurately measure the salinity content of the water and not shock them with sudden changes.

 

[Chill]

Angels can't be in brackish.
Colombians need a SG between 1.005 and 1.015.
That needs to be attained slowly - raise the SG no more than 0.002 at a time.
They do need a very large tank.
Neale Monks has an excellent article on Brackish: http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/aquaria/brackfaqpart1.html

 

[countrygirl4]

Thanks a bunch for the advice! I really appreciate the info.

 

[countrygirl4]

Hi again.
I have another question....I had asked on the bottom feeders forum about my sharks-they are columbian, and one (the bigger of the 2) is a really light whitish gray color and the other is darker. I had asked why they wouldn't both be similar in color (I know they change it according to water quality and also decor in the tank), someone replied back that it could be they are needing brackish water, which is why I am getting the bigger tank and going brackish. My question is how long will they be ok in the tank they are in? I have only had them since August, and they have already grown to close to 3 inches. I just want to make sure I will have time to get a new tank and get it up and running before putting them in without compromising their health. Thanks for any info you have.