New Member...need brackish advise

G

graphic1

AC Members
Apr 15, 2007
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Toronto
Hey all, I was happy to find a forum that might provide me with some answers. I have recently started up a brackish fish only tank. I have a couple mono's, a ruby scat and a couple green spotted puffers. So far they all seem to be getting along great and generally have great appetites.

My question is more about maintaining a proper salinity. What kind of salt should I use in the water?...Is there a difference between Marine and Aquarium salt products?...I have a hydrometer but the salt I'm using doesn't even seem to register.

Any advice would be great, thanks.:read:
 
you should use marine salt (not freshwater salt) for brackish water. It has trace elements in it that the fish need.

I use Instant Ocean. You will need a hydrometer that starts at 1.000 specific gravity to measure the salinity.

start with 1 tablespoon of marine salt for every 5 gallons of water.

I can't recall what that will usually give you in terms of a specific gravity reading, but it should read higher than 1.000


I am assuming your fish are young, so at this stage, just the little bit of marine salt is sufficient.

slowly increase the salininty up to about 1.005 on the hydrometer over the next few months.

the fish should be fine and fungus free with this concentration of salt for awhile.

However, the monos and scats will do much better in true saltwater, so what I did a few years ago with my formerly brackish 65 is worked my way up to 1.018 on the hydrometer.

which is the bottom end of true saltwater.

most of these fish are born in freshwater or in estuaries, and migrate down to the ocean as they grow and mature.

this is why they will do better in the long run in full strength saltwater.

ps how large is your tank?

I have 4 monos that are pretty big in a 65 gallon.

you will need big tank for these fish. mine started off in a 30 that got upgraded.

the only ones that won't get big are your green spotted puffers.

I am not familiar with their salt tolerance however, and I am not use how they would do in full strength saltwater.

they might have to be moved as time goes on.

maybe someone can answer that for you.
 
Actually, the fish you have now will need a minimum tank size of 150g (as adults). The GSPs do grow to 6" & will prefer SW also (as adults). No need to rush if they are juvies. Just don't raise the SG more than .001-.002/week. It takes roughly a cup of salt/5g to raise the SG by .005. You do the math.
 
GSP's are great fish, I miss mine. Good luck with your tank, and I also use Instant Ocean...a lot of idiots at LFS tell you to use aquarium salt...how far from the truth that is!
 
Thanks for the replies. I have done more research and have bought some marine salt. My fish are all juvies in a 25 gal. tank and I have got myself a hydrometer. With this I and started the low level of salinity that I was suggested to use. Guess I'll learn more as I go.

PS. I will be upgrading to a 100 in the next couple months.
 
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