Newb brackish owner

[sumthin fishy]

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwflattiefaqs.htm
This was the best I could come up with on flounders, mabey if you got the genus/species from your LFS you could do a better search. According to the profile linked in the article I linked(did you follow that?) They can get up to 9" so I wouldnt do more than one. I cant really help you with the tester, hopefulle someone with more brackish knowledge can help you there.

I do know there are different levels of salinity for different fish. If The flounder is a must have, and it it the same one in the link I posted, it is a high brackish fish, and youll need to make sure to pick high brackish tankmates to go with it. Again I am new to the brackish concept, and dont have a tank of my own with that setup. So hopefully someone else could lend a hand here with your stocking options. http://www.aquariacentral.com/faqs/brackish/
I just found this too. it has a lot of good answers. hope it helps

 

[josephish]

brackish tanker

hey tanker i will ofer what i know from reading and experience. First off i think you picked an excellent choice for your starter fish. I use black mollys for starters in brackish or fresh water tanks. The hybrid black strain i read is hardier and they do better yet in a slightly brackish tank(1 teaspoon per gallon). People that use freshwater salt usually use only 1 teaspoon per five gallons. Brackish tanks from what ive read say 1-2 teaspoons per gallon. I would stick to the lower salt range for a couple reasons. One two good choices the bumble bee gobie and the molly both do well in that range. Although the molly has been spotted in the ocean at full salt water and i believe any brackish fish is very hardy and able to handle salinity fluctuations the fish you will get from your fish store is different. Fishstore fish have been acustomed to either fresh or slightly brackish water. I would find a fish store that posts (needs salt) and question how much do you use. This precaution will prevent ph and salt induced shock that the fish has to adjust to.Another good reason for the lower salt range unless you buy a (hygrometer) i believe that is the device which measures salinity based on specific gravity. I never worried too much about fluctuations because I would always top off my brackish tank with fresh/distilled water and then do water changes. The tendency over time the tank could get saltier and saltier because of evaporation(salt water evaps and salt acumulates on hood and you have salt stalagtites and salt crystalized around the top of your tank. Well anyways make sure you give whatever fish you keep the proper care*** for instance the molly needs alot of vegitation in its diet. it will graze algea all day. either grow algea on slate in another tank/outside or buy algea flakes/wafers for them. the goby likes meaty food and i would feed mine small pieces of chopped earthworm(puffers like earthworms too) be carefull not to give gobies too big of bites(i had to net one and pull a piece of worm from a gobby once its eyes where bigger than its mouth). I kept the sole/flounder before but not with the same succes i had with gobbies and mollys. good luck oh one more thing your mollys and probably other fish to will eat food before it gets to the goby. use a feeding tube (straw or non transparent pipe so the other fish cant see it) and let the food get to the bottom near the gobby. those gobbys always have cute little pot bellies so dont use thier stomacks as a guide to them eating

 

[FreddytheFish]

I like the new link, is that part of this post or part of your sig?

Part of the post, but if it is thy bidding, into the siggy it will go. :bowing:

Flounders: They can change color to match the gravel/substrate. They will not (in most cases) eat flakes, try frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, and live blackworms. Some might also take pellets. Grow to six inches maximum length.

 

[Mudfrog]

Welcome aboard. Pretty much everyone has covered the basics. The Hydrometer will measure the salinity (salt content) in the water. I keep my brackish tank @ 1.008 which is mid brackish. But this is what my Violet Gobies thrive at.

I don't recall you saying how much aquarium salt you used but if it were me I would drain all of your water and replace it with some fresh water then add Marine salt. I recommend "Instant Ocean", it seems to be one of the better brands out. Anyway, since your tank isn't cycled it should only set you back by a couple of days.

Brackish water fish are excellent but keeping a brackish tank in the proper condition can be tedious, you will need to monitor the salinity each time you do a water change. I have heard of using a protein skimmer to allow less frequent water changes, but I have not used one myself and your salinity needs to be over 1.005. So either way, pick your fish, set up the aquarium salt level for your main fish and buy compatible tank mates from there.