fishlover78

Hi everyone, I am so happy I finally finished fixing my 27 gallon hexagon tank up after the plecos left and had some questions. Firstly, I will be making this a mostly livebearer tank here is the stocking plan:

-4-6 fancy tail guppies (Female & Male)
-4 platys (Female & Male)
-2 mollies maybe (Female & Male)
-4 ghost shrimp
-and if I can't get a semi agressive 10-20 gal. tank, one gold gourami

#1 can and should I use API aquarium salt
#2 could the gourami handle the salt
#3 will 2 lee's economy corner filters and an aquaclear fifty handle the bio load?
#4 will the shrimp be okay with the salt?

thats all for now please respond because the stocking will take action soon! (this weekend!) -fishlover78

Alessa

Neither the gourami, nor the shrimp will live comfortably with the salt...

Also a gold gourami probably wouldn't be ok in a 27 gallon tank, specially hexagon shaped.

Shawnie

why would you want to use salt?

imo salt was more for the old days of keeping fish...

sirdarksol

Mollies and guppies can do well in brackish water (which is made with marine salt, not medicinal salt), platies not so much, and gourami would suffer for it in the long run.

Shawnie

but they would do well without also
most of the ones we get now are freshwater arent they?

sirdarksol

Sorry. I was thinking that when I typed what I typed. Yes, they would do very well in freshwater.
Whether they are freshwater or brackish fish seems to be kind of a subjective question, as most breeds of mollies and guppies do equally well with or without a brackish tank.

Shawnie

95% of the fish stores around here have them in fresh...my local store has them in both but I think that is to show customers that puffers and mollies can exist together...but the tanks are 100 gals and some try to do both in a 5 gal!

sirdarksol

Most fish stores keep them in freshwater simply because their systems are interconnected making it difficult to keep separate brackish tanks, and because most customers are going to put their fish in freshwater. This way, the customers don't need to acclimate their fish (which is likely where they would die).
However, these same fish will do just as well if properly acclimated to a brackish tank. Most brackish fish live in estuaries in nature. This means that, depending on weather, tide, and where they move due to predation and searching for food, they can range from pure freshwater to pure saltwater throughout their life.

soldieroffortune1974

We have a scholar amongst us. Very well said,and true

fishlover78

well, I don't want to give up the gourami and I will not because he was a gift. athough he would do better in my friends 45 gallon tank with other small beginner fish, Right?