Dragon Goby Diy Brackish Pond

Basic intro about the pond not much to read here except my nonsense.

So I found out my 'Bichir' is a goby.
Funny, because bichir owners looked at it, and didn't take a second thought on it's identification.

For the sake of fishkeeping, he is a he.

I feel bad, because I KNOW he is wild caught.
So he's seen at least partial brackish waters in his life, and I feel he is somewhat suffering due to this.
Now this Pond Project is going to take me years, my parents are not going to let me build a huge pond in my basement no matter how much I try to convince them, my fish will likely die without it.
(AHH JUST HAD IDEA ABOUT HALF MARINE HALF BRACKISH PONDS AHAHAHHA SO EXCITED)
Anyway....

I want to eventually build him a brackish pond, I was thinking of doing it just half marine water half fresh mixed to make brackish.

I read this would be 1 cup of salt to each 5 gallons of water.(please correct this information)

Possible Stock
~10 Crabs
~6 being Fiddler Crabs
~20 Shrimps? (Amano, Bamboo???)
~4 Knight Gobies total
~6 Bumble Bee Gobies

Looking for more shrimp/crab/fish recommendations.
Hoping for another long fish aside from the goby, is there a brackish eel?

Guaranteed Stock
1 Dragon Goby
2 Knight Gobies
3+ Vampire Crabs

Plants Wanted
~5 Anubias
~10 Grass
~6 Ferns
Need recommendations for brackish plants as well.

Other Options???
Plant and fish wise

Build

Total inside Pond
6x4x4ft

Base
8fx4fx4in (pallets)

Plexiglass viewing station(s)

3x2x?

2x2x?

Equipment owned
Power head
Penguin Marineland 1140 lph 300gph
Power head
Penguin 660 170gph
That's about it.....
Medium undergravel filter.

Equipment needed
Lights
1-2 large light bar(DIY LED?)
1 large night light
2 submersible lights (small-med)

Filter
Something to push that much water?(gotta be a sump huh?)
So then that means I need to know how to make one.

something like a 30-40 gallon for the sump

Two heaters

Lots of pallets/repurposed wood

Thick tubing/PVC

PVC(for possible spray bar, hides, and tubing)

Massive DIY siphon with small pump to force water up

Probably 3-5 more 5 gallon buckets

3 tote tubs

Filter bioballs/media things

Much sand

Gravel

Knowledge needed

Gallons in tank?(someone pls help with math)

How to build sump

How thick to make plexiglass to hold tank water?

Should I double enforce the plexiglass?(brings cost up a lot!)
Pros and cons of enforced plexi



What is the use of a protien skimmer? Or other skimmers.
I know I don't need them, they'll just cost me more money I don't want to spend.

Where the heck am I supposed to get this tarp???

Cost
Tarp

Wood

Conditioners for a massive pond

Fish and inverts $$$$$$$

Live rock/woods/sand/gravel
(most rock I would like to be non live)

Plants

Plexiglass sheets cut to order need 2-6
(Get an extra of each for replacement if needed)

Powerheads/filters?

Heaters

Multiple light fixtures

Hydrometer

Electrical outlets/extentions

Compost station for live food

Is this possible?

Two ponds next to each other connected by a large tube with a multistage close valve.

One pond is marine with corals/anemone and other marine fish/inverts, this will contain things like colorful fish, marine gobies, eels, possibly rays or something.

There will be a three stage close valve so that the fish can't swim back and forth and create more saline brackish waters.

For this project the brackish would have to be closer to salt of course, and the only ones who would have access through the pipes would be brackish fish ie knight gobies and dragon goby.

They would go into an area near the wall of the brackish tank, this area would be a tunnel leading into the cut off area, it would constantly be filled with brackish waters.
Then I close the brackish valve, the fish is now inside the acclimation chamber, that chamber is now opened up so that marine water can flow in when the marine valve is opened.
The marine valve is opened slightly so marine water can flow in but not shock the fish, after 10 minutes of water flow back and forth, the brackish fish will be released into the marine tank if it pleases, the acclamation valve is closed, and the marine valve is fully opened.
If the brackish fish cares to go back to the brackish tank, it will have to learn to go back into the marine chamber, then go through the acclimation process again to go to brackish waters.

It's a fascinating idea, but I can see fishy owners yelling now, that there's too many changes between the waters for the fish to be happy going back and forth all the time.
I just thought it would be an interesting idea to let brackish fish venture into marineland whenever they please, but having no valves meams constant water exchange, which wouldn't work as well as I would want it to lol


Am I missing anything???

 

How will you maintain stable salinity and thoose plastic hydrometers are worthless after a while a refractometer is highly recomended

 

How will you maintain stable salinity and thoose plastic hydrometers are worthless after a while a refractometer is highly recomended

It would be maintained during water changes.
I basically know nothing about saltwater, which is why I made this post, I need a bit of help knowing what I need to do and know.
I had been reading that hydrometers are what most people use, but whatever that thing is you suggested, Ill look into.

I figured every time the salt gets too high, I would do a water change and not add so much back into the water, if it gets low, of course add more.
And if it's where I want it, then try to make the perfect mix to match it when doing changes.

Is there something more?

I've got my gobies in fresh right now, the knight gobies were bred in freshwater, and the dragon goby was caught, and I want to provide it a better environment for maximum growth and health.

 

This is a really cool idea! It’s sweet that you care about your fish so muchz However, it seems like it would be extremely difficult to execute. How would you tell if the fish wanted to go from brackish to salt? I don’t think they would know to go near the acclimation chamber. They wouldn’t be able to go back and forth whenever they choose- you’d have to be there to open and close valves. What is stopping you from making a solely brackish pond? Then they would have a lot more swimming space all the time. If you make the pond 6x4, then at a time they would only have 3x2. Since dragon gobies get so big (two feet?) then maybe itd be better to give them
one giant brackish pond.

 

This is a really cool idea! It’s sweet that you care about your fish so muchz However, it seems like it would be extremely difficult to execute. How would you tell if the fish wanted to go from brackish to salt? I don’t think they would know to go near the acclimation chamber. They wouldn’t be able to go back and forth whenever they choose- you’d have to be there to open and close valves. What is stopping you from making a solely brackish pond? Then they would have a lot more swimming space all the time. If you make the pond 6x4, then at a time they would only have 3x2. Since dragon gobies get so big (two feet?) then maybe itd be better to give them
one giant brackish pond.

Ah yeah the plan originally was one pond, then I had the idea of two ponds, and both ponds would be 6x4 connected with a tube, they would probably be a foot apart from each other if I made two.
I wanted sething massive enough that the fish can actually swim, rather than bend it's body to fit the glass while it turns.

The only way of telling if the fish wants to go to salt, would be if it ever went into the tube, which would be fairly rarely like you said.
I just thought it was an interesting Idea since I've never really wanted salt, but would be willing to try it then, and the tube would be an interesting design and construction project.

First thing to come will obviously be a smaller brackish tank, my dragon goby is probably only 4 inches long and super thin, so a pond that big is a bit out of sight lol

I had been thinking about the goby for a while, if it was a bichir like we thought, max length would have been arpund 13in.
But wild gragon gobies can get two feet yes.
It's either build him a pond, or rehome him when he gets too big, a pond just sounds like fun and work lol