setting up a Brackish tank

The more I delve into the fish world the more curious I get. I am more interested in learning about setting up a brackish tank. I have a ton of questions though. I'm sure someone will just give me a nice link but thought I'd ask. As I know not everything you read online is 100% accurate, I come to you people here! Do you treat it similarily to a Freshwater tank in the sense of maintenance or is it more? (which I'm assumming) What do you use for substrate? Anything different setup-wise in terms of equipment, ex-filters, etc. How much does a hydrometer go for? What salt is best to use? How about water parameters? Now the fun stuff: what plants would thrive or be best for a setup (I know it depends), as well as livestock? More specifically, are there any shrimp that would work? Somewhere I read about ghost shrimp and RCS working. Also what about snails? I hear nerites would work, and they'd help with the algae and detritus. Also read guppies would live in brackish water. As far as puffers go (let's go small, like a green spotted), would they nip at shrimp, snails, fins, everything, or would they be ok? Any thoughts/comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Well, you treat it as a freshwater tank with a few differences. Depending on stock depends on maintenance. I have large fish that have a big bioload so I do weekly maintenance.

Java fern is the best plant for brackish, onion plants also do well.

To my knowledge guppies are not brackish, the only shrimp I know is Japicona. But most species are carnivorous and will eat any shrimp you put in there. Snails will get eaten by puffers. Nerites are great but they will breed in brackish.

I use Instant Ocean synthetic salt. Some people dislike it but I have no problem with it. Depending on stock will depend on what salinity will be.

 

I have guppies in a brackish tank and they r thriving but introduce them gradually

 

and I have a f8 puffer he is brill

 

I am currently at work but when I get home I will tell you my idea for a brackish tank. I'm excited to see if it'll work. I also have to wait some time before it happens, but I'm figuring everything out now. At first I REALLY wanted a puffer, but everything I read (and I mean everything) says these guys will eventually just get aggressive and go nuts. Hard to believe for such a little guy. I would especially think this would be the case for fish with longer fins, like your guppies.

 

Yeah most puffers will kill anything in the tank other than fellow puffers mates. I think pea puffers won't. And avacado puffers for the record are freshwater not brackish...just incase you look at them, they are also called green neon puffer.

 

Ok, finally some free time to discuss my amazing tank idea! (IN DEPTH, so give yourself a few minutes) Now I love my tank I currently have, but I can't really do too much more for it except watch it flourish. This lead to me originally thinking of adding a small tank, which made me think of shrimp. These guys are great and I think I just wanted to breed something easy for the 1st time, like RCS. That lead to an invertebrate tank, which lead to me seeing a fiddler crab, which requires brackish water, which lead to me looking into brackish setups. Each step consisted of hours of research too. And before I go any further, as much as I originally wanted one I am NOT getting any puffer! These guys are so small and ridiculously cute but wow, watch a youtube video of how these guys can get...amazing, and scary!

I am going for a brackish river (for the current)/mangrove (for the rooted 'drift'wood) hybrid thing. Size-wise I want something at least 20+G, no more than 30, and long/rectangular with a mirrored back. I will attempt a fishless cycle but will need help from you guys since I didn't do that the first time (would appreciate a good link for this). I am aiming for a temp of ~76 degrees F, pH of 7.5, and medium hard water. Looking for a low salinity, of about 1.005. I will definitely need help measuring and regulating this with you guys. I do need to purchase a hydrometer and some marine salt. Any ideas on good marine salt to get?
For substrate I was originally going to go for a finer dark gravel (still may) mainly cause I don't want big bulky rocks and to bring out the color of the tank more. However, due to a higher pH and it's buffering capabilities (and good bacteria I hear?) I am curious about dark aragonite and coral. Will this raise my pH too high though? I read for plants, or mainly a planted aquarium, you should have 2 levels. Would aragonite count as a nutrient layer that I can top off with fine gravel? I actually just read that you can buy coral mixed with aragonite, which may work. How is this with plants though?
For plants I was going to add java moss to coat some driftwood and cover somethings, a few moss balls, and some java fern and anacharis for the backdrop. I also want the anarcharis to grow and have some extensions float on the water surface.

Now the stock!:
*I will list these in the order I want to get them (after tank is cycled of course) for reasons I'll explain. I'm also just guessing the quantity that may work, please let me know if I could add more, or am crazy for adding so many! (it will probably be the latter) I am also open for subsitutes, to a certain degree. After all my research, everything should be compatible and fit within my water paremeters, minus 1 or 2 things that are questionable and I will mention.
1st-the invertebrates- Don't worry, I will NOT add all these at once. I want to start with 4 amano shrimp. They are small, amazing cleaners and could potentially breed (more so for food for others). Same reasons go for adding a few zebra nerites (3-4?), and 8 red cherry shrimp (if possible more). Anyone breed these in my parameters or close to them, and if so how often do they usually breed? I want to add these guys first so they can claim the tank and figure out where to hide and breed. I also want to buy these big. Both reasons are for the next few things I want to add.
Then comes the fiddler crab! I plan on putting a perch for him (for food) and other things to climb up on outside the water surface, including a hill (probably not huge though and out of the water, more for burrowing if possible). Everything I read says that these guys will not go after any of my stock, but just to play it safe I want to look for a female and not have to worry about that killer claw. Also want to try and buy small.

2nd-Fishies!- Here comes the challenge. I want to add 4 Bumblebee Gobies, as they are awesome. The only real POTENTIAL problem that I found with my whole tank idea is that these guys may or may not bother my shrimp. That is why I wanted the shrimp in the tank first and to grow a bit, also buy big, while buying the gobies small. This way the gobies will know who's tank it is and will find there own territory and hopefully won't try to fit something larger than themselves into their huge mouths. There will be plenty of places for All inhabitants to hide.
Last guys to add are some balloon mollies to spice things up. I'm only looking for a few (3 sounds good, but up to 5 if possible). I also want these guys to breed (more so for food). I would like a combo of yellow, white, & black...all look amazing. How many males vs females is a good ratio to have to try breeding?

I won't go into the setup that I drew for the tank but when I start it, after I get my new job and move, hopefully by the end of summer, I will document all this through a thread with pics. Now I am looking for comments, criticisms, compliments, questions, etc. Thanks.

 

first thing is you want too much. first off you want a mangrove style brackish. this would require a long tank possibly a 20 long or 30 long if u can find it. next thing is that you have to think about the ammount of water in which will be in the tank. if you are using a 20 gallon the ammount of water might be around 5-10 gallon. which will limit your fish greatly. usually sand/substrate coming out of the water is a low style tank meaning that the sand will have to cover much of the tank or that the tank will be created with low amount of water. either way your tank will limit to about 5-10 gallon of water maybe even less. so if you want shrimps and fish cut the idea of a mangrove. cut the fiddlers.

gobies will be fine with shrimps, although they will nip at the shrimp's feelers until they know that shrimps are inhabitants and not food. this will go on for a while till they are satisfied that it is not food. and DO NOT get the gobies small. They are finicky eaters and will usually only eat live blood/black worms at the start. so getting a small goby will actually hurt you more. for future notices you should raise the salinity to 1.010. since gobies WILL have fin nip occurance in ALL fish specially each other. the gobies do what I call "mobile territory" meaning that they are territorial but will shift territories constantly until they have bred. then they become very territorial. look into your species of gobies. a Full banned goby are usually more tolerant of freshwater. a gold-bannded goby (bands with broken stripes) are more saltwater happy.

I would throw out the CRS knowing that salinity is not for them. amanos can do fine but they do grow large. substrate is what you like. I'm not sure about nerites. I don't mess with snails. I know that assassins can stay in 1.010. and pests snails will survive at this level too. even in 1.034 salinity XD....id consider raising the temp to 76-78ish. mollies should be fine although they also do grow big. spawn quick but fry will not survive unless tank is heavily planted, I mean heavily.

ive looked into gobies for a while now and see that they do like to be in groups. although nipping occurs and you should look into feeding them. since they will starve if you don't have a way to get food to them. Start a food source tank, it will be cheaper for you in the long run.

take a tank, fill it with water + water treatment. add some gravel, some plants like java fern/moss will do fine add a light for your vision use only. throw in some live black worms. and I occasionally toss a little piece of pellet food in there once here and there and you will have yourself a spawning tank of live food for your gobies.

tip. I would setup a tank now with a salinity of 1.010 with some small substrate. and add some source of ammonia. to begin the cycle. then setup your tank later and use that substrate that you have been cycling. this will start your tank sooner so you can add fish sooner.

For salt Most people like to use Aquarium Salt mix. However I do not use Aquarium salt for my salinity. Some people use table salt, mixed conversation about iodized/table salt. I have found out that all salts are fine so far. during my own experiments. I currently love using Ocean/Reef salt. specially Instant Ocean Reef Mix. This allows Iodine also which will help your shrimp build his exo-skeleton

I do how ever swish fresh water here and there and pure saltwater here and there. Simulating saltwater rush from the sea and freshwater rush from the stream. how ever if you are going to own CRS/Amanos, they WILL NOT like water such as that. Ghost Shrimps are better off in brackish and will survive ALOT of things.
Another way in which I simulate saltwater rush is add some salt into a small bag and let it hang in my tank. My ghost shrimps love this for some reason. they like to hang on the bag and molt quickly. ive seen him molt and come out. its amazing how they molt right in front of me.

 

BTW a full banded goby and broken banded are two different species.. The first one is a Bumblebee goby the second is the Gold-banded goby. Both are very similar and Both are sold as Bumblebee Gobies.

 

Ok, finally some free time to discuss my amazing tank idea! (IN DEPTH, so give yourself a few minutes) Now I love my tank I currently have, but I can't really do too much more for it except watch it flourish. This lead to me originally thinking of adding a small tank, which made me think of shrimp. These guys are great and I think I just wanted to breed something easy for the 1st time, like RCS. That lead to an invertebrate tank, which lead to me seeing a fiddler crab, which requires brackish water, which lead to me looking into brackish setups. Each step consisted of hours of research too. And before I go any further, as much as I originally wanted one I am NOT getting any puffer! These guys are so small and ridiculously cute but wow, watch a youtube video of how these guys can get...amazing, and scary!

I am going for a brackish river (for the current)/mangrove (for the rooted 'drift'wood) hybrid thing. Size-wise I want something at least 20+G, no more than 30, and long/rectangular with a mirrored back. I will attempt a fishless cycle but will need help from you guys since I didn't do that the first time (would appreciate a good link for this). I am aiming for a temp of ~76 degrees F, pH of 7.5, and medium hard water. Looking for a low salinity, of about 1.005. I will definitely need help measuring and regulating this with you guys. I do need to purchase a hydrometer and some marine salt. Any ideas on good marine salt to get?
For substrate I was originally going to go for a finer dark gravel (still may) mainly cause I don't want big bulky rocks and to bring out the color of the tank more. However, due to a higher pH and it's buffering capabilities (and good bacteria I hear?) I am curious about dark aragonite and coral. Will this raise my pH too high though? I read for plants, or mainly a planted aquarium, you should have 2 levels. Would aragonite count as a nutrient layer that I can top off with fine gravel? I actually just read that you can buy coral mixed with aragonite, which may work. How is this with plants though?
For plants I was going to add java moss to coat some driftwood and cover somethings, a few moss balls, and some java fern and anacharis for the backdrop. I also want the anarcharis to grow and have some extensions float on the water surface.

Now the stock!:
*I will list these in the order I want to get them (after tank is cycled of course) for reasons I'll explain. I'm also just guessing the quantity that may work, please let me know if I could add more, or am crazy for adding so many! (it will probably be the latter) I am also open for subsitutes, to a certain degree. After all my research, everything should be compatible and fit within my water paremeters, minus 1 or 2 things that are questionable and I will mention.
1st-the invertebrates- Don't worry, I will NOT add all these at once. I want to start with 4 amano shrimp. They are small, amazing cleaners and could potentially breed (more so for food for others). Same reasons go for adding a few zebra nerites (3-4?), and 8 red cherry shrimp (if possible more). Anyone breed these in my parameters or close to them, and if so how often do they usually breed? I want to add these guys first so they can claim the tank and figure out where to hide and breed. I also want to buy these big. Both reasons are for the next few things I want to add.
Then comes the fiddler crab! I plan on putting a perch for him (for food) and other things to climb up on outside the water surface, including a hill (probably not huge though and out of the water, more for burrowing if possible). Everything I read says that these guys will not go after any of my stock, but just to play it safe I want to look for a female and not have to worry about that killer claw. Also want to try and buy small.

2nd-Fishies!- Here comes the challenge. I want to add 4 Bumblebee Gobies, as they are awesome. The only real POTENTIAL problem that I found with my whole tank idea is that these guys may or may not bother my shrimp. That is why I wanted the shrimp in the tank first and to grow a bit, also buy big, while buying the gobies small. This way the gobies will know who's tank it is and will find there own territory and hopefully won't try to fit something larger than themselves into their huge mouths. There will be plenty of places for All inhabitants to hide.
Last guys to add are some balloon mollies to spice things up. I'm only looking for a few (3 sounds good, but up to 5 if possible). I also want these guys to breed (more so for food). I would like a combo of yellow, white, & black...all look amazing. How many males vs females is a good ratio to have to try breeding?

I won't go into the setup that I drew for the tank but when I start it, after I get my new job and move, hopefully by the end of summer, I will document all this through a thread with pics. Now I am looking for comments, criticisms, compliments, questions, etc. Thanks.

1 - amanos need a high level brackish water to breed. Anywhere from SG1.017 to full sea water
2 - another no on the red cherry shrimp I highly doubt they'd do well for long in the brackish water. Instead consider something like a rudolph shrimp which is an actual brackish water shrimp. Ghost shrimp can also handle the low level of salinity here.
3 - for mollies, 1M:3F is the recommended ratio
4 - for your stock, you want the 30 gal tank.
5 - Hill wise, you can avoid the issue mentioned above by creating a hill out of styrofoam and either painting it, covering it with cement then letting it cure, or covering it with silicone and your substrate.
6 - not too sure why Alex is suggesting setting up a tank at SG1.010 to cycle? You don't need to go higher than the SG 1.005 you are aiming for and IIRC, some species labelled bumblebee gobies are actually freshwater that tolerate brackish. Since the actual species is so hard to identify, it's suggested that you keep them in SG1.005 since that covers both the freshwater and the brackish ones.
7 - I would suggest starting the tank freshwater and cycling it that way (you can seed from your other tank) then slowly upping the salinity to 1.005. You can even add your mollies and amanos and plants while it is still fresh water. Each week, do a 10-15% water change using water that's been mixed to your target SG. This slow increase allows the fish and benificial bacteria to adapt to the new salinity.
8 - when adding new fish, remember to drip acclimate.

 

and that's why I come to you guys. Thanks! I wasn't going for a crazy mangrove sandy slope tank, just maybe an inch or so lower than normal so my crab can breath (if I even go that route). I've heard so much about gobies & shrimp I really don't know what to believe anymore. Do the 2 types of gobbies make that much of a difference in a similar tank? What are some recommended foods? I have done drip acclimating before and will definitely do that, at least for my gobbies. When I setup my new tank, can I use water from my current tank? What do you mean by seeding? I also didn't get any feedback about the plant or substrate, so I'm assuming those are fine?

 

The java moss and java fern should be fine at 1.005. Anarchris and moss balls seem to prefer lower salinity (1.003) so they might not make it. You could try using cryptocoryne ciliate and dwarf onion plants instead for a bit more plant diversity.

Either substrate works. I wouldn't worry about it raising the pH or hardness too high. The marine salt will do that anyways. BTW, with the marine salt in there, the pH is going to be in the 8 range and your water is going to be hard. I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm currently planning on setting up my own 30gal brackish. I'm using rhinohorn gobies instead of the bumblebee gobies though they are very similar in size, temperment and feeding habits. I'll be putting them in with the rudolph shrimp. I think the no gobies with shrimp are either because the shrimplets will be snacked on by the bumblebee gobies, or people are using gobies generally since there is the knight goby that would happily munch any shrimp it could find.

Bumblebee gobies mostly eat zooplankton and insect larvae in nature. I'd go with feeding bits of shopped up raw shrimp or squid, or some frozen invert or other. Just a note, mollies are mostly herbivorous so you'll want to include some blanched greens in their diet.

The different bumbleebee gobies shouldn't make much difference with regards to care or temperment. They are very similar which is why they usually get sold under the same name. Even the frehswater ones are salt-tolerant so at 1.005SG you'll be fine.

You can use water from your current tank, but I wouldn't. The beneficial bacteria doesn't exist in the water column so you'd just be adding dirty used water to the tank. Much better to start with new water.

Seeding is option 4 from here

 

Wow Ive never heard of rhino horns gobies! Those are awesome! Were do you get hem from?

@Op- Bumblebee gobies are fun to keep, I used to have them. I had to get rid of them because I couldnt afford two brackish tanks at the time...but seeing those RHG's I might make another.....

 

My LFS can get order them in. The manager is an enabler who lets me look at his ordering lists. It's generally easier than me listing all the different common names of the fish I'm asking about. The bad news is I found out that one of their suppliers lists tattoed fish though thankfully the LFS won't order them.

If you want to ask about them, they are also called fairy gobies.

 

My LFS can get order them in. The manager is an enabler who lets me look at his ordering lists. It's generally easier than me listing all the different common names of the fish I'm asking about. The bad news is I found out that one of their suppliers lists tattoed fish though thankfully the LFS won't order them.

If you want to ask about them, they are also called fairy gobies.

Thanks!

 

as a matter of fact, bumblebees are brackish and some species are tolerant to freshwater not the other way around. plants should b fine. just if u have ur plants already u can also acclimate them for best survival. seeding is using bacteria in which have already been established and used in a new aquarium to help speed up bacterial growth. I did say using 1.010 because brackish thrive better in a higher salinity. also to bacteria are a little different from fresh since they also need to tolerate salt.

 

I believe that you don't need to slow drip acclimation. since they are brackish they will infact tolerate high salinity changes as long as the change will turn back into a stable salinity. since brackish fish are required to survive high saltwater/freshwater rush in the wild.

as for breeding wise they require moonlight/rain water (cool freshwater) simulation.
some gobies move rocks, others dig sand, depending on your species that you want. I haven't had any bumblebees move rocks/gravel. not sure bout sand. I'm sure rhinos will move gravel/dig holes not sure about sand either.

 

From my gobies, they don't tend to go for small zooplanktons. anything below 900 microns they don't see very well and won't eat. sometimes I supplement tiggerpods since they are larger/visible about 1200 microns. but get expensive. but if your going cheap id setup a live blackworm tank. they seem to like eating worms more/easier to eat. ive tried shrimp/other flesh meat but they will only go for certain pieces. ive tried cutting it small but can never get it small enough. this is the reason why ive stop trying, not benificial enough for the time worked on one shrimp piece. so that's y I prefer frozen/live worms. usually they tend to not do frozen food/prepared food if you just received them. that is why I say start with live food and mix frozen food with live then you can use frozen. they tend to nip at many things but if u watch closely some won't eat even if you see them eating. ive noticed this with flakes. they bite it don't spit it out but it comes out from behind the gills. ive had great success with blackworms. they do consume a minute amount of cyclop-eeze. but not enough for them. ive learned about gobies overall, they tend to be finicky and this will be your problem until yours are used to you. as for mines they are used to me using a fine tube brush to feed them worms since they cannot out feed your mollies/fish. my experimental batch are doing fine in a 1.025 salinity with 2 black clown gobies and 2 ocellaris. they seem to be swimming more also compared to my low salinity brackish gobies.

you should read up more upon rhinos, I'm not used to rhinos but know of them.

as for shrimps, amanos are able to breed in FRESHWATER, but fries REQUIRE saltwater. ive tested amanos too, they are slower in saline water but will do okay in 1.005. id choose ghosts since they are found from full salt to fresh. people say red claw ghosts are aggressive - I'm not sure about this because mines aren't so agressive. and they are more colorful in my saltwater experimental tank.

java fern/moss will do fine in 1.010, other plants will do fine in 1.005 if your looking for other plants it should be fine with a 1.005 tank. if your going for javas only then id prefer 1.010 salinity.

since you are looking at 1.005 then id start your tank at that range that way bacterial growth will tolerate that range from the start and acclimate all plants into that range. I believe gobies don't need slow drip acclimation since your saline isn't so much of a drastic change. although inverts do and other fish.

TIP: always ask for salinity of the fish's current water before you buy. that way you know what water parameters you need to acclimate to. my LFS usually have bumbles at 1.010. some LFS has it at 1.000. so watch what you buy first before you buy it.

 

so back to the shrimp for a sec: so not too many people are in favor of RCS, but also not too many have tried it, so I might just try it with a few. For other shrimp, the options include ghost, red-nosed, and amano so far. Any other ideas? Ghost shrimp seem to be the best according to everyone. I don't know why they just don't do it for me though. I love amanos. What are your thoughts on red-nosed/rudolph shrimp? And more importantly, how many shrimp (each kind/combo, and total amount) would be a reasonable amount for a 20-30G tank? I've been asking about bioloads in the invertebrate section and keep getting different answers/opinions. I do see it as less than fish though.

 

testing water at LFS

My LFS, will allow to take a 1/2 litre from tank and test with my hydrometer, and AFI test kit for pH, etc,

Have any of you tested the LFS water prior to buying fish?

 

he hasnt started his tank hes just in the process.

as for shrimps I'm not sure about rudolphs but in fact CRS will die. everyone is fine with ghost shrimps b/c they are prolific. easy to take care , easy and hardy that is why they are hatched for the "feeder" title. plus they are cheap. you don't really like them b/c they are cheap, low value and common. its like setting up a $3000 tank just to put feeder guppies in there. if you know what I mean.

for other shrimps I would acclimate very very very slowly. possibly 1 degree bI monthly. so approximately 0.001 per bI week. because they are vulnerable to water quality and salinity. its possible but you should do it slower than you would any fish or plants.

if you start your tank now, you can possibly add fish into your tank by summer and inverts by mid or end of summer. but that is if you going to get the fish/shrimp soon that way you could acclimate them.

 

sadly I can't setup anything till we move this summer. I'm just getting some ideas for when I start. I'm excited already, so I just want to research as much as possible so it'll be smooth and come out fine. I will also document all this when I do. Would it be a good idea to cycle the tank, then add the shrimp and fish, then add the salt? Or, cycle first, then add salt and then shrimp/fish? Or do I add salt while cycling?

 

You should cycle the tank with 1.005 salinity. Then once cycled acclimate the fish/plants/inverts then add. try not to add all the fish and inverts at once. 1-2 fish per week should be fine.

Choose your type of cycling the tank.
Fishless cycle
or
Cycle with fish

I usually cycle my tank with ghost shrimps since they are pretty cheap. or feeder guppies.
but for my fishless cycles I usually feed my tank until my readings spike.

It is best to cycle your tank that way your fish will not have any problem with ammonia/nitrite/nitrate changes.

You could actually begin the cycle and have the gravel cycling by the time you move. this way you would already have a cycled substrate which will be easier for you to build bacteria after you have moved.

 

he hasnt started his tank hes just in the process.

as for shrimps I'm not sure about rudolphs but in fact CRS will die. everyone is fine with ghost shrimps b/c they are prolific. easy to take care , easy and hardy that is why they are hatched for the "feeder" title. plus they are cheap. you don't really like them b/c they are cheap, low value and common. its like setting up a $3000 tank just to put feeder guppies in there. if you know what I mean.

for other shrimps I would acclimate very very very slowly. possibly 1 degree bI monthly. so approximately 0.001 per bI week. because they are vulnerable to water quality and salinity. its possible but you should do it slower than you would any fish or plants.

if you start your tank now, you can possibly add fish into your tank by summer and inverts by mid or end of summer. but that is if you going to get the fish/shrimp soon that way you could acclimate them.

Are you getting CRS (Crystal red) and RCS (red cherry) shrimps mixed up? I don't know about crystal shrimps but I've read (never had brackish myself) that RCS are fine in "some" salinity.... I can't recall numbers off the top of my head.

 

If you are cycling with seeded media, start with freshwater and gradually increase the salinity. Starting at 1.005 will most likely shock your seeded BB to an early grave. IIRC, the BB in freshwater and brackish water is similar enough, but they do need to adapt slowly. The SOP is to raise the salinity no more than .002 SG a week.

You can increase the salinity with or without the critters. I'd do it with to avoid acclimating later. Yes euryhaline fish probably can survive just being dumped into a different SG, but there would be stress so it should be avoided. Think of it like cycling a tank - Yes some fish can survive the cycling process, but it's rough on them and not usually a recommended practise.

 

Ok, so here's my thought from feedback: Going to try and go fishless for the cycle, maybe add some ghost shrimp like Teishokue mentioned (would that be considered a cycle with fish?). Question though, should I cycle the tank until my readings are safe and THEN add salt, or add salt right away, before or during the initial ammonia stage?

By increasing SG .002/week it will take me 500 wks to reach 1.005! How much is a safe increase weekly, that may be more than this? How much salt do you usually use? Or is this a good number because it'll SLOWLY acclimate everything (fish, shrimp, plants, bacteria, etc)? Would all my stock choices be ok starting very low like this? I know the shrimp would be, and the mollies.

The reason I'm thinking of getting my cycle going and THEN adding salt (maybe add when nitrites are converting to nitrates?) is that way I'll have some BB and the water will be safer for my fish as I slowly add them. Plus I will start adding my fish when the salinity is still low as opposed to adding them when it's already 1.005 (well not that high cause it'll take forever, but you know what I mean)

 

errrr... it would only take you three weeks.
Week one SG 1.000 to 1.002.
Week two, SG 1.002 to 1.004.
Week three SG 1.004 to 1.005. Done.

As for making the water, is a good brackish water calculator.

 

thanks for the link

Very useful, also the text is enlightening, I realized something was off from the LFS,

Can I use a Hydrometer for making Wine?

 

thanks for the calculator. I feel like an idiot about the previous post. Since I know nothing of salt water I figured zero salinity = .000, not 1.000. Sorry about that. But that does make things a little easier, lol. maybe I'll just stick with the .001/week considering it will only take a little over a month, and start when I begin putting in my fish. Considering I can't put a ton of fish in at once, I'll put in the ones that can handle the lower salinity first. Do you have a preference on the order I should add my stock? I was going to go with shrimp first cause they're more sensitive and gobies last cause the LFS sells them in brackish from what I remember (have to double check). Can mollies just be put in whenever? I was also planning on putting my plants in before all this so they can acclimate and attach accordingly. Any comments, suggestions, or ideas?

 

Ah! that's how you got that number. Sorry, I tend to assume odd things are common knowledge a lot. Freshwater is 1.000 and salt is 1.034

Plants definitely first - I usually put them in before I start cycling. The shrimp should go in while it's still freshwater. Other than that - it's the standard guidelines re territorialness and hardiness. (Yes, I know I probably just made up a word)

Mollies can go in whenever. They are rather adaptable and IIRC, can live in anything from freshwater to hypersaline (saltier than sea water) conditions.

 

Will the plants be ok going through the nitrogen cycle? Since the ghost shrimp are pretty hardy should I just throw them in right away (there won't be any algae or anything for them, so I can feed them and build an ammonia base with their poop and leftover food) or wait a couple of weeks, or wait till about a month or so when the nitrites are at least turning to nitrates? Didn't phase me till now, but since shrimp are somewhat different from fish, how many shrimp can you possibly, and SAFELY, add at one time?

 

The plants will be fine. They'll actually consume some of the ammonia/ammonium as a nitrogen source.

I'd wait for the tank to cycle before adding the fish. If you use seeded media, you should cycle in a week or less.

 

Inverts will be okay. Although they do clean/consume some ammonia b/c they are eating the food that you add in. but will produce it's own biological waste itself. its like adding food and something is eating it or adding food, food just sits there. Either you go fishless cycle or a fish/invert cycle. Plants should go first, freshwater next, then towards brackish. mollies depend on the water quality as any other fish. if they have been living in a 1.000 saline then they should acclimate slowly too.
just remember brackish fish are built to tolerate full saltwater and freshwater for some periods of time and ultimately sitting it at an equilibrium of about 1.010ish...
I prefer adding a group of shrimps together, some shrimps tend to be cleaner than fish/other shrimps. and will produce less waste than the regular. I usually have 2 shrimps/1 gallon (ghost shrimp size). but you could go more depending on the species. I tend to add all my shrimps at once (only the ghost species)

plants are actually good in the nitrogen cycle b/c in a natural setting there is usually plants in the cycle.

I prefer a with fish cycle/ it gives you something to look at too. and makes an automatic feeding system to the bacteria incase you forget to feed over periods of time.