can Bolivian Rams and Geophagus live in brakish water? - Aquarium Advice

ceci22 · 06-20-2004, 08:27 PM

Hi just wanted to know if anyone can tell me what fish can live in brackish water because I have some gobys sharing a tank with Rams and a geophagous cyclid.I also have a parrot in the tank... should I move the other fish to a fresh water tank?

Pufferpunk · 06-20-2004, 09:21 PM

You cannot keep [acronym:af5975b163="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym:af5975b163] fish in BW. What is the [acronym:af5975b163="Specific gravity"]SG[/acronym:af5975b163] of your BW?

Menagerie · 06-20-2004, 09:37 PM

[center:f67a537c76]

Welcome to AA, ceci22!

[/center:f67a537c76]
How long have all these fish been living together. It is best to separate them, as the [acronym:f67a537c76="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym:f67a537c76] fish did not evolve to deal with that much salt.

Fruitbat · 06-20-2004, 10:38 PM

ceci22...

Welcome to Aquarium Advice! I agree with PufferPunk and Menagerie regarding you keeping Geophagus (you didn't mention the species) and Microgeophagus ramirezi in brackish water. The 'Ram' especially will be MUCH happier without the salty conditions....in their native haunts they prefer soft, acidic water....a far cry from the conditions they experience in a brackish tank.

One thing I will caution about....if you do decide to move these fish into a freshwater environment....take it very slowly! If they've been in a brackish tank then you can't simply move them into an aquarium with a much lower salt content and expect them to adjust immediately.

ceci22 · 06-21-2004, 12:35 AM

It's a Jeropari. It's not a brakish tank, I have brakish fish but I dont really have that much salt in it. But now that I have both gobies I thought I would need to convert it little by little into a brakish tank.

Can the gobies survive in slightly salted fresh water?

youronlysin · 06-21-2004, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceci22

Can the gobies survive in slightly salted fresh water?

Only until it boils. Then add your rice and a little soy sauce...Yummmm!!!
Sorry.....dont know what I was thinking.

Menagerie · 06-21-2004, 03:33 AM

Which type of gobies? I am most familiar with bumblebee gobies that are best kept in a species tank in BW. They are also out competed for food easily.

poikilotherm · 06-21-2004, 05:43 PM

Before I knew better, I had two bumblebee gobies in fresh water (no salt at all). They died pretty quickly, and I'm pretty convinced after doing some reading that the lack of salt was the problem. Nobody told me. I'm not sure whether there's a threshold salinity above which they'll do well, but i suspect that trying to balance two very different sets of needs will lead to a "worst of both worlds" scenario. Bumblebee gobies also do best in hard water at elevated pH's (~7.5). What are you feeding them? Sometimes they don't thrive on flake food, and need live or frozen.

I would separate the freshwater fish from the brackish fish, and initially try a species tank as Menagerie recommended. Also, I would be potentially concerned about the parrot around the rams. My Geophagus Juripari gets along with my ram reasonably well, but the parrot may get aggressive towards them.

Either way, change the conditions slowly (over the course of a few months)

06-20-2004, 08:27 PM	#1
ceci22 Aquarium Advice Newbie Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: chicago, il Posts: 2	can Bolivian Rams and Geophagus live in brakish water? Hi just wanted to know if anyone can tell me what fish can live in brackish water because I have some gobys sharing a tank with Rams and a geophagous cyclid.I also have a parrot in the tank... should I move the other fish to a fresh water tank?

06-20-2004, 09:21 PM	#2
Pufferpunk Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Chicago Posts: 641 Images: 11	You cannot keep [acronym:af5975b163="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym:af5975b163] fish in BW. What is the [acronym:af5975b163="Specific gravity"]SG[/acronym:af5975b163] of your BW? __________________ The Puffer Forum http://www.thepufferforum.org/ Pufferpunk's Tanks http://wetwebfotos.com/Home?actionRe...ew&userID=1918

06-20-2004, 09:37 PM	#3
Menagerie Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 11,266 Images: 77	[center:f67a537c76] Welcome to AA, ceci22! [/center:f67a537c76] How long have all these fish been living together. It is best to separate them, as the [acronym:f67a537c76="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym:f67a537c76] fish did not evolve to deal with that much salt. __________________

06-20-2004, 10:38 PM	#4
Fruitbat Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Garland,Texas Posts: 1,818 Images: 30	ceci22... Welcome to Aquarium Advice! I agree with PufferPunk and Menagerie regarding you keeping Geophagus (you didn't mention the species) and Microgeophagus ramirezi in brackish water. The 'Ram' especially will be MUCH happier without the salty conditions....in their native haunts they prefer soft, acidic water....a far cry from the conditions they experience in a brackish tank. One thing I will caution about....if you do decide to move these fish into a freshwater environment....take it very slowly! If they've been in a brackish tank then you can't simply move them into an aquarium with a much lower salt content and expect them to adjust immediately. __________________ Loaches: Botia almorhae, B. kubotai, B. striata, Noemacheilus triangularis, Schistura sp.aff.nicholsi, S. vinciguerre, Sinibotia robusta, Vaillantella maassi Bichirs: Polypterus senegalus, P. senegalus (albino), P. delhezi, P. sp. 'Congo', P. palmas polli, P.weeksii, P. ornatipinnis, P. palmas buettikoferi, P. retropinnis, P. endlicheri congicus, Polypterus bichir lapradei, P. palmas palmas, Erpetoichthys calabaricus Anabantids: Ctenopoma acutirostre, Ct. ocellatum, Ct. oxyrhynchum, Ct. kingsleyae, Microctenopoma ansorgii, Mct. fasciolatum, Trichogaster trichopterus, Belontia signata, B. hasselti, Anabas testudineus, Macropodus opercularis, Betta splendens Catfish: Dekeyseria sp. (L-052)Sturiosoma panamense, Hypancistrus inspector (L-201), Synodontis eupterus, Synodontis nigrita, Synodontis brichardi, Synodontis soloni, Anaspidoglanis macrostoma Barbs/Rasboras: Capoeta tetrazona, Rasbora borapetensis, Labeo cyclorhynchus Tetras: Phenacogrammus interruptus Other: Xenomystus nigri, Papyrocranus afer, Pantodon buchholzi, Oxymormyrus boulengeri, Protopterus annectens andPhractolaemus ansorgei

06-21-2004, 03:33 AM	#7
Menagerie Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 11,266 Images: 77	Which type of gobies? I am most familiar with bumblebee gobies that are best kept in a species tank in BW. They are also out competed for food easily. __________________

06-21-2004, 12:35 AM	#5
ceci22 Aquarium Advice Newbie Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: chicago, il Posts: 2	It's a Jeropari. It's not a brakish tank, I have brakish fish but I dont really have that much salt in it. But now that I have both gobies I thought I would need to convert it little by little into a brakish tank. Can the gobies survive in slightly salted fresh water?

06-21-2004, 05:43 PM	#8
poikilotherm Aquarium Advice Activist Join Date: May 2004 Location: Moscow ID Posts: 177 Images: 7	Before I knew better, I had two bumblebee gobies in fresh water (no salt at all). They died pretty quickly, and I'm pretty convinced after doing some reading that the lack of salt was the problem. Nobody told me. I'm not sure whether there's a threshold salinity above which they'll do well, but i suspect that trying to balance two very different sets of needs will lead to a "worst of both worlds" scenario. Bumblebee gobies also do best in hard water at elevated pH's (~7.5). What are you feeding them? Sometimes they don't thrive on flake food, and need live or frozen. I would separate the freshwater fish from the brackish fish, and initially try a species tank as Menagerie recommended. Also, I would be potentially concerned about the parrot around the rams. My Geophagus Juripari gets along with my ram reasonably well, but the parrot may get aggressive towards them. Either way, change the conditions slowly (over the course of a few months) __________________ Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind. -Albert Einstein

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