Brackish people?

[Adastra808]

Well after reading though some forums...I'm noticing a lack of representation of brackish tanks. Anyone keep brackish? Share your set up and stock

I've got a 55 gal brackish, I currently keep my SG at 1.009, but I'm thinking about going a little lower with it. Sand bottom with some branch looking drift wood, texas holy rock, and some red and white rocks for hardscape. I got a few chunks of java fern in there right now that I acclimated to the brackish, but it's not doing the greatest, which is why I'm considering lowering my SG a bit.

My current stock includes:
-Dragon/violet goby. I absolutely love this bugger. It's the main reason why I decided to try a brackish tank. I started with 2, 4 inch ones, but brought one back to the LFS once they started getting bigger (they didn't get along real well either). He's now about 9 inches long
-A pair of sunshine mollies. These guys I mostly got to help control algae (anyone else have issues with algae in brackish?). I was a little nervous bringing these guys home because were being kept in full salt water, but a very slow drip acclimation did the trick and they are doing great.
-2 pairs of orange chromides. These are cute little buggers and add some great color to the tank
-2 Fig 8 puffers. I was also a little nervous about these guys because of the puffers reputation for being nippers. However mine seem to be big babies. I introduced a few olive nerites (again to help with algae) expecting my puffers to eat them right up, but they leave them alone entirely. I'm just starting to get one of them to accept small pest snails as long as a crush the shell first.
-2 monos (one argentius and one sebae). These guys are most likely going to outgrow my tank, but hopefully not before I get get my 120 gal set up I've been dreaming of. But they were kind of a rescue deal. The poor argentius was left behind by someone who took the rest of the group of 6 of them because he's got a funny bump on his head and he and the sebae were the last 2 monos in the brackish tank at the LFS so I couldn't just leave the sebae all by his lonesome.

 

[Terrance]

I used to have 2 figure 8 in a 29gallon. They were beat up really bad when I got them. I kept them for 1 week in freshwater, but its activity level didn't do well. I ended up trading them out for some other puffers. I didn't keep them long enough to start acclimating them to brackish water.

I don't have anymore tanks big enough to own F8 anymore. Christmas is my target date to buy and set up a tank for F8 I want a 20 gallon long with 1 molly and 1 bumblebee goby and 1 F8. Theoretically, its not enough space for all 3, but I can try to see if it works!

 

[Morgie]

I have my tiny little 5.5 (light) brackish tank.
I've got 4 bumblebee gobies in there and they are hilarious and I absolutely love them.
I do have a bit of an issue with algae as well. :< I have grass shrimp and pond snails in the tank so they help out a bit, but I still have to do a lot more weekly maintenance on this tank than my FW tanks. That goes with the territory of having a nano tank though.

 

[Homer8]

I have a 29 gallon tank with 1 mudskipper in it. SG is 1.004 but after i get my figure 8 puffer for the tank im going to raise it up to about 1.006-1.008.
The tank is separated to have land for the mudskipper and water for the puffer. Everyone always warms me that the puffer will attack the mudskipper but in my setup i dont see how its possible. the mudskipper spends 99% of his time on the land portion and if he does go in the water its only a half of an inch deep where the sand ends so the puffer would have to beach himself to get the the mudskipper. There is about 20 gallons of water for the puffer and i was thinking maybe a few bumble bee gobies. here are a few pics i just took of my tank.

 

[jetajockey]

I've got a lightly brackish tank with 3 mono sebae and a bunch of sheepshead minnows in it. My eventual plan is to get a 75 or 90 for them and add 3 mono argentus for a little contrast.

 

[Homer8]

I've got a lightly brackish tank with 3 mono sebae and a bunch of sheepshead minnows in it. My eventual plan is to get a 75 or 90 for them and add 3 mono argentus for a little contrast.

what size is the tank now? you do know that monos get to be about 10 inches?

 

[jetajockey]

Yes I'm aware of how large they get. They are in a 40g tank currently. I originally had them in a 125 when I first got them but since they decided to attack and kill every schooling fish in the tank I had to move them until they get their own dedicated tank.

 

[Homer8]

what fish do you have in the 125?

 

[jetajockey]

Discus, angelfish and community schoolers.

 

[Canterthefishman]

Archers and monos

 

[Cleggat]

10 gallon for my GSP.. Going to a 40g in four months.. Will shove anything in that mouth of hers.. But veggies get spat out if meat is on the menu as well, not been bitten by her yet! But I dread the day that I do, that little puffball has no fear! Defiantly none of me anyway when I go in her tank!

 

[Terrance]

I have a 29 gallon tank with 1 mudskipper in it. SG is 1.004 but after i get my figure 8 puffer for the tank im going to raise it up to about 1.006-1.008.
The tank is separated to have land for the mudskipper and water for the puffer. Everyone always warms me that the puffer will attack the mudskipper but in my setup i dont see how its possible. the mudskipper spends 99% of his time on the land portion and if he does go in the water its only a half of an inch deep where the sand ends so the puffer would have to beach himself to get the the mudskipper. There is about 20 gallons of water for the puffer and i was thinking maybe a few bumble bee gobies. here are a few pics i just took of my tank.

How did you setup that platform at the top of your tank? Does it have sand on the platform? Will the mudskipper slip off the platform and fall into deep water?

 

[Homer8]

Archers and monos

I cant wait to get a huge tank to get archers. I love my mudskipper which is what got me into brackish and i want to make the tank so that the 2 types can live together. In about a year when i graduate my first purchase will be a 125+ gallon tank.

 

[Adastra808]

I eventually want to do a 135 gallon paladarium set up for archers. I'll probably put in some monos too.

 

[Homer8]

How did you setup that platform at the top of your tank? Does it have sand on the platform? Will the mudskipper slip off the platform and fall into deep water?

i cut pvc pipe into 4 pieces and then cut out plexiglass and silicone it all together. i found this plastic stuff that i used to make a lip around the edge of the plexiglass and it holds back the sand that is on the platform. the mudskipper has "fallen" down into the water but has gone right up to the top and sticks to the glass. he has only done it twice since its been set up. i like the set up but since i keep it humid in the tank the glass has condensation on it and i have to wipe it off. i painted the pvc black with a matte textured black spray paint. i hope my lfs will get a figure 8 in soon to add to the tank. i just added a nerite and many say that the puffers leave big nerites alone. im hoping the nerite lays eggs in there for a snack for the puffer.

 

[Homer8]

Im really pissed because i was at petco tonight and this week they had gotten in figure 8 puffers and i missed it. it was the first time they had them and they said they wont be getting any more for a long time because they need to find a better dealer because that batch wasnt to healthy. i would have nursed 2 back to good health if i would have gotten the chance. now i might have to go the expensive route and get one off of the internet for $40-$45 with shipping