Well, I kind of thought that freshwater and brackish water were pretty similiar but I am getting mixed confusions. The reason I need to know is for my ideas for my stock list for my 55 gallon tank when it gets set-up. I wanted to put silver-tipped sharks in the tank with a few other fish that I'm not really sure about other than with a school of Bala sharks. When the silver-tipped sharks are still babys, that isn't my concern because they thrive in freshwater during this period. It's when the silver-tipped sharks enter their adult age when they start to thrive in brackish water. To get brackish, I have to add a little salt, from what I understand. How much salt is one question? Another concern is, will this "Brackish" water affect the other fish in the tank? If it will affect certain fish, can someone give me a list of other fish that also thrive in salt water? Or maybe some advice from people that have owned silver-tipped sharks for a while would be nice or at least people who know about them. I appreciate all the help.
Freshwater > < Brackish?
- Thread starter Mako_
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Tivaala
Aquarium Advice Activist
guppys, mollys and platys like brackish. so do goldfish but i doubt you want those 
maybe this will help?
Index of Brackish Water Fish - on AquariumFish.net.
and of course wiki. as always take wiki with a pinch of salt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_brackish_aquarium_fish_species
maybe this will help?
Index of Brackish Water Fish - on AquariumFish.net.
and of course wiki. as always take wiki with a pinch of salt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_brackish_aquarium_fish_species
Tivaala
Aquarium Advice Activist
and if you wonder why i say tread carefully with wiki heres why... these fish are listed as brackish in the link above but on their own page thats a myth apparently.
"Glassfish have been kept in aquarium for many years, but have a reputation for being delicate and difficult to keep. This may be related to a persistent myth that these fish need brackish water. In the wild they more commonly inhabit freshwater"
"Glassfish have been kept in aquarium for many years, but have a reputation for being delicate and difficult to keep. This may be related to a persistent myth that these fish need brackish water. In the wild they more commonly inhabit freshwater"
Tivaala
Aquarium Advice Activist
i have a tendancy to use it a little too much for uni work when its subjects i know. keep getting told off about it
Well being a website where just anybody can edit it shouldn't be trusted. People are capable of putting information in there that isn't just incorrect but so off topic. It sucks when people get information on there that is wrong and they swear it is right.
DragonFish71
Great white snark
Here's a few links that helped me start my BW tank. It's been running successfully for almost a year.
for plants: PlantGeek.net - Plant Guide
Brackish Fish: Brackish Water Fish for Brackish Aquariums and Tanks
Brackish Fish: Brackish Water Fish for Brackish Aquariums and Tanks
for plants: PlantGeek.net - Plant Guide
Brackish Fish: Brackish Water Fish for Brackish Aquariums and Tanks
Brackish Fish: Brackish Water Fish for Brackish Aquariums and Tanks
i3k
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I've had my 100gal brackish tank with 3 Columbian Sharks AKA Silver Tip Sharks for over 8 years now. These fish get HUGE...so a 55gal would be too small for them within a year or two. Even my 100 gal is a bit too small for them. They still have enough space to swim and comfortably turn without hitting the sidewalls. These sharks are much like the real sharks...EATING MACHINES...all they do is eat, eat and eat...and of course poop some decent size logs. I have to change 50% of the water every 10-12 days and clean the gravel every water change as it gets messy quick.
As far as how much salt to add...I add 2 tablespoons of Instant Ocean salt per 5 gallons. They really thrive with lower pH levels and not much salt is needed. I also have 2 medium sized plecos in the same tank and have had them in that tank for over 6 years now. The plecos never had any problems and seem to be thriving with some salt in the aquarium.
As far as how much salt to add...I add 2 tablespoons of Instant Ocean salt per 5 gallons. They really thrive with lower pH levels and not much salt is needed. I also have 2 medium sized plecos in the same tank and have had them in that tank for over 6 years now. The plecos never had any problems and seem to be thriving with some salt in the aquarium.
logansmomma1228
Aquarium Advice Addict
Haven't got too far in this thread yet, but I will agree that I do not use wikipedia for the simple fact that anyone and everyone can put whatever they want with the click of the mouse. I have gone on there but I always check with other resources. It's like talking to the LFS! Lol. OK maybe not quite, but close enough
logansmomma1228
Aquarium Advice Addict
So, not to hijack this thread, but I have been wondering myself about this whole brackish thing. +1 to mako's question of whether or not it will hurt stictly FW fish if you add salt? Also, what happens if you don't always add salt? Not saying I am planning on this but jw if it would actually kill the BW fish to not have enough salt in the water. Also does the pH need to be really low? Mine is around 7.5
taylorodw
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Each species of fish has a different tolerance for salinity of water. Some FW species can go full marine and some species can't tolerate any salt. Some brackish species can tolerate fully fresh water, some will die.
Do your research, do your research, do your research! Don't trust anything you don't read on multiple sites.
If you don't read specifically that a fish can tolerate brackish conditions, then assume it cannot.
People sometimes recommend to add "aquarium salt" to FW fish tanks. To my understanding, that is very different from the "marine salt" needed to create brackish conditions.
So, fish that may benefit from aquarium salt, may suffer and die from marine salt.
Do your research, do your research, do your research! Don't trust anything you don't read on multiple sites.
If you don't read specifically that a fish can tolerate brackish conditions, then assume it cannot.
People sometimes recommend to add "aquarium salt" to FW fish tanks. To my understanding, that is very different from the "marine salt" needed to create brackish conditions.
So, fish that may benefit from aquarium salt, may suffer and die from marine salt.
i3k
Aquarium Advice FINatic
If you don't use the salt all the time the brackish water fish will surely react to it. One time I ran out of salt and decided to do a water change(50%) without adding salt as I was going to buy more salt later that week and add it when I did. Well after the PWC my sharks were all in the corner swimming up and down the entire day and night, stressing and not eating. I went and bought salt the next day and added what was missing. They instantly started swimming normally and stopped hanging in the corner. Some brackish fish might be more forgiving if you miss a dose of salt. My sharks sure didn't appreciate it though.
As far as pH level. My pH stays at around 6.5 - 6.8 and they do good in that range...anything below 6 and these sharks start to do poor. I think they will be fine with a pH level of 7.0 - 7.5.
PS...thanks for pointing out the different salts used to make brackish water taylorodw.
As far as pH level. My pH stays at around 6.5 - 6.8 and they do good in that range...anything below 6 and these sharks start to do poor. I think they will be fine with a pH level of 7.0 - 7.5.
PS...thanks for pointing out the different salts used to make brackish water taylorodw.
logansmomma1228
Aquarium Advice Addict
*Off to start a new thread on this subject! Lol. I must admit though, I need to start browsing for research again. i have gotten lazy by simply checking on here!
taylorodw
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I am reading a pretty cool book about FW fish of California, and I found some useful information.
FW fish have higher salt and mineral concentrations, and lower water concentrations, in their bodies than in the fresh water. This causes the water, due to osmosis (flows from high water concentration to low water concentration), to flow into the fish's body through the gills. The fish is constantly excreting water and waste as it uses up the oxygen content of the water, and the nutrients it has turned into waste.
When you increase the salt and mineral concentrations of the water, this effect is reduced so the fish gets dehydrated. With high enough salt and mineral concentrations (like a FW fish in SW) the flow is reversed! So the fish will die, because the gills are actually losing water instead of taking it in.
Some fish adapt to SW, and combat this reverse flow of water, by drinking the water they need and then excreting the the excess salt and minerals out through specialized cells. They regulate their blood salinity by turning on the FW system in FW, and the SW system in SW. Certain fish can do this, certain fish cannot.
The more you know!
That's not the end-all be-all of it, but it's a good basic understanding.
FW fish have higher salt and mineral concentrations, and lower water concentrations, in their bodies than in the fresh water. This causes the water, due to osmosis (flows from high water concentration to low water concentration), to flow into the fish's body through the gills. The fish is constantly excreting water and waste as it uses up the oxygen content of the water, and the nutrients it has turned into waste.
When you increase the salt and mineral concentrations of the water, this effect is reduced so the fish gets dehydrated. With high enough salt and mineral concentrations (like a FW fish in SW) the flow is reversed! So the fish will die, because the gills are actually losing water instead of taking it in.
Some fish adapt to SW, and combat this reverse flow of water, by drinking the water they need and then excreting the the excess salt and minerals out through specialized cells. They regulate their blood salinity by turning on the FW system in FW, and the SW system in SW. Certain fish can do this, certain fish cannot.
The more you know!
That's not the end-all be-all of it, but it's a good basic understanding.
DragonFish71
Great white snark
Most BW fish on the market, like the gobys, are wild caught. In the wild, as we all know, there are tidal differences. Those fish are used to the influx of FW. For my tank I add salt once a month to simulate these influxes. The tank gets cleaned every week, but salt doesn't evaporate, it builds up until diluted. By the last cleaning of the month, the salt content has dropped and I can safely add it back slowly.
Also some of them prefer a higher pH.
This link explains BW systems very well:
Starting a Brackish Aquarium, what you need and what you can keep.
Also some of them prefer a higher pH.
This link explains BW systems very well:
Starting a Brackish Aquarium, what you need and what you can keep.
logansmomma1228
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yeah it is definitely intermediate to me. Just like SW, I would love to do it but I will wait until I'm more experienced.
Oh! I noticed you have a dwarf puffer fish. Is that a freswater fish where you don't add any freshwater salt in the tank at all? And how is it doing in a 10 gallon? Do you keep it with just one puffer? I am just curious because I am looking into puffer fish but I want to make sure that if I do ever get a puffer, it is a freshwater and I can put it in a good tank.
logansmomma1228
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yes, he is a fully freshwater fish. I have read that Figure 8 puffers can also be in 100% freshwater. They get a little bigger than the Dwarf Puffer.
If you do get something that needs salt added make sure to get "Marine" Salt, it is different than "Aquarium" Salt. I guess the aquarium salt is for when your fish get sick (you treat the water something like 1 teaspoon per gallon and increase the heat slowly), and marine salt is the actual salt for the water params.
I really like my puffer so far, they have cool personalities. He is by himself. I was contemplating getting one more but I have read that they will get aggressive when they mature. I have also read plenty of experiences where they do great as a community fish but IMO that is only when they are juvies. Plus you can't tell the gender until they are older and if you get two males they will fight.
You could cut down on the chances of aggression if you plant your tank well enough to provide hiding places and block their line of sight.
They are really cool though, and he has plenty of room in the 10. Now that he is comfortable he is really starting to get some personality.
Dwarf Puffers : Home here is a good site. I googled Dwarf Puffers and got a ton of useful sites.
If you do get something that needs salt added make sure to get "Marine" Salt, it is different than "Aquarium" Salt. I guess the aquarium salt is for when your fish get sick (you treat the water something like 1 teaspoon per gallon and increase the heat slowly), and marine salt is the actual salt for the water params.
I really like my puffer so far, they have cool personalities. He is by himself. I was contemplating getting one more but I have read that they will get aggressive when they mature. I have also read plenty of experiences where they do great as a community fish but IMO that is only when they are juvies. Plus you can't tell the gender until they are older and if you get two males they will fight.
You could cut down on the chances of aggression if you plant your tank well enough to provide hiding places and block their line of sight.
They are really cool though, and he has plenty of room in the 10. Now that he is comfortable he is really starting to get some personality.
Dwarf Puffers : Home here is a good site. I googled Dwarf Puffers and got a ton of useful sites.
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