Fresh to Brackish

[JennaSimpson]

I have a ten gallon that I want to convert to brackish , how do I accomplish this ?

 

[Homedog98]

What fish do you have in there? Unless they can be converted too, you'll have to get rid of some fish.

 

[JennaSimpson]

There are no fish

 

[hiltymj]

Well most fish from your lfs are kept in fresh because younger brackish fish can handle that. So I'd leave as is and get the fish you want and then slowly add more and more salt as you do water changes to slowly acclimate them. That's all IME though that's what I did with my 75 brackish

 

[JennaSimpson]

When do I stop adding salt , and how much do I add ?

 

[Terrance]

You have to do trial and error. Keep track of the amount of sea salt you add and measure the salt grade every 5-6hrs. Repeat until the salt grade is at the proper amount.

Then you have to make sure the salt grade is enough for the fish of your choice. Some brackish fish might require higher salt grade and others may require lower salt grade, so make sure which end you will go towards. Usually most brackish fish are at the lower end of the salt grade scale (correct me if I'm wrong here).

edit: once you figure out the amount of salt require to raise the salt grade enough for your fish, then use the same amount next time when you change your water. Watch your salt grade closely and figure how many days it takes for the tank to evaporating water enough to change the salt grade.

 

[hiltymj]

The salt content that you need should be around 1.005 but anywhere from 1.004 to 1.007 is fine and I would get it that high over a months time. So do a water change of 15% once a week and mix a tablespoon of salt in a bucket with your new water.

After the second week see where your salt content is with a hydrometer and just keep doing that adding half a table spoon or more until you get it to around 1.005 or 1.006

 

[JennaSimpson]

Leaving the house to go buy my aquarium salt and sand today ! Can't wait to get started on my first brackish tank I also need a heater , hiding places, and plants . Suggestions ?

 

[JennaSimpson]

Anything else I might be needing specially ? Like a hydrometer ?

 

[hiltymj]

Ya get a hydrometer it reads the salt levels in your tank. Ummmm what kind of fish are you getting?

 

[JennaSimpson]

Bumblebee gobys

 

[JennaSimpson]

What can I use to weigh down my driftwood that won't harm my water quality ?

 

[alLexX]

What can I use to weigh down my driftwood that won't harm my water quality ?

tie or glue it to slate

 

[JennaSimpson]

Would pieces of a clay pot work ?

 

[JennaSimpson]

Making some shelters for my gobys

 

[JennaSimpson]

I just added the sand to my tank , letting the water clear !

 

[hiltymj]

Very nice I am a sucker for brackish tanks. Keep me posted on how it's going!

 

[JennaSimpson]

I can't get my water to clear , suggestions ? I rinsed out the sand about ten times before putting it in & have done four 75% water changes since last night . I also have carbon in a stocking in the filter . I put gravel , rocks , tiki man , and filter media from my established freshwater to get the ball rolling on cycling .

 

[Homedog98]

I can't get my water to clear , suggestions ? I rinsed out the sand about ten times before putting it in & have done four 75% water changes since last night . I also have carbon in a stocking in the filter . I put gravel , rocks , tiki man , and filter media from my established freshwater to get the ball rolling on cycling .

Wait, wait, and wait some more there's not much you can do about cloudiness. Tank looks great though!

 

[JennaSimpson]

Ugh . Is there a vial of patience I can buy any where ?? Also for my end result I want a nice peice of dw . I'm just waiting until I can find a peice I like. I was also thinking about painting some dangling roots on the back of the back glass . I saw a background with it and thought It was really cool .