How to make brackish water. Please help.

[kashif314]

Hi guys. I bought six mono angels ( mono argentus) The ones with yellow top fin. They are in freshwater and was in freshwater at the lfs. They are like 4 inches and few are smaller.

I want to introduce them to brackish water. I never kept any fish other than freshwater in past.

So, I need to know how I shall introduce them to brackish. How slowly I need to increase water salanity? I bough marine salt and a hydrometer as suggested by Internet reading. Please help on how I do this transition to fresh water and how slowly I need to do that and turn in the tank to complete brackish.

Thanks.

 

[Autumnsky]

To make the water, you premix the water, people generally use a new trash can for mixing and keeping water in.

If all fish for the tank wll be brakish, then you could start changing the water over gradually over a few months. More with each pwc until it is the amount you should be keeping them at.

What size tank are they in now, and are you planning for them? They get the size of a luncheon plate almost as long as a dinner plate.

 

[kashif314]

Unfortunately my tank is about 40 gallons. They are small for now and I ll upgrade tank as they grow. I actually don't know how much salanity I need to increase. Today I took a small cup of salt and prepare saltwater and added to tank.

 

[coralbandit]

Marine salt is about 2 1/2 cups to 5g [1/2 cup per gallon].
Brackish is just lower then 1/2 salt [1.08 -1.11]
The bacteria are completely different from FW to brackish to marine ,so you are cycling the tank over when you switch it.
I would switch the fish over completely in ONE day as you will be cycling for weeks after and they are large waste producers. A couple hours should not be a problem.

 

[Autumnsky]

Do you have any other fish in there other than the Monos?

 

[BBradbury]

kas...

The term "brackish" takes in a very wide level of salt. Brackish just means the water has more salt in it than fresh, but less than salt water.

B

 

[kashif314]

Marine salt is about 2 1/2 cups to 5g [1/2 cup per gallon].
Brackish is just lower then 1/2 salt [1.08 -1.11]
The bacteria are completely different from FW to brackish to marine ,so you are cycling the tank over when you switch it.
I would switch the fish over completely in ONE day as you will be cycling for weeks after and they are large waste producers. A couple hours should not be a problem.

The fresh water tank was already cycled. Do u mean adding marine salt will start another cycle? Its scary. I don't have another tank for now. But I ll be adding little salt and will change salanity gradually. Let me know please.

 

[kashif314]

Do you have any other fish in there other than the Monos?

For now no other fish but I ordered for a scat and archer and two dwarf green dotted puffers which I ll be getting tonight.

I m worried now. I didn't know adding marine salt can start a cycle again. U had tank cycled when it was fresh water and I only added very little salt so far.

 

[Brookster123]

You're not putting all those in with the monos???

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[kashif314]

You're not putting all those in with the monos???

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I believe I am. I m going to upgrade tank soon in a couple of months. They aren't compatible with Monos? What I read is they are perfect companions with Monos. No?

 

[Brookster123]

That's just a lot of fish in a new tank. I think it's wrong personally but it's your tank..

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[kashif314]

That's just a lot of fish in a new tank. I think it's wrong personally but it's your tank..

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I know I m just putting them till I get a new tank. Monos, Scats are not always available here specially Monos.

Please let me know if increasing salanity can start a new cycle?

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Yes you'll be killing your bb as you add salt to the system. This thread is a prime example of why you should do research BEFORE you purchase these fish

 

[kashif314]

Yes you'll be killing your bb as you add salt to the system. This thread is a prime example of why you should do research BEFORE you purchase these fish

So why they say to introduce fish slowly and gradually increase salanity? How it is possible then? They say to add little by little salt over months. How is that possible.

Always say to introduce a fish slowly to brackish but if it start a cycle than how to make this move?

 

[coralbandit]

Get familiar with your test kit and get the salt in the water.
Your probably going to have issues just doing that so why drag it out?
You are cycling day 1 whenever you get the salt in.
Mix up salt in a bucket and let it adjust before adding to tanks.
DO NOT add salt crystals to tank.Especially once fish are in.
All the fish you are getting will appreciate the salt so just shoot for 1.010.
If you go a little over no biggy ,same for a little under..
The salt is going to make cycling 'easier' on the fish as nitrItes are not as toxic with salt in the fishes blood as in freshwatwer...Look up brown blood disease.
1 day /8-12 hour acclimation would be fine for all fish you have planned.


I can't say why there is so much mis information out there ,but there is and you are not even close to finding the lies the industry keeps everybody believing...

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Get familiar with your test kit and get the salt in the water.
Your probably going to have issues just doing that so why drag it out?
You are cycling day 1 whenever you get the salt in.
Mix up salt in a bucket and let it adjust before adding to tanks.
DO NOT add salt crystals to tank.Especially once fish are in.
All the fish you are getting will appreciate the salt so just shoot for 1.010.
If you go a little over no biggy ,same for a little under..
The salt is going to make cycling 'easier' on the fish as nitrItes are not as toxic with salt in the fishes blood as in freshwatwer...Look up brown blood disease.
1 day /8-12 hour acclimation would be fine for all fish you have planned.


I can't say why there is so much mis information out there ,but there is and you are not even close to finding the lies the industry keeps everybody believing...

That's the way I've always done it, just a long slow drip, do it all in one shot then cycle the tank fish in with lots of wcs

 

[kashif314]

That's the way I've always done it, just a long slow drip, do it all in one shot then cycle the tank fish in with lots of wcs

Wcs? What does this mean?

 

[kashif314]

Get familiar with your test kit and get the salt in the water.
Your probably going to have issues just doing that so why drag it out?
You are cycling day 1 whenever you get the salt in.
Mix up salt in a bucket and let it adjust before adding to tanks.
DO NOT add salt crystals to tank.Especially once fish are in.
All the fish you are getting will appreciate the salt so just shoot for 1.010.
If you go a little over no biggy ,same for a little under..
The salt is going to make cycling 'easier' on the fish as nitrItes are not as toxic with salt in the fishes blood as in freshwatwer...Look up brown blood disease.
1 day /8-12 hour acclimation would be fine for all fish you have planned.


I can't say why there is so much mis information out there ,but there is and you are not even close to finding the lies the industry keeps everybody believing...

Thanks a lot for the detailed reply Sir. Yes I did mixed the salt in hot water before adding the saltwater to aquarium. Didn't put salt without mixing in water.

I am not dragging it on purpose. Like I said I did researched and found to slowly increase the salanity of water to put not much stress on fish. Not just one place but at many they said this.

My fish needs between 1.005 to 1.008 and I will go to 1.008 range but please let me know is it OK to increase salanity all at once while fish are inside tank? It won't affect them or stress them? Please confirm if u mean this.

Now I have Monos and 2 small archers I bought yesterday.

 

[Autumnsky]

What kind of Archers, they get really large and need a huge tank???
Archer Fish

 

[coralbandit]

You should not add the mix while fish are in tank unless you add little at a time all day.
The fish should be fine with your salt level you are planning.
The monos can go full salt 1.025.
It would be best t place fish in bucket,get tank to proper level pretty quick while you bring the bucket up to the level of the tank.