How should I mix freshwater and brackish fish?

[smallfry]

I am looking for feedback from the experts. Currently I have a 10 gallon tank with platies. In the process of setting up my NEW 46 gallon bow front. I want to put the platies in the new tank along with freshwater fish (gouramies, corys, rainbows). Right now my platies get approx. 1 tsp salt for each gallon of water. It seems to keep them from disease. (when I first bought them, they went several months without salt and were ok - but susceptible to ich, etc.) I've been reading this forum and it seems like many fishy keepers house livebearers (brackish) and fresh water fish (gouramis, etc.) in the same tank. The big question is how can I put them in together without causing stress or illness for either type of fish?
Thanks for the help...

 

[astroguy]

Hi and welcome to AA.

Platies are *not* brackish fishes, but freshwater fishes. There should be no need at all to have salt in the aquarium for them. You may have the impression that it helped, but it did not. Guppies do not need salt as well. Mollies are brackish fishes, however.

Therefore, I suggest to *slowly* decrease the concentration of salt in your 10 gallons tank, with the goal to have no salt at all. This should then answer your question about mixing platies and gouramis.

Good luck with your 46 gallons tank. Do not forget to cycle it properly, and put lots of plants for the gouramis.

 

[smallfry]

Thank you for the help...I had read online that livebearers need up to a teaspoon of salt per gallon and since platies are livebearers, I made the assumption that salt would be good for them. (it doesn't seem to harm them)
I think I will take your suggestion and wean them off the salt (that's kind of what I was thinking of trying anyway - I just didn't want it to have a negative effect on their health).

 

[TankGirl]

Good advice from Astroguy!

I would do partial water changes and each time do not add the salt that you normally would, until you feel like the tank is fresh. I am not sure how much salt will linger in the substrate and whatnot. You can also slowly acclimate them in a day by putting them in a bucket on the floor in their usual tank water, and starting a syphon from your new tank with an airline tube, with a knot tied in it so it drips very slowly. When you have doubled the volume in the bucket you are pretty safe.

 

[Christmasfish]

Heh I was gonna say trade your mollies for platys.
You have the advice..

One more tidbit..with gourami? Get A single ONE or 3+ and you won't have the aggression issues with them. Make sure your male /female ratio stays 1 to 3 as possible. Get smaller active loaches instead of cories with that selection and it is a south asian biotope. ^_^
(cories are great though..I couldn't get khulis yet so they are siftin sand in the chocolate tank.

 

[smallfry]

Is there an easy way to tell female/male gouramis apart??? (I know how to tell the platys apart - but am new to gouramis)

Thank you for the good info.

 

[patryuji]

I am not sure how much salt will linger in the substrate and whatnot.

That is not a concern. As the concentration of salt in solution decreases any salt which precipitated out of the water to form a solid on the substrate will now go back into solution over time...brownian motion and all that.

 

[TankGirl]

brownian motion and all that.

Thanks for the reminder - it is all coming back to me! I do be lovin' the science and chemistry of this hobby 8)