Help! brackish water plants

[ChanEKC]

Hey so I've been planting my tank since I got it. I never had any problems with my first batch of plants before I started adding salt to my water (I have mollys which I learned can survive in fresh water but are happier in brackish water) all the plants I had before quickly died after that, so I got some Java fern and bought some plant fertilizer and they aren't dying quickly but they are still dying (it's not the pretty green look i want for my tank. I learned all I could about them and they were tied to some pond rocks.
So my question is, what are some good brackish water low light plants I can put in my tank? I have sand substrate with some coral mixed in. My PH level stays at 8 if that's a factor.

 

[BBradbury]

Chan...

Your basic pH is a problem, since aquarium plants prefer more acidic water. But plants are able to adapt to water conditions, just like fish, as long as the chemistry is steady. Brackish water can contain many levels of salt. Brackish simply means the water has a higher salt content than fresh, but less than sea water.

If you keep the amount of salt in the tank water to a minimum, you can keep the Mollies healthy and still keep some plants. I would add no more than a heaping teaspoon to every 5 gallons of your replacement water. The amount is enough to support your Mollies and low enough so you can keep some undemanding plants like Hornwort, Water sprite, Anacharis, Pennywort, Java fern and Anubias. These are more than enough to plant your tank.

As long as you keep the tank water waste free with large, weekly water changes, 50 percent at least, your Mollies should be fine with no salt. Mollies are large fish and need larger tanks. I wouldn't keep them in anything less than 45 gallons of water. They become aggressive if you crowd them.

B

 

[ChanEKC]

Well that would work for my Molly's it wouldn't work for my Violet Goby, right now they're all in a 29g tank. I think you might be mixing up mollys with a different fish, mollys only grow to be 2-3 inches long. My goby however is 4 inches long now and will grow to be 12, but my mollys should be dead from old age by then, have 6 of them in the tank with my goby and I do a 50% water change weekly and the water stays clear and the levels are normal.

I guess I will have to do plastic plants if there aren't any plants that can stand a ph level of 8 and gravity level between 1.005 and 1.010. And sand substrate

 

[pmvaldon]

Many brackish water plants require higher light.

What you want to do is difficult to make work in a small aquarium. Let me know what plants you get to live.

 

[BBradbury]

Cha...

The Mollies I've seen are over 4 inches in length, granted those are the females of the species. Those are in larger tanks, so the fish are obviously not crowded. Most fish, especially livebearing species will do fine in water with a bit of salt added. The others will also benefit. I use a little standard aquarium salt with my Danios, Plecos and Corydoras as well as the livebearing fish I keep. The plants I listed will do fine with a little salt, as long as the amount is roughly a teaspoon or two in every 5 gallons of replacement water.

B

 

[ChanEKC]

BBradbury- that would actually be really interesting to see, I've had 4 of my mollys for a year now and they are just over 2.5 inches. My largest one is probably barely 3. And like I said reducing the salt would be just fine for the mollys, when I first got them I kept them inow fresh water for 4-5 months. But my Violet Goby needs the higher levels of salt. From what I've read reducing their salt levels can make them sick and lethargic so reducing the salt levels is not an option for me.

Pmvaldon- what are some high light brackish water plants?

 

[BBradbury]

Cha...

Mollies can exceed 5 inches. You could keep one in a smaller tank, say 30 gallons, but they're somewhat territorial and may have problems in a smaller tank of you keep even a few. But, you're the fish keeper. The decision is totally yours.

B

 

[ChanEKC]

Well the mollys I have only have a year left to live before they die of old age and they've been happy together in this tank with no signs of aggression they were also really happy in the the 20g tank I had before this one, only reason I upgraded is because I wanted another fish.

 

[stevenht]

I hate to hijack the thread but is it true that mollies can survive in saltwater? Not brackish water, but saltwater. I've heard the idea thrown around a bunch but nobody has ever confirmed it.

 

[ChanEKC]

Yes, mollys are extremely adaptable fish. They can handle both straight fresh water and salt it's just they are better off in brackish.

 

[stevenht]

Ah ok. Thanks for the info!