Looking for advice about brackish fish compatibility

[Pamiam]

So this year I decided to try my hand on a brackish tank setup.

I have a 20 gallon long that is currently housing 1 balloon Mollie and 5 bumblebee gobys.

My initial thought was using the balloon Mollie for cleanup after the gobys eat. This is not working out to well, she eats just as slow as they do. I have a lot of the food sticking to the plants which I have to clean daily so as not to have mold grow.

My other tanks (freshwater) I use cory cats to keep the bottom clean.

Any suggestions on compatible tank mates that would help keep the food on the bottom cleaned up? Mind you the gobys are only 3/4 inch long and I don't want them eaten by a larger fish.

 

[Homer8]

what are you feeding them?

 

[Pamiam]

I first put in a pinch of veggie flake food for the Mollie, then I add either tubifex worms, bloodworms, brine shrimp for the gobys. I cut their food very small so the food will fit in their mouths.

I was experimenting with foods when I first got them and had cory cat eggs in their tank. They did not touch them. Then I let the cory cats hatch and thought they would eat them and they did not. I ended up with over 300 baby cory cats...what a nightmare.

Now I have swordtails (in anothertank) and I am waiting on babies to see if they will eat those for a better balanced diet.

But the problem is I am overfeeding a bit to make sure they get food because every goby care page I have read say they are difficult eaters.

I do have a high current going to help keep the food floating so they can "attack" their foods.

I am doing this process from the articles I have read. They are alive so it must be working. I have had them for 4 months.

 

[Homer8]

do you use live or dried tubiflex worms? I use frozen blood worms and brine shrimp and i thaw it out in a shotglass with tank water in it then use a turkey baster to put it near the gobies.

If you are feeding the gobies the worms then why not feed the mollies the worms also?

Have you tried brine shrimp? I have hatched my own brine shrimp and my BBGs loved to catch them.

I am in the process of setting up my brackish tank again after my heater malfunctioned and killed all my fish 2 years ago. I was very successful at keeping mudskippers, figure 8 puffer, bumblebee gobies and a freshwater flounder. The flounder was thriving and got bigger in the 1.5 years i owned him. I had a few mollies but they picked on my puffer so i gave them to a friend.

Let me know if you have any questions. I feel that I have done enough research and have successfully kept all the fish i mentioned above very happy. until the heater killed them : (

 

[Pamiam]

Of course the Mollie gets some of the frozen foods, I just start with flake so she will not become accustomed to all frozen foods. Judging by her poop, she eats well.

I was maybe looking for some type of clean up crew for the left over food on the bottom, so do you think maybe a flounder or 2. I do not know much about them or what species would be compatible. All of my tanks have sand substrate. And I am keeping the specific gravity between 1.004 and 1.005.

I have been wanting to try hatching brine shrimp, but our pets stores seldom carry the brine shrimp eggs...it is hit or miss with them.

 

[Luananeko]

aquabid.com has loads of people offering brine shrimp if you don't mind buying online.

From the little bit I've read about freshwater flounders, it sounds like a 29 gallon tank is suggested for the adults... A 20 gallon could work, but it might be a little tight.

 

[Homer8]

Flounders are not a good clean up crew. They are hard to feed. If you had a larger tank I'd recommend a violet goby because the sift sand in there large mouths but they have small throats and won't eat you BBG. The aren't aggressive but they get big.

Maybe you can get some merits snails I had them and the live in brackish or fresh.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Pamiam]

I am moving to Ohio soon, so I think I will look into the snails you suggest. I have a puffer that would keep the snail numbers down, even though she is in the freshwater community tank.

In Maine, snails are illegal to own...so I can't get them anywhere. I didn't know that or I would have never let the puffer eat them all...hahaha

Anyway thanks for your advice, it has been invaluable.

 

[Luananeko]

Hmmm, check exactly which snail species are illegal before you write them all off. Nerites are incapable of breeding in freshwater, so it's unlikely they're on the pest snail list. I think those are the ones Homer8 means, as I've never heard of Merits snails... They do live in both salt and fresh, but I can't recall how much they'll eat leftover food. I know they're excellent on algae.

 

[Homer8]

Hmmm, check exactly which snail species are illegal before you write them all off. Nerites are incapable of breeding in freshwater, so it's unlikely they're on the pest snail list. I think those are the ones Homer8 means, as I've never heard of Merits snails... They do live in both salt and fresh, but I can't recall how much they'll eat leftover food. I know they're excellent on algae.

I meant nerites. The M is right next to that darn N. You are right about them not breeding in freshwater. They lay their eggs in brackish and the snails hatch into larvae and are swept out to sea then they slowly make their way back to brackish or fresh. Nearly impossible to breed them in captivity if not impossible.