Time to switch to Marine Salt?

[Dove]

I have 2 young green spotted puffer's, and have been using Aquarium salt in their tank.
What is a good time/age to switch them over to marine salt?

 

[Fishguy2727]

If they are in brackish they should have been in marine salt the whole time.

 

[Morgie]

Just elaborating a little bit on what Fishguy said: "Aquarium salt" doesn't make a tank brackish. Aquarium salt is used for treating fish disease and conditioning water. Only marine salt will raise the salinity enough to be considered brackish. :>

 

[Dove]

Marine Salt

Thanks for the replys...I get that Aquarium salt is for medicinal purposes...the violet gobi is healing...
But can I put the marine salt in a fresh water tank? and what about the aquarium salt that is all ready in there? do i need to do a water change? Will marine salt kill my fresh water fish?

 

[ilostnemo]

aquarium salt will raise the salt levels to brackish levels. it will be more cost affective to get marine salt though. and how old are the puffers? and what fresh water fish do you have?

 

[Tigroscr]

As far as I know it takes Marine salt to make a freshwater tank brackish, but I'm not definitive on this.

 

[Fishguy2727]

You need the proper type of salt. Although I am sure if you add enough aquarium salt you can get it to the specific gravity of brackish. But the type of salt is different. Aquarium salt is sodium and chloride. Marine salt has dozens of other ingredients to properly mimic the natural composition of real brackish waters.

This is not, or at least should not be, a freshwater tank. Violet gobies and green spotted puffers are brackish. They will thrive if kept in brackish.

 

[Dove]

Thanks..I found out after I purchased them that they need the brackish water....
the gobi is in my freshwater tank, with aquarium salt.
The fresh water fish I have that I know what the names are:
Blue gromi (sp)
Plecco
pit bull plecco
some kind of tetra that is big with orange circle around eyes,
and another type of fish I don't know the name of them, but I call them ghetto fish because their lower lips stick out like they are pouting.
violet gobi
in my other tank that contains the puffers...its just the puffers, and this morning the one I named loogie is all curled up in a ball...???? not sure why.

 

[ilostnemo]

You need the proper type of salt. Although I am sure if you add enough aquarium salt you can get it to the specific gravity of brackish. But the type of salt is different. Aquarium salt is sodium and chloride. Marine salt has dozens of other ingredients to properly mimic the natural composition of real brackish waters.

This is not, or at least should not be, a freshwater tank. Violet gobies and green spotted puffers are brackish. They will thrive if kept in brackish.

it still will work. and it wouldnt hurt them

 

[Dove]

BUT... what about the aquarium salt all ready in the tank? do i need to change the water out so I don't overload it with salt when I add the marine salt?

 

[Fishguy2727]

You cannot turn that tank into a brackish tank. The freshwater fish in there would not do well in it at all, probably die pretty quickly.

The brackish fish need a proper home. If that is with you, you need to setup a proper, separate tank to setup as brackish.

Yes, I guess the definition of brackish is a specific gravity of 1.008, and I am sure you can achieve this with aquarium salt. But if you are going to do something do it right. Using aquarium salt to make a tank brackish is like blowing into an air tube instead of using an air pump.

 

[Dove]

Fishguy
I appreciate your help...the 10 gal I have the puffers in is not meant for FW...I am trying (as I keep asking the same question over and over) do I need to change out the water in the puffers tank b4 I add the marine salt?

And as far as my big 35gal FW...the violet gobi is in there to heal as the puffers ate his dorsals and tail fins. If he heals, then I will be pleading to the pet store owner to take my FW fish off my hands so I can do a proper marine tank for the gobi.
Do pleccos do okay in brackish?

 

[Fishguy2727]

No, freshwater fish do not do well at all in brackish.

 

[ilostnemo]

to actually answer your question dove. the best route to do the transfer to brackish. i would get some salt and either ro water or tap and a hyrdometer or refractometer mix about 2 gallons to 1.010 and do a 2 gallon water change. repeat that about every week to week and a half until the tank reads 1.006-1.015 to have it brackish, and no the plecos wouldnt do well. a fish that is freshwater you can look at are mollys.