my guppies arnt used to brackish water and i want to make it brackish cause i heard htey like that better, how long should it take to get them accostomed to it and also in brackish water could i just put enough brine shrimp for a few days for the to eat because my bro will probably forget to feed them. Will the brine shrimp live long enough?
oh and are there any bottom suckers that can be in brackish water?
I generally add about 2 tablespoons of salt for a 20 gallon tank, you can add it bit by bit over the course of a few days, all live bearers do better with salt in the tank.
As for bottom feeders cory cats will do ok, just make sure when you bring them home from the store that you put them in a small container and add a little tank water to it every 10 minutes or so for about an hour, this will climatize them to the difference, but the majority of pet stores already have aquarium salt in the water, just ask them.
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Brackish water and water with some salt in it to benefit the fish are two vastly different things.
Brackish water is very close to sea water which measures 1.025 on a salinity tester. It is where a river flows into the ocean and the water mixes at the point where they come together. To make this in an aquarium, you would put one to two teaspoons of aquarium salt in for each gallon of water. Brackish water should measure at 1.012 on a salinity tester.
Salt just to benefit the fish and keep them healthy is one tablespoon for each five gallons of water, this should test at around 1.005. This is not brackish water, just salt for health. Fresh water measures at 1.000.
To get the fish used to salt, only add half the salt at first and wait a couple days. Then add the rest of the salt. Remember, salt does not evaporate when the water does. Keep your tank topped off or the salinity will rise as the water level drops.
Only add salt when you physically take water out of the tank during your weekly 30% water changes.
26 years of keeping and spawning many different species of tropical fish and cichlids. 23 tanks up and running at present. I have worked in both the retail and wholesale tropical fish business.
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Just start adding brine shrimp to your tank with least amount of water possible with shrimp. as you feed the level will increase over time. and your fish will adapt even the bottom dwellers. Don,t make it to salty or they will die. salty water holds less oxygen also. siphon off water and replace ever couple of weeks if gets too salty. Ick and other diseases will be less likely in a brackish tank.
26 years of keeping and spawning many different species of tropical fish and cichlids. 23 tanks up and running at present. I have worked in both the retail and wholesale tropical fish business.
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