My New Brackish Tank

[DGabbs]

Hi guys,

Here are a couple pics of my newly setup brackish tank. Its running about 1.005 right now and I'm hoping i can keep it there.

Naturally with out any chemicals, my ph is around 8.0-8.2 with a very high kH with the addition of the salt and base rock.

I just started the cycle and I'm going to make sure it is very very well cycled before i ad my puffer.

Its a 25 gallon, and i plan for one F8 puffer and two bumblebee gobies. I know i will need to buy some more smaller pieces of base rock and make some little caves for the gobies.

I will be adding java fern and some java moss as soon as the cycle is a little further along.

my cycle process is as followed:

-"Cycle" bacterial supplement
-Old country pure ammonia (no additives, I've used it many time in FW)
Any I'm doing the "shrimp method" just for further biological depth.

I am guessing that the base rock is going to act as a great bio filter because of the massive amount of surface area. I'm just really hoping the puffer doesn't get too rambunctious around it and scrap its skin.

Any tips or suggestions are welcome!

Sorry for the poor photo quality. (taken with iphone 4)

[Pufferpunk]

Nothing live in the product, Cycle, only dead bacteria. You're gonna have to find live bacteria from a 1.005 tank or cycle it as FW, then raise the SG. Do you know what SG your supplier keeps their F8s at?

[DGabbs]

Nothing live in the product, Cycle, only dead bacteria. You're gonna have to find live bacteria from a 1.005 tank or cycle it as FW, then raise the SG. Do you know what SG your supplier keeps their F8s at?

Hi, I'm pretty sure the supplier and mom/pop fish store keeps their brackish tanks around 1.003-1.005.

I have cycled freshwater many times with cycle and the shrimp method very successfully, is brackish different? I have never cycled a brackish, but imagined it just took a bit longer. I have the API FW test kit that i can monitor the process with. (API says the FW test kit work fine with light brackish)

Thanks!

[Terrance]

Hello.
You don't really need the shrimp if you have the ammonia bottle. Both literally do the same thing - add ammonia to the tank. If you add too much ammonia, then it might possibly slow down your cycling.

[RTR]

I agree that "Cycle" is a waste of money, nothing live there, but loads of pollution.

The shrimp technique can be gross and smelly, but it can work. Multiple high-volume partials (80% or more) should be done to dilute out the residues.

Is there an airstone in there? It may help during cycling, but even in light BW it is not recommended - too much salt spray.

[DGabbs]

I have an air stone in there, but it seems to be speeding up water evap. so I turned the pump off.

So what is it guys, shrimp method or amonia method? I have always done the old country amonia method in FW and it works, but like I said this is my first BW cycle.

[Terrance]

Nowadays, the bottled ammonia is the most encouraged in this hobby.

[DGabbs]

Ok I'll get rid of the shrimp, could live with out the smell any how.

For puffers is it best to keep the amonia around 4ppm for the first little while? That's what I don't for FW, but I heard puffers are big time bioloaders.

[DGabbs]

If "cycle" is not recommended on this forum, what is the alt.? Prime, stress zyme...

[Pufferpunk]

You're comparing apples & oranges. Prime is a water conditioner that declorinates & detoxifies ammonia/nitrite. Stresszyme & Cycle are bottles of dead bacteria that claim to cycle a tank but both are just garbage in a bottle. Any product that claims to carry nitrifying bacteria but suggests repeating dosage every water change is bunk. Live bacteria only needs to be seeded 1x.
viewtopic.php?f=67&t=28467

[DGabbs]

I had just assumed the multiple dosing thing to be a pitch to get you to use more and therefore buy more. We'll see how it goes, I've got the test kit to monitor everything, so i'll keep a close eye to make sure things are moving along. I probably will give about a month to cycle just to ensure a solid cycle.

[bertie 83]

Just follow your water readings. A cycle can take 2 weeks, it can take 2 months if not done thoroughly.

[Pufferpunk]

If done as per that article, it should take 7-10 days.

[DGabbs]

I do have a peice of filter media from an established FW tank in there, but not sure if the bacteria would have been killed by the salt. Right now my water is about 1.004.

For some reason i keep adding salt and the hydrometer keeps reading that i have the same level. I can't seem to hold it above 1.004 which i find really weird.

My water is now crystal clear, unlike in that photo i took on the first post.