20g Brackish Tank-Talk me through the set up!!!

[Pandora]

We have been totally bitten by the puffer bug and contracted multiple tank syndrome
Today we decided the Turtles simlpy had to have a new tank so now we have an empty 20 gallon that we want to get a couple of Figure 8's for so here we go with questions
Do I cycle it as brackish? or fresh and add the marine salt to get to the right level once the amonia, nitrites and nitrate are right?
I have natural aragonite for the bottom, the same as in my DP tank, and an external aquavital filter.
Am I right in thinking it will help the cycle to use some of the filter substrate and sand from the DP tank? And has anyone cycled using fish food instead of amonia as I can't get hold of any.
What tank mates would work out?
Do Cherry Shrimp live in brackish water? I ask as we have 2 living with the DP's and I love them!! They are always scurrying around tidying up after the messy puffs
I think thats all I can think of, but if you have any other sugestions!!!!!

[Nick]

I'm not sure a 20 will be big enough for a pair of figure 8's, they might have territory issues. F8's will likely eat the cherry shrimp, even if they do survive in brackish for any length of time. You can use media from the fresh water tank to cycle the F8 tank more quickly as long as you start it no higher than 1.002. I've cycled tanks with rotting krill before since they give a more steady output than flakes, but I see no reason you couldn't do it with flakes if you add them more often.

[Pandora]

Thanks,
In PP's article she says she has 2 in a 20 gallon so I am sure it'll be ok, so cycle as low end brackish
Would snails in there help?

[Pandora]

Another question, would oto's be ok in low end brackish or is there anohter 'glass cleaner' that would?

[Pufferpunk]

In PP's article she says she has 2 in a 20 gallon so I am sure it'll be ok,

It does? I have 2 in a 29g (sorry, that's a typo in the article & will be corrected). Cycle at whatever SG they are being kept at in the LFS you are purchasing them from.

[lazee]

albeit a bit large for one single F8 your 20g tank is too small for two F8's.

Try a one F8 and a couple of mollies. The mollies should help with your "algae eater / glass cleaner" question. I have dalmation mollies with my F8's.

I have seen posts about sailfin mollies bullying F8's so might be best avoiding them IMO.

[Pandora]

ok, i'll make it 1 figure 8 and thank you all for your advice

[Pandora]

Oooh just a thought......thats 20 uk gallons not US............so its probably 24-25 US gallons


So what about just 2 F8's?

[crazedpuffer]

In PP's article she says she has 2 in a 20 gallon so I am sure it'll be ok,

It does? I have 2 in a 29g (sorry, that's a typo in the article & will be corrected). Cycle at whatever SG they are being kept at in the LFS you are purchasing them from.

It doesn't say that in the real article in the magazine right? Great article BTW.

Pandora: 2 could probably work if thats the case.

[Pandora]

Thanks I am forever forgetting that UK and US gallons are different (dumba**!!)
The new filter and heater arrive tomorrow, I have emailed the new FS I am using to see if they keep them in FW or Brackish and if Brackish what salinity they have so I can get it set up the same as I really want to get it right.
PP's article is brilliant isn't it?

[Pandora]

UPDATE

Well set the tank up last night, 1.004 salinity, the same as the LFS have theirs at, used some filter media and gravel from the DP tank and jug of their water, chucked in a prawn and a sprinkle of fish food and several good size snails from the breeder tank.

Reading this morning

Amonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - between 0.25 and 0.50

How do you think this is going?

[Pufferpunk]

It doesn't say that in the real article in the magazine right? Great article BTW.

Thanks! I just looked--it doesn't say that sentence at all in the print mag article. They edited it a lot.

[Pandora]

Hi,

todays levels after annother dose of fish food, the prawns are still in there and the snails are happily trundling around not realising their fate

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - .50
KH - 3
PH - 7.6

I am still not planning on getting the puff's in there til next weekend but this seems to be going pretty well

[Pandora]

PROBLEM

I have tested again today now I have this

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 5
Nitrate - .20
PH - 8

What has happened???? How come my nitrate has dropped and I now have nitrite??

[Nick]

If you've done a water change, nitrates go down. An algae bloom or live plants will do the same. Also, the most common nitrate test kits are two liquids, and if you don't really shake the crap out of the second one, the active ingredient stays mostly at the bottom, giving an inaccurately low reading. I can't tell you how often people thing their nitrates are quite low, and have been slacking on water changes because of it, but when I test the water at the store, properly shaking the bottle, get reading of 150-300 or more.