What is a good Specific Gravity for a Backish Tank?

[green_spotted_girl]

So, I am new to brackish aquariums and I have 2 GSP and some mollies. I just did a water change and with that raised the SG to 1.004. My puffers are still young (and were in freshwater at the store). But what is a good SG for a brackish tank? I was thinking 1.010-1.012 what do you think? Of corse I won't be doing this all at once, I have to slowly ease the fish into it. I am only raising the SG 1.002 per week as to not to shock my fish or lose all my bacteria. What do you think?

[greenspottedlover]

There really is no good Specific Gravity for a young they could probably go full salt already or stay at a moderately low SG for a long time before they are to large. My GSP(a little larger than 3") is at about 1.010-1.012(depending on the day ) right now and seems to love it. However, within a year I plan to give him a new home and slowly bring the SG up to about 1.020. For now 1.004 is a start and bringing the SG to 1.010 would be great.

[Pufferpunk]

library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/

[Blaine]

+1 what they said...u meant raising the sg .002 per week right?

It depends on what you are prepared to do.

If you are going SW then you will need to alter your filtration to using LR and possibly a skimmer. It will also take twice as much salt.

If you plan on going SW then you can go up to 1.018

[Pufferpunk]

If you are staying BW you will use less salt

GSPs are best kept at a high SG (close to SW, ~1.015-18). In my 55g tank, doing 50% weekly WC, I used 10 cups of salt/week. With just a little higher SG, LR, LS & a protein skimmer, this can be reduced to as much as 20-25% every 2 weeks.

[RTR]

+1 to PP's comments. Full SW is cheaper and easier and bettered filtered and maintained than BW - if you do it right. For me doing it right mean LR, a good skimmer, and a macroalgae refugium.

[geronimo69]

+1 to PP's comments. Full SW is cheaper and easier and bettered filtered and maintained than BW - if you do it right. For me doing it right mean LR, a good skimmer, and a macroalgae refugium.

I agree with these comments... to a certain point. If you're keeping a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) then don't waste money on a skimmer and refugium (though the cost of a fuge can be really cheap). If you plan on keeping corals, then a skimmer is a great idea. I run an Aqua C Remora, because I have all sorts of corals.

The live rock with GOOD WATER MOVEMENT is plenty of filtration for a FOWLR tank. You can also use a deep sand bed which can add to your filtration. A water change of about 10% a week is all you'll need to keep nitrates in check. This will reduce your salt use a lot. Here is link to info about DSBs (deep sand beds). Good info.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/deepsandbeds.htm

I also have a 55 gallon brackish tank that sits at 1.017. This tank takes much more salt than my marine tank.

[Pufferpunk]

Once you see the nasty, smelly crap a skimmer takes out of your tank, you'll wonder how your fish ever lived in there without one.

[geronimo69]

Once you see the nasty, smelly crap a skimmer takes out of your tank, you'll wonder how your fish ever lived in there without one.

Staying consistant with water changes does what a skimmer never will. If you don't believe me, sign up for Nano-reef.com and look at how many gorgeous nanos don't use skimmers, even with corals.

http://www.nano-reef.com/

Stick to small water changes every 3 days or maybe 10-15% a week.

I say this to lower your costs. If you really want to run a skimmer and don't care about $$, then do it. If I didn't have corals, I wouldn't run a skimmer. I'd get 2 lbs of LR per gallon and have a 4" DSB.

[Pufferpunk]

Constant water changes with $alt will lower your costs??? Not that I'm against WC...

[RTR]

Routine smallish partials are much cheaper than most folks who rum FO or even FOWLR. I'm not a coral person, but I do like a lot on inverts. I like plenums better than DSB largely for space reasons, but that should be a tad safer anyway. But I also want marcoalge which is generally in a separate vessel.

I am gradually going to smaller more frequent partials on all the tanks I can - now mostly plain FW, and they do seem to be running smoother with that technique. If it holds up for over time I'll rig a way to automate it as much as I can.

[geronimo69]

RTR - I'm not the experienced keeper you are, but I have to agree.

I seem to have more active (maybe happier?) fish with small, partial WCs. I'm not sure why.... Ideas?

PP - Yes. You'll use less salt. Changing 2 gallons every 2 days, instead of 8-10 gallons once a week.

2 gallons (mon, wed, friday (this one can be 3 gallons) ) is still only 7 gallons a week instead of 8-10 (this is a 20 gallon tank).

I think it has to do with nitrate build up. Albeit, I barely have ANY nitrate readings because of my LR, DSB and skimmer. If you are constantly changing out water, it does not have time to build up to the levels that necessitate a 40% (or more) water change.

[RTR]

It must have something to do with build-up, I just have no clue as to what it really is. I would like to say that fresh water addition is more "natural", but "natural" and captive fish-keeping are so far apart that the the terms just do not fit well for me. I can see the biggest difference in my breeders (FW of course), they are so much more active and colorful. I'm just coming back from the winter lay-off (mine, not their choice) and they are coming back far faster than usual with small alternate-day partials. It looks real to me, but I have no clue as to why.