Test Kits for Brackish?

The forum for puffers that either live or start in brackish biotopes: GSPs, F8s, Ceylons & more.
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Cooper
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Test Kits for Brackish?

Post by Cooper »

For my Amonia/Nitrite/etc. test strips -- do I need the Marine version or will the Freshwater version work? I think I have some time.

Saw a Fig 8 that I couldn't resist the other day. Went back and he/she was still there so I bought it. I have him in a Bio-spira cycled 12 gallon wich was being kept alive/cycled by a VERY lucky Betta. Mr. Betta (aka Elvis Saphire) seems to be just fine in the new 5 gallon though.

Anyway, at the petstore they said there was just 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water in the Fig 8 tank but that they should be slowly graduated up to "real" brackish. Kudos that they even knew that much!

I put in 3 tablespoons of Instant Oceanas I figure I don't want to shock him/her/it into full Brackish. That should be a little less than 1 teaspoon per gallon. (Am I doing the math right??)

So, anyway, asside from a hydrometer so I can accurately measure what I'm doing, and my stand-by packets of Fresh & Marine Bio-Spira, can I use my freshwater test kit (once it's more brackish than it is now) or do I need a marine kit? And if I raise the salinity by .001 per week, what's ideal? 1.008 or 1.010?

Oh, another thing -- and maybe this should be a Hospital post -- since Fig 8 has been in basically fresh water, will 1 teaspoon/gallon Instant Ocean have the same effect on ich as table salt? Another fish in its tank was ich-y and I was hoping by raising his water to brackish I could kill the ich (in case there is any.) Can F8's handle warmer water? He's at about 81 right now. Dare I go any warmer?

Times like this I miss the old forum! I know I read all of this once. . .

Thanks -- sorry it was so long. But you know how impulse shopping can be. Any good articles on Fig 8s would be helpful!
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Post by spud2564 »

We have a F8 currently in 1.005 SG, and although we dont use the test strips, the individual tests for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate that we use are the freshwater versions. The test strips aren't as accurate
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Post by RTR »

The density used for F-8s is largely in the range for the FW bacteria. Only at the top of the range is there any liklihood of the SW nitrification bacteria establishing (at ~1.010). If you follow normal procedures of boosting the specific gravity no more than 0.002 per week or longer, the bacteria will be self-adjusting without problems.
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Post by Pamela »

I'm at 1.005 - 6, and use saltwater, over a year with no probs with water quality. Actually, I'm not...my fish are at 1.005 - 6. I can't breathe underwater.
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Post by Pufferpunk »

For low-end BW, the only SW test I use is for ammonia.
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Post by RTR »

The extra water of hydration in BW can be an issue in some test formats, but that will vary from test to test depending on the particular chemistry. There is no way to generalize for tests across the board.
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Post by Pamela »

Could you explain the chemistry to me, as I don't want to be misguidedly using the wrong tests. Or direct me somewhere where I can find out for myself.
They're drip titration-type tests by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, and I'm hoping they're accurate in 1.006 now.
Thanks, Pami.
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