Brackish water acclimation

The forum for puffers that either live or start in brackish biotopes: GSPs, F8s, Ceylons & more.
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LittlePuff
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Brackish water acclimation

Post by LittlePuff »

How do you get a tank ready for a brackish puffer, if you don't know if they keep them in fresh or brackish and at what level of salinity? Does the water need to be mixed ahead of time, like marine? It sounds like I'd need to keep the fish in the bag quite a while.
:shock:
Kim
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Post by RTR »

It is always best to get the information up front as to what water the puffer is being kept in an then set the tank accordinly, before the puffer is due.

If they cannot or will not provide that info up front, why are you considering dealing with them?
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Post by Pufferpunk »

Kim, you've been around for quite a while, I'd thought you already knew that stuff. :wink: You need a hydrometer & test the water at the LFS where the puffer is. Mix the marine salt into tank water to the same SG & cycle.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

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LittlePuff
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Post by LittlePuff »

It would be my luck that by the time I got my water ready and the tank cycled, the puffers would be gone. If they didn't have them anymore, I'd have to do it all over again when they did, still with no idea if they'd be there the next time.

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Post by PetPirate »

Same here. I made the assumption that they would be kept in freshwater, with a bit of salt (likely not marine) added. Whe I asked int he store, they confirmed that they were in fresh.

So, I cycled the QT tank at a salinity of 1.005 and drip acclimated the puffers over the course of a few hours. No problems. You could probably then cycle their main tank at 1.008+ and drip acclimate them again when switching them over.

They took the small jumps in salinity in their stride... and is possibly quite effective for eliminating parasites, too.
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LittlePuff
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Post by LittlePuff »

Brilliant idea!!

Kim
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Post by Pufferpunk »

Couldn't you pay for the fish & have the shop hold them until you are ready?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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LittlePuff
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Post by LittlePuff »

The only fish places I've worked with (here in MO) are Pet Warehouse and Petsmart. They won't do that. I am getting ready to move near Peoria, though. Maybe they will have a Mom and Pop type store around there to try. I think it would probably be OK to have the main tank ready at a very low level of brackish and slowly work it up. I'll have the LFS place alot of water in the bag with him, so I can place him in another small tank in his water, then I can acclimate him that way.

Kim
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