The Puffer Forum

I have read the sticky about starting my brackish aquarium, and as the figure 8's only need around 1.015 according to the article, it shouldnt take too long to get it up to the expected salinity, as it is relatively slight will it affect my fresh water plants? Or will they eventually die and need to be replaced? With the eventual steady pace of 2 tablespoons of ocean salt per gallon i wonder if theyll make it?. Plus how long before ill be able to add a goby or 2?

Cheers now

Figure 8's only need 1.005-1.008. And yes most plants will not live in brackish waters. Do a search on here, they're several post about freshwater plants that can live in brackish water. I really can't remember which plants will work. To measure your sg you will need a refractometer or a hydropmeter that starts at 1.000.

You can probably add fish anytime as most brackish water fish are sold in freshwater, as long as your tank is cycled that is.

Got a hydrometer on the way, already got the salt, 1.008 is nice and low, prob on average 1tblspn per gallon, but will test in anyway, will probably start by doing 50% changes at 1 tablespoon per gallon once a week that should then take about 2-3 months to stabalise and be ready. Then ill think about 2 bumblebees.

Looked em up and found they are really cheap, i expected at least £5 but theyre only £1.20 from a shop 15 miles away.

Good luck with plants, is all I can say. I know others have had good experiences with some of them in a brackish environment, but the only plants I've tried (and admittedly I only tried a handful of varieties) that have survived past 1.006 or so was dwarf onion. At that level they didn't grow, but they didn't die either.

To keep plants thriving in a BW you REALLY DO need fertil substrate, CO2 and good light, just like a planted tank. Those requirements are important because salt is a stressful factor to plants.

IME I kept growing in low end BW (1.004 at 24ºC): watersprite, dwarf sagittaria, valisneria, hygrophila polysperma, hygrophila corymbosa, cryptocorine wendti, nymphaea lotus, cerathophyllum demersum, java fern and java moss.

Now I'm trying glossostigma, eleocharis minima, aponogeton crispus, and hygrophila difformis.

I kept my figure 8 at 1.003-1.004, and grew crypts, anubias, onion plant, etc. Didn't try for anything more ambitious than that though

Myaj wrote:I kept my figure 8 at 1.003-1.004, and grew crypts, anubias, onion plant, etc. Didn't try for anything more ambitious than that though

Did you use fertil substrate, CO2 and good light to keep them or just plain gravel and some light? (I'd like to share some experiences! )

EcoComplete mixed with "large sand", 55 watts of CF light over a 29 gallon tank, didn't bother with ferts/co2.

i had a java moss float live untill i hit about 1.008

splitadams wrote:i had a java moss float live untill i hit about 1.008

WOW that's very nice! Do you have a secret too?

nah i wasnt even thinking of the plant at all, just when i brought my puffer he was in fresh water, so i planted the tank and when i had to move it up to brackish i just decided id leave all my plants in and see what made it, eventually moved all of my plants as they were dying and put them in a fresh water tank, the java moss was the only one that lasted for a little after i got past 1.005

carlos wrote:I have read the sticky about starting my brackish aquarium, and as the figure 8's only need around 1.015 according to the article

I had to go back to check the article:

Although they are mostly found in freshwater in the wild, years of keeping this fish in captivity have shown that they are best kept in low-end brackish conditions. This equates to a specific gravity (S.G.) of around 1.005-1.008.

oops yes that was a typo sorry, i meant to type 1.005

I had a java fern last until 1.010 in an overstocked tank without ferts.

and the only plants I had that survived at 1.006-1.007 was the bacopa monieri (looked a bit sad though), apogenton crispus, java fern and java moss.
With eco complete under sand and macro and micro ferts.

now that I fluctuate between 1.003 and 1.005 (24degC) I've had the same luck as by_a_coo but I'd also add Crinum Natans, Crinum Calamistratum, saggitaria and hornwort.
Eco complete under sand, macro and micro ferts and liquid carbon.