The Puffer Forum

hey all, yesterday i bought 2 figure 8 puffers, and 3 black mollies for my 40 gallon, fully cycled tank. The only problem is, the LFS said they were freshwater, and i now know they are not...I do have marine salt, 10 lbs of it. But i only have a 2.5 liter bucket, so changing water is slower, but i cant get a bigger bucket or else i wont be able to lift it. So i need help with this, i DO have plants in the tank, and i want to do my best to acclimatize them to the newly added salt as well. Can anyone walk me through the process i can go through to acclimatize both my fish, and plants to brackish water. They all look really good, now by the way, but i want to give them the best environment in the long run, which i know is brackish now. If you need any more info, please ask, and any help would be great. Thanks!

Welcome.

You can only raise .002 SG per week.

there is a great article in our library.

Some plants will do good (pls give us names of plants ) in 1.005 SG

The plants are radican sword, micro sword, Cryptocoryne ciliata, Cryptocoryne Parva...

They won't fair well with the salt.
library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=19348
You need a bigger bucket.

whoops...i meant 2.5 GALLON bucket. looking online, im seeing that the micro sword and ciliata will be fine, but the other probably wont.

Or a mixing/aging tempering tank and a pump and tubing. I gave up carrying buckets many years ago. Even my display tanks out in the house (not fish room) tend you have mixing/aging/tempering tanks underneath them, or behind or beside them.

Life is simpler when you always have water available without having to do multiple chores first.

+1, I haven't carried a bucket of water in many, many years.

sorry guys, some of us dont have the finances to just up and buy another tank...im woking on a budget, so carrying buckets is necessary.

you can get a tank used for cheap

I have been unable to find a cheap tank where i am from...unfortunatly even if i could get one, i lack the space, also i dont have the money for the added filter, heater, extra salt..etc. Buckets i shall use! thanks anyways all.

you dont need a filter..........

And to answer your original question(which i missed the first time) Just slowly raise your SG by .002 a week. The fish and bacteria can withstand that no problem, that plants my not fair as well as you get higher and higher

I admit that I do have the funds to support my hobby. But if I did not, I would reduce the number and size of the tanks involved to the level that I could and would still do it "right", and right to me means that water changes take a very high priority. We have very good wood floors and good rugs and furniture and art works. I would not and could not risk them to splashes and pours. I use a Python to remove water, and to refill reservoirs. If I could only afford one 15 gallon tank, it would have a ten under it with a heater and small pump, and it would be serviced exactly as my tanks are now serviced. Most tank stands will hold a smaller tank underneath. I do use a lot of such out in the house. In the tank room I do use larger reservoirs. I am stubborn and pretty hard-headed. If I cannot do something properly as I see it, I will not do it at all. I am currently visually and somewhat physically handicapped, but my tank care required no modifications to meet my disabilities as they arose - other than a few extra task lights - the processes were already established as they are now.

Those tasks that are "engineered" to be easy and non-laborious and non-messy do tend to get done more regularly and better than those which are laborious and can involve extensive manual labor, possible clean-up, and potential damage. That can apply regardless of the number and scale of any hobby. My first tank setup a a child was a an iron stand with two tanks on it. I've never forgotten it. Today we have the tools available to make tank operation and care dead easy. If you take advantage of them, you will enjoy your tanks more and the fish in them will also get better care, in part just because it is easier. What ever you elect to do, to me it worth it to do it "right" and the very best that I can. You tanks, your fish, your work, and also your choice.