The Puffer Forum

I was slowing increasing my aquarium to brackish to allow the nitrifying bacteria to change and to acclimate my new fish slowly. The first day I brought the gravity to 1.01 then waited 2 more days and increased it to 1.02. Both times I added the salt water over 2 hours to slowly bring it up but last night as I got about half of the water in the tank I noticed that the orange chromides where not acting right and I had a feeling that they where not taking to the salt very well. I guess maybe because they had most likely spent there entire lives in fresh water they had adapted to it some how? My F8 puffer is loving the salt though. I suppose I will try a couple of knight gobies next time.

Supposed to raise it no more than .002 per week I believe to prevent killing the bacteria too quickly.

Ouch, yes, 1.020 is full saltwater!

Due to over tiredness this morning and being new at this I put the wrong values. I raised the tank to 1.001 on Saturday and 1.002 yesterday so it is not marine lol They where quite active when I first brought them home but once I raised it up to 1.001 one of them became kind of lethargic and was just hanging near the surface but the other was swimming all over the place still. After half and hour and a quarter of the water last night the one that was not looking so good really started to look bad and by the time I had all the salt water in the tank the second started to look not so hot. This morning the one was dead and the other was floating in the current occasionally trying to get up right but suffering and hardly alive so I put it down in clove oil. I suppose I may try knight gobies or flagfish next time not sure if the flags could handle a puffer though.

Did you add the salt directly to the tank? That would easily kill most fish.

Nope I have know idea why this happened just kind of bummed about it because I liked the little guys. I have been keeping freshwater fish about 20 years although the first 10 admittedly my parents did a lot of the work lol. This is my first time with brackish but I know the basics.
Has any one else ever had this problem?
My F8 is still happy as can be loving the tank and showing much nicer colors now.

What is the SG of the aquarium now?

1.002 shouldn't harm orange cichlids. Also, if the puffer is fine, the water quality should be fairly good. I'd be tempted to try again, if you can. Are you *sure* these were orange chromides?

Florida flags not a lock-down certainty with a figure-8, but worth a shot. They certainly swim quickly and should be able to avoid casual nipping.

Cheers, Neale

A lot of O chromides are sold in pretty bad shape. Many times they are very starved and stressed by the time the get to the LFS.
Depending on how the LFS cares for them they may or may not improve while in your care.
Not being able to purchase O chromides that were any better off I bought 4 out of an LFS that kept it's water at above 90*F, their gills were completely red, fins nipped and rotting and the fish were very thin.
I kept them in fresh water initially, while in QT, until they were stabalized and clear of possible parasites. Since they were already in freshwater and stressed over moving from tank to tank there was no need to stress them even further by raising salinity right off and risking possible complications while the conditions were being changed.
When raising their salinity (I started with fresh as well) I raised it very little every week until I reach my goal which fluctuated from 1.004-1.006. The chromides (and tankmates) did very well and ended up spawning many times.
All the chromides I've seen since then haven't been any better when I see them at the LFS. Most of them are infested with ich and die within days of reaching the shops.