Brack Inverts

[Steelviper]

Are there any invets. that can be kept in a brackish tank? my sg is at 1.005-1.006. crabs, shrimps etc?


thanks

mark

 

[nmonks]

There are many invertebrates suitable for the brackish water aquarium.

At low salinities, you can expect most algae shrimps to do well, as well as nerite snails. In fact some nerite snails commonly sold as freshwater snails prefer brackish conditions, such as Clithon spp. There is a freshwater hermit crab that also prefers slightly brackish conditions, Clibanarius africanus. It's a close relative of the blue-legged hermit crab kept in reef tanks, Clibanarius tricolor, a species that also does well in brackish water down to about 50% seawater salinity (SG 1.010).

I'd recommend against most other crabs because they are usually amphibious, and while hardy enough, can't be kept adequately well in normal aquaria. Red-claw crabs and fiddler crabs are examples of amphibious brackish water crabs.

There's a section on brackish water invertebrates on my FAQ.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Steelviper]

Thank you for your info and insight. I have one more question. Do you have any experience keeping celebes rainbows in brackish water? I currently have a school of 8 rainbows in a 55 US gallon brackish water set up. My current SG is 1.005 . Is this to high or to low or just right SG for these rainbows? Can i increase my SG to say 1.006 or 1.007? So far(3 weeks) they are doing well and eating everything i feed them. Any info or knowledge would be great.

thanks,

mark

 

[nmonks]

Marosatherina ladigesi is a freshwater fish that seemingly benefits from the addition of salt in aquaria, rather than being a brackish water fish that needs saline conditions. I'd not recommend it for systems above SG 1.005. But the proof is in the pudding: try nudging the SG upwards to SG 1.006, and see if they carry on feeding. If they do, then fine!

SG 1.005 is fine for most low-end brackish fish. There's no point raising the salinity above this mark, unless you're after high salinity creatures like monos and scats.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Steelviper]

Excellent! the only reason i would raise SG is i want to add a dragon goby. I hear from sources around here that they need a higher SG to thrive better.


thanks,

mark

 

[nmonks]

Dragon gobies are fine at very low salinities. They don't do well in freshwater in aquaria, but like so many brackish water fish, they're found in freshwater habitats in the wild. The function of salt is probably more about stabilising pH and helping osmoregulation settle down under the stresses of captive life than anything else. At SG 1.005, your dragon goby should do fine. Certainly doesn't need SG 1.010+.

Cheers, Neale

 

[jack-100]

So your saying a blue legged hermit crab could work in a 1.010sg tank?

I have a relatively new tank set up for my GSP which is at 1.010 and was looking for some inverts for the tank. I am planning on raising the sg when the GSP is older and get it in full marine conditions but wanted inverts that would also survive the shift

 

[nmonks]

Clibanarius tricolor will indeed do well down to about SG 1.010, 1.012. Review some of the threads on this section of the forum about hermit crabs.

Obviously a GSP will view small hermit crabs as live food, so combining these in the same tank isn't recommended.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Steelviper]

Clibanarius tricolor will indeed do well down to about SG 1.010, 1.012. Review some of the threads on this section of the forum about hermit crabs.

Obviously a GSP will view small hermit crabs as live food, so combining these in the same tank isn't recommended.

Cheers, Neale

Can Wood/Singapore shrimp be kept in brackish water? 1.005 and lower?