Brackish Pleco?

[bala]

Hey Guys, I'm Setting up my brackish water tank and i love pleco's (Specifically the Gibbiceps), and i have 2 Questions,

Q1: Can the Gibbiceps Pleco be Kept in Brakcish Water?
Q2: If Q1 No, then what Pleco's (If any) can be kept in brackish water?

Heres my Stats:

Tank
Size:
5x2x2 (60x24x24), Aprox 540L.

Filtration:
2x Fluval 405 Cannister Filter (one each end, for Current and good water circulation, movement and filtration)

Heaters:
2x Fluval 300W

Stocking:
3x Columbian Sharks
4x Reedfish

Salt:
1.020-1.025 (End Result, building up salt levels in tank as the columbians grow, freshwater to start)

 

[indigoj]

PLecs and salt are not really compatible, however, have a look through some on nmonks posts - he is a real brackish expert and I'm sure he has written info on this subject.

 

[indigoj]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...p=1103634&#

 

[nmonks]

Q1: Can the Gibbiceps Pleco be Kept in Brakcish Water?

No.

Q2: If Q1 No, then what Pleco's (If any) can be kept in brackish water?

None at the salinity you're aiming for. There are some low-end species, but they aren't traded, and there's little/no information on what they need in captivity anyway, e.g., if they tolerate slightly brackish water continually. Various "common plecs" are established in slightly brackish water in Florida, but I don't know anything about their upper salinity range or how well they do under such conditions in captivity where other factors, such as water quality, may be causing stress as well.

For algae control in brackish water tanks there are plenty of much better options. Nerite snails for example are many times better at cleaning algae than plecs, and have little impact on water quality, so aren't going to create the husbandry problems that plecs do.

Reedfish (Erpetoichthys) are NOT brackish water fish, and shouldn't be kept with Colombian shark catfish. Reedfish inhabit the Niger Delta and tolerate very low end salinity (equivalent to SG 1.003, maybe 1.005). They are not euryhaline and they will not adapt to higher salinities.

Cheers, Neale

 

[bala]

Hey

nmonks:

Q1:
If i keep those snails in my tank as algae control, wouldnt my Columbian Sharks (once fully grown) see them as a snack?

Q2:
Can i Keep My Columbian Sharks (As Adults) In lower salinty? like 1.003-1.005, to be able to keep reedfish with them or Must it be higher?

 

[nmonks]

If i keep those snails in my tank as algae control, wouldnt my Columbian Sharks (once fully grown) see them as a snack?

Probably not. Mostly, Colombian sharks eat crustaceans and small fish; I'm not sure they can eat snails as heavily armoured as nerites. Since nerites are cheap, they're certainly worth a shot. You may even find them being sold as "clean-up crew" for marine aquaria in your part of the world. See my Brackish FAQ for details on which species work well that I know about; but honestly, any nerite snail you can confirm is a brackish to marine species will do well. They're all exactly the same in terms of care.

Can i Keep My Columbian Sharks (As Adults) In lower salinty? like 1.003-1.005, to be able to keep reedfish with them or Must it be higher?

Colombian sharks need around SG 1.010 once mature. There's no real overlap between what they want and what the reedfish tolerate. None. Zip. Nada. Choose one species or the other for this aquarium.

Cheers, Neale

 

[bala]

Cool no Worries, yea i recon ill go with the snails give them a shot, and the reedfish i guess i cant , i prefer my Columbians over the reeds so it works well. any suggestions on what other fish to put in there with them (just to keep a bit of variety and life to the tank).?

 

[nmonks]

Colombian sharks will mix with all kinds of stuff. Good choices are docile midwater fish, anything from scats to giant sailfin mollies. Any of the large sleeper gobies ("gudgeons") would work well. Moray eels are an option, but these eels vary in how well they get along with other fish, so some caution is advised here. Another suitable eel-like fish would be the dragon goby, but this fish does have some very specific needs, so research carefully before purchase.

Colombian sharks do great with most non-aggressive marine fish.

Cheers, Neale

 

[always4lora]

Good luck with the tank any chances of the some pics? love columbian sharks!

 

[bala]

Cheers Nmonks ur great help.

ima get some pics asap, my 540L (5x2x2) is coming in th next week along with my equipment for it, my columbians are about 6inches atm in my 150L (getting bit big ) so when i get my new tank ill take some pics

 

[bala]

umm, what kind of moray eels will fit in my 5x2x2? (eel that wont grow to 2.5m or somthing lol)

 

[reeeedfish]

What about the freshwater moray( just a common name, is eally brackish) Their scientific name is Gymnothorax tile. Thet grow to be 26 inches.