Cichlids, Loaches In Brackish

[didz04]

Hi, Im considering changing my tank to a brackish setup, its early days at the moment.
Just needed some advice before doing the change over as im getting mixed information.
After keeping my friends gsp and enjoying its unique personality i decided i want to change to brackish.
The problem is that i don't want to really get rid of some fish and ive heard and read that some cichlids can cope in brackish.
People have kept kenyi cichlids in brackish and been told the tinanti congo african cichlid can also handle brackish, is this true

Also what loaches can handle upto sg 1.005 and theres some info about marine fish that can handle brackish e.g. Arothron hispidus, the hermit crabs, what else can handle brackish waters, are there any gobies???

Thanks, any advice will be well appreciated

 

[nmonks]

Loaches aren't typical of brackish water, though at least some species occur in slightly brackish water and will do well in low-salinity systems (the horseface loach being the "brackish water" species most commonly traded). You might keep such a loach with mollies, halfbeaks, sleepers or some other fish that needs only a very little salt (up to SG 1.003) to do well.

No, neither Malawian cichlids nor standard riverine cichlids do well in brackish water. For every specimen that does well, there's another that develops bloat or some other problems. There are some brackish water cichlids, but they tend to be among Central American and African species that occur in river delta areas. Do see here for a listing of the species you're most likely to see in shops:

http/homepage.mac.com/nmonks/Projects/FAQ/3f.html

It's important to realise Malawian and Tanganyikan cichlids are not brackish water fish, despite coming from mineral-rich waters.

There is no such thing as "one" brackish water salinity. So while it is true Arothron hispidus and blue-legged hermits can thrive in brackish water aquaria, they only do so in high-salinity systems, typically upwards of SG 1.010. There's almost no overlap between brackish-tolerant marines and salt-tolerant freshwater fish. So no, you can't keep clown loaches with dog-faced puffers. I suggest you read over my FAQ, in particular with regard to salinity ranges and the preferences of individual species.

Cheers, Neale

Hi, Im considering changing my tank to a brackish setup, its early days at the moment.
Just needed some advice before doing the change over as im getting mixed information.
After keeping my friends gsp and enjoying its unique personality i decided i want to change to brackish.
The problem is that i don't want to really get rid of some fish and ive heard and read that some cichlids can cope in brackish.
People have kept kenyi cichlids in brackish and been told the tinanti congo african cichlid can also handle brackish, is this true

Also what loaches can handle upto sg 1.005 and theres some info about marine fish that can handle brackish e.g. Arothron hispidus, the hermit crabs, what else can handle brackish waters, are there any gobies???

Thanks, any advice will be well appreciated

 

[didz04]

Thanks for the advise since there are lots of articles saying certain marine fish can tolerate lower salinity. I know there are marine fish that swim around from Marine waters to brackish to FW in the wild like Columbian sharks, I know these breed in FW but people say you should recommend marine when these get bigger.
My fish stocking I was thinking of would be:
- Bumblebee goby
- Green spotted goby
- Knight goby
- Mono (will these be compatible?)
- Also if possible columbian sharks.

What salinity what these need overall?

I guess I will be traded in or selling all of my cichlids.
Thanks

 

[nmonks]

Knight gobies eat very small fish, including bumblebee gobies, so I don't recommend that combination. I'm not sure what a "green spotted goby" might be, so can't comment on its usefulness. In general, gobies should be handled carefully: they are slow feeders, so if you keep them with fast or aggressive fish, they can easily lose out and starve. I think they're best when kept with slow or surface-swimming things like soles and halfbeaks that pose little or no competition at feeding time.

Monos are best kept in groups, ideally mixed with West African monos and scats, as this seems to break up their tendency towards aggression. Otherwise, do at least keep more than three, and give them space to spread out. They mix great with Colombian sharks, which are of course peaceful schooling fish that are very predatory. I've kept both monos and shark cats with appropriate brackish water cichlids.

Cheers, Neale

Thanks for the advise since there are lots of articles saying certain marine fish can tolerate lower salinity. I know there are marine fish that swim around from Marine waters to brackish to FW in the wild like Columbian sharks, I know these breed in FW but people say you should recommend marine when these get bigger.
My fish stocking I was thinking of would be:
- Bumblebee goby
- Green spotted goby
- Knight goby
- Mono (will these be compatible?)
- Also if possible columbian sharks.

What salinity what these need overall?

I guess I will be traded in or selling all of my cichlids.
Thanks

 

[didz04]

Sorry lol I meant to say Green Spotted Puffer, I got caught up in the other post typing goby too much lol
What would be appropiate type of cichlids in brackish, what did you keep?
I am interested in mono and columbian shark set up but will want to stock other types as well, any other suitable ideas?
Thanks for the advice's much appreciated

 

[nmonks]

The best cichlids are Etroplus suratensis or Sarotherodon melanotheron, but various Central American species can work well, assuming social behaviour is tolerable and you have enough swimming space for them all. Vieja maculicauda for example is a handsome brackish water species, but very aggressive. Etroplus maculatus is a good species for smaller systems, and holds its own surprisingly well alongside scats, monos, etc.

Cheers, Neale

 

[didz04]

I have thought about my stocking and have come to this final stage:
4 monos
4 Columbian Sharks
2 scats
4 Etroplus maculatus - I researched about these before about them going into brackish.
So what salinity would be best at?

Will this be a suitable stocking?
Thanks

 

[nmonks]

These should all get along fine, provided you have space. Monos get to about 15 cm under aquarium conditions, scats a little larger, to about 20 cm. Colombian sharks easily exceed 20 cm and can reach 30 cm (though that is uncommon). Realistically, you're after a tank more than 100 gallons in size if you want all these fish to look their best.

A good starting specific gravity would be 1.005 at 25 C. See how things go from there. Ideally, you could raise the specific gravity to 1.008-1.012, but there's no rush.

Cheers, Neale

 

[myenigmaself]

I have a dozen Etroplus maculatus in my 55g and they're just great! Very active, but not too aggressive.