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[Frog_in_the_fridge]

I know this sounds stupid but...

Can sumone explain the term or concept of brackish water or fishtank to me.

Iv been told many different definitions...but non of them are very clear.

 

[nmonks]

A brackish water aquarium is simply an aquarium where the water is more salty than freshwater, but not as salty as seawater.

In practise, a brackish water aquarium houses fish from habitats with intermediate levels of salinity between freshwater and the sea, for example estuaries and mangrove swamps. Fish from these habitats do not to do well in plain freshwater aquaria, despite often being sold as freshwater fish.

For many aquarists, the attraction of brackish water aquaria is the diversity of oddball and otherwise interesting species: archerfish, mudskippers, violet gobies, pufferfish, flatfish, etc. There are also any number of fish that are just pretty and fun to keep, like monos, scats, shark catfish, orange chromides, etc. Traditionally the brackish water aquarium has also been seen as a way to "practise" saltwater fishkeeping without risking the expense of marine fish and invertebrates, though as hardware and especially filtration has improved, this is much less of an issue than it was 30 or 40 years ago.

Cheers, Neale

 

[BracKeeper75]

I know this sounds stupid but...

Can sumone explain the term or concept of brackish water or fishtank to me.

Iv been told many different definitions...but non of them are very clear.

Brackish Water is not freshwater and it not saltwater but is anywhere inbetween. In places where freshwater streams and rivers empty into the ocean there is usually a mixing of both. The salinity levels are influenced by many things. Large amounts of rain, no rain, tides all can change the salinity level. On a scale where freshwater is considered 1.000 and saltwater is considered 1.024, brackish water is anywhere from 1.001 - 1.023. The level of brackish water you need is determined by which fish you wish to keep. Braackish fish are fish that can tolerate a changing salinity level sometime anywhere from freshwater to marine, however some are lower (1.003-1.006), some are mid(1.005-1.010), and some are high brackish(1.008-1.018). Although they can deal with large changes in salinity, most fish prefer it to be in a specific range. I would choose a fish that you would like to keep, find out what its perfered salinity level is and then research which fish have the same salinity levels.
Hope this helps!
Scott

 

[Frog_in_the_fridge]

Fanx alot guys.

How wud I go about converting fresh water to brackish water?

 

[BracKeeper75]

Fanx alot guys.

How wud I go about converting fresh water to brackish water?

All of the equipment you use for freshwater can be used for a Brackish tank. There are 2 things you need to convert. Salt, and, get yourself a hydrometer. This is a device used for measuring that salinity level in the water. When going brackish you have 2 options.

ALREADY ESTABLISHED AND CYCLED AS FRESHWATER
If your tank is already established as fresh water, you will need to make the move to brackish very slowly. The beneficial bacteria in the filter will need to make the change as well, and if you go to fast you will kill them off. This may also lead to killing your fish as well. So the general rule of thumb is to increase salinity no more than .002/week. This will give the bacteria time to adjust before you go up any further. Most brackish fish can be kept in freshwater for a short period of time, so you could add bracish fish to this tank immediately, assuming they are being kept in freshwater.

and
NEW TANK STARTING OUT AS BRACKISH
With this you can decide what level you want. Mix your water to that level, and then add it to the tank...DO NOT AD THE SALT DIRECTLY TO THE TANK. Then you will need to let the tank cycle, this can take anywhere from 1 week- to a month or more. If you do not know how to cycle we can help with that too, and please do a fishless cycle! Then when you get the fish you will need to drip aacclimate them over the course of an hour before you add them to your tank.

WHICHEVER ROUTE YOU TAKE...
Remember that it is important to find out what salinity level the fish is being kept in at the store!!! If it is freshwater going into freshwater you are ok. If it is any different salinity you must drip acclimate.

Scott

 

[Colin_T]

How wud I go about converting fresh water to brackish water?

add some salt
every few days add a small amount of salt to the tank. Over the course of several weeks the filter bacteria will adapt to the change in salinity (salt level) and you won't have to cycle the tank again. When the salt levels get high you might lose the plants and any fish that don't like salt. Remove these plants and fish before adding salt.

Alternatively if you have an empty tank add some salt and water and ammonia and leave it to cycle. When it has cycled add the fish.

What fish did you want to keep?

 

[Frog_in_the_fridge]

Fanx so much guys

 

[BracKeeper75]

How wud I go about converting fresh water to brackish water?

add some salt
every few days add a small amount of salt to the tank. Over the course of several weeks the filter bacteria will adapt to the change in salinity (salt level) and you won't have to cycle the tank again. When the salt levels get high you might lose the plants and any fish that don't like salt. Remove these plants and fish before adding salt.

Alternatively if you have an empty tank add some salt and water and ammonia and leave it to cycle. When it has cycled add the fish.

What fish did you want to keep?

In theory this is true, however, I am sorry, IT IS NOT THIS EASY! There is a lot more you need to know, then just to add a little salt. Please refer to my post for more detail info on how to convert to brackish.
Do you Know how to fishless cycle a tank, and how important this step is?