My New Brackish Tank...

[jennybugs]

Hey folks

I'm getting a new tank on Saturday and it's my first brackish set up. It's for an F8 and maybe some BBGs. Just wondering about the best way to seed/cycle.

I have loads of mature filter sponges etc, waiting to go in from my freshwater tanks, but I am wondering if I need to go slowly with getting the bacteria used to the mild brackish set up I'm going to do (1.005 SG)?

Am I right in thinking bogwood or equivalent may not be a good idea due to disintegration? Anyone see any problems in using silver sand for the substrate, over a plant substrate?

I'm also thinking vallis, java fern, java moss, anubias (ok for brackish?) and moss balls, plant wise with no CO2 system. I'd like a nice natural feel to the tank.

I've found loads of helpful info out on this forum - thanks peeps - and I've just ordered Neale Monks book as I've heard good things about it I'm now at the stage of information overload and Saturday can't come round fast enough for me

Any opinions and advice would be gratefully received

 

[poopsydrew]

Your bacteria should be able to handle a change to no higher than 1.005 in one day ok, just dont go over that.

Im sure the bogwood would be fine just make sure your water is buffered properly (with the marine salt this should take care of it).

Other than than that sounds good. Best of luck and get us some pics when you get a chance

Drew

 

[dilbert]

I have set up a completly new tank with new filter media. It had SG 1.005 from the beginning but it took two months until it had finally cycled.

The Java fern I got from Pets@Home did constantly die off but forming new leaves and suckers again. This was quite annoying, too. And it took more than two months until this has stopped finally and I have now a slower growth but no dead leaves anymore. The Java moss did fine from the beginning. It grows very slow and the green colour has become darker with the time.

 

[nmonks]

The easiest way to cycle a low-end brackish tank is to set it up as a freshwater one, and then grab some live media from another freshwater aquarium. Since you take as much as 50% of the media from a mature aquarium and not cause any problems, this is safe and effective. Then you add some fish to keep the media happy. Low-end brackish fish are fine in freshwater for weeks or months at a time.

Over the succeeding weeks, do small water changes, replacing freshwater with brackish water at SG 1.005. The salinity will creep upwards without stressing the plants of filter bacteria.

Bogwood sometimes decays more quickly in brackish water than fresh. This may depend on the type of bogwood and the salinity of the aquarium. When it decays it acidifies the water. A small amount won't do any harm at all, but if you see the pH dropping below 7.5, then you likely have insufficient carbonate hardness in the tank. The carbonate hardness is very important in brackish water tanks. The easiest way to keep the carbonate hardness high is to mix up some Malawi salt mix and add some of that to the aquarium. Full-strength Malawi salt mix is, per 5 gallons/20 litres:

• 1 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• 1 tablespoon Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
• 1 teaspoon marine salt mix (sodium chloride + trace elements)

You would likely only need to do about half this for a brackish water tank, since the marine salt mix will be providing some carbonate hardness as well.

Alternatively you can just put some crushed coral or crushed oyster shell in the filter. The downside to this approach is you'll need to clean and/or replace this chemical media fairly frequently, at least once every 6 weeks. The problem is because bacteria cover anything in the filter, the particles of chemical media get isolated from the water, and so can't buffer it.

Cheers, Neale

 

[jennybugs]

I may leave the plants until nearer the end of the cycle tbh. Hopefully it may have less of an adverse effect on them - unless it's beneficial to have them in there from the start?

I don't plan to run carbon in my filters and rather like the tanin effect bogwood can give out. Are F8's and BBGs ok with tanin tinted water, or should I aim for the untinted look?

Drew, I'll be taking millions of pics for a nice journal with this tank, fear not YOu'll possibly get sick of the sight of it eventually

 

[nmonks]

I may leave the plants until nearer the end of the cycle tbh. Hopefully it may have less of an adverse effect on them - unless it's beneficial to have them in there from the start?

Plants prefer to be exposed to the slow change in salinity over the weeks rather than being dumped into something. Moreover, plants seem to do best if allowed to settle down into a freshwater tank, and once they're put out new roots and shoots, then raise the salinity.

I don't plan to run carbon in my filters and rather like the tanin effect bogwood can give out. Are F8's and BBGs ok with tanin tinted water, or should I aim for the untinted look?

They couldn't care less, provided the pH doesn't drop below 7.5.

Cheers, Neale

 

[jennybugs]

Thanks Neale! Some great tips there for me I'm looking forward to reading your book btw

My ph from the tap is 7.6. With that level would it be adviseable for me to have a different substrate than silver sand to increase the carbonate hardness, or just try the Malawi salt mix?

The shop that will be supplying my stock keeps the fish I want in brackish conditions already. I take it that won't be a problem?

Sorry if I appear dumb Neale, but I just want to get things right. Set up as FW, take mature media, add fish more or less straight away? Or do I feed the bacteria via the flake food method and once cycled then add the fish?

I'm glad I posted my queries here. It's great to get such knowledgeable advice

 

[nmonks]

My ph from the tap is 7.6. With that level would it be adviseable for me to have a different substrate than silver sand to increase the carbonate hardness, or just try the Malawi salt mix?

While the pH is suggestive of quite a high level of carbonate hardness, it doesn't guarantee it. So get the tap water tested; you're after a KH of at least 7-8 degrees, and ideally over 10 degrees KH.

The shop that will be supplying my stock keeps the fish I want in brackish conditions already. I take it that won't be a problem?

None at all. You can adapt brackish water fish between freshwater, brackish, and marine conditions as often as you want and in any direction. In the wild they'd be doing that anyway in many cases, perhaps twice a day in each direction if they lived in the tidal areas.

Set up as FW, take mature media, add fish more or less straight away??

Correct. If you stuck mature media into a new tank, but then left out the fish, the media would slowly die from starvation (effectively). Actually, I think the bacteria go dormant. But the effect is the same.

Or do I feed the bacteria via the flake food method and once cycled then add the fish?

The mature media *automatically* cycles the tank instantly. The bacteria don't "know" where they are, and don't care. So long as there's water with ammonia, they're happy. If you want to test things out for a week or two by adding flake instead of fish, that's fine, but you need to add as much flake as you would if there was fish in there (the ammonia needed to maintain a population X of bacteria is identical whether the ammonia comes directly from the protein in the flake or via the metabolism fish).

Good luck! Neale

 

[jennybugs]

That's brill! Thanks for all your help Neale! BTW, just read your article in PFK. Great reading indeed and perfect timing

Thank you very much *big hug*

 

[poopsydrew]

I may leave the plants until nearer the end of the cycle tbh. Hopefully it may have less of an adverse effect on them - unless it's beneficial to have them in there from the start?

I don't plan to run carbon in my filters and rather like the tanin effect bogwood can give out. Are F8's and BBGs ok with tanin tinted water, or should I aim for the untinted look?

Drew, I'll be taking millions of pics for a nice journal with this tank, fear not YOu'll possibly get sick of the sight of it eventually

Hey Jennybugs,

Any pics yet? Hows the tank coming along?

Your thread makes me want to do another brackish tank

Drew

 

[jennybugs]

Here it is!

Very much an ongoing work in progress but I'm having fun already! I can thoroughly recommend Neale's book too. Finding it hard to put down

 

[poopsydrew]

Here it is!

Very much an ongoing work in progress but I'm having fun already! I can thoroughly recommend Neale's book too. Finding it hard to put down

Wow, Looks awesome! Very nice job

How have the plants been doing?

Drew

 

[5teady_2012]

Here it is!

Very much an ongoing work in progress but I'm having fun already! I can thoroughly recommend Neale's book too. Finding it hard to put down

Wow, Looks awesome! Very nice job

How have the plants been doing?

Drew

Agree

 

[jennybugs]

Thanks

The tank is FW atm so the plants are doing fine and have only been in since Saturday afternoon

I'm putting the wood in tonight, complete with tied on plants, and if I like it I'll rescape, if not it's going in my community tank and I'll get a fake mangrove root ornament to tie the javas and anubias to instead.

As I say, it's my first venture and I intend to learn from it all and hopefully enjoy the experience as it proceeds.

Oh, Neale, I tested my water and the KH is well over 10. Hopefully I can keep it that way

 

[jennybugs]

Finally! I have fish!

My puff is yet to be named, but in the list has been Valentine, Val, Doonican (favourite with the OH), Stinky and Muppet (my favourite as it looks kinda simple and swims past the snails right in front of its nose) and Spotty Muldoon.

Tank is FW atm and going BW gradually. The bubble wall is gone but the beetle stays and has now got an led moonlight bulb in.

Pics in the other thread