Planning On A Huge Brackish Tank 100 Plus Gallons

[penguinpimp1990]

I was originally going to use my 55 galloner setup for a piranha, but due to the limited tank size i am going to sell this setup and save up alot of money for a tank of 100 gallons and over. So i decided if im going to have a tank this big i might as well go for something brackish as ive always wanted ruby scats (aka tigerscats), so my stocklist well be 2 ruby scats, , 1 dragon goby, 1 four barred siamese tigerfish(forgot the scientific name but its a member of the tigerfish family and only grows to about 12 inches unlike the real tigerfish that grows to 16) . Any suggestions on an algae eater for this tank (doubt theyll be a big enough algae eater for this tank cause theyll get eaten but the tiger but worth a shot). Also what would be the minimum tank size for the above listed fish?. And ive heard that scats eventually need to be put in a full saltwater setup once they become older, but ive also heard that they only go out to sea to breed then go back to brackish waters so a full life in a brackish tank would be alright, which is true? What other fish would be able to be housed with my stock list so far? Any other comments or help will be appreciated. thanks

 

[nmonks]

In a 100 gallons, you've got quite a lot of space to play with, but one thing I'd suggest is considering keeping smaller fish, but in large numbers. For example, 10 glassfish would make quite a spectacle, being both unusual and rather plucky, lively fish when kept well. In a big tank you can use large rocks and solid pieces of wood, and then you'll find that each fish looks much more "natural" cruising through a seemingly vast habitat.

And ive heard that scats eventually need to be put in a full saltwater setup once they become older, but ive also heard that they only go out to sea to breed then go back to brackish waters so a full life in a brackish tank would be alright, which is true?

Both. Scats normally migrate back and forth through estuaries each day. They do not need long periods of acclimation to different salinities (an hour or two will do). However, juveniles are predominantly found in the upper reaches of estuaries where the salinity is quite low, whereas adults tend to be found in the middle and lower estuary. But this isn't a hard-and-fast rule, and adult scats can be found in slightly brackish, even fresh, water from time to time.

Scats apparently spawn at sea, not in freshwater, which is the opposite of monos, which only spawn in fresh water. Scats have a planktonic larval stage similar to that of the marine butterflyfish, and only once the larva has metamorphosed into a "miniature adult" does it swim into rivers to mature.

Scats can be kept adequately well in strong brackish water indefinitely (that is, for example, how they are maintained at the London Aquarium alongside green chromides, monos, and archerfish). An SG of 1.010 will do fine. They probably do better in full salt water, and best of all in a tank with varying salinity.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[penguinpimp1990]

In a 100 gallons, you've got quite a lot of space to play with, but one thing I'd suggest is considering keeping smaller fish, but in large numbers. For example, 10 glassfish would make quite a spectacle, being both unusual and rather plucky, lively fish when kept well. In a big tank you can use large rocks and solid pieces of wood, and then you'll find that each fish looks much more "natural" cruising through a seemingly vast habitat.

i dont really want to go with smaller fish as ive already have glassfish, figure 8's, knight gobies, bbg's and just about every other small brackish fish, i want to try something a little different with the predators and other big boys. Thanks for the info on the scats, i heard a million different stories on them, one person even told me that they go to acidic freshwaters with age , ive got quite a bit of a project with this tank, ill post some pics when i get my digital camera this christmas

oh yeah by the way the sg will be a little on the strong side about 1.010