Salinity Questions

[Bright&BeautifulFish]

Hi! I’m going to be getting a F8 puffer! I have a 29G that is currently cycling. This is the first day, so I have not added salt yet. But I would like to slowly start raising the salinity. How many cups/ tablespoons/? should I put in at the start and how much should it rise?

Thank you for taking the time to read this / respond,

 

[Avel1896]

Hi
There are many puffers. Which one precisely ?

 

[Colin_T]

F8 puffer is usually figure 8 puffer fish.

If you cycle the tank for brackish fish, you need salt in it during the cycling process because there are different species of filter bacteria for fresh, brackish and salt water aquariums.

Is it a young puffer?
Is it in fresh or brackish water currently?

I used natural sea water (50/50 mix with tap water) for brackish tanks. No idea how much salt that is, sorry

 

[Bright&BeautifulFish]

-Ok thank you will start Adding salt today
- The ones the particular LFS have are young, but not crazy young. About an inch or two. They are already in brackish water, but my plants were in fresh so that’s why I’m going so slow.
-That actually does help, because I have a bag of salt that says for 50 gallon so I will half it for a 29 gallon and then half it again because it’s brackish
I am just going to add it very slowly and keep testing it.
Today I will add about a tablespoon just to get the plants adjusted to salt

 

[Colin_T]

Plants won't survive long term in brackish water. You get to a point where they fall apart. 4 heaped tablespoons of salt for every 20 litres (5 gallons) of water will start to kill aquarium plants.

 

[StandbySetting]

Please invest in a hydrometer or even better a refractometer so you can measure the specific gravity of the water to indicate the salinity. I would start by asking the fish store what the specific gravity of the water they are currently kept in is at and then raise the salinity to such concentrations. You should be measuring your salt as per the manufacturers instructions, please do not guess because if you get it wrong you could kill the fish. As has been already stated most aquatic plants will die in brackish water, there are a few I can recall which will tolerate some salinity to an extent, those include:

Microsorum pteropus, Anubias (bigger varieties, I'd expect the smaller nana species to die), Java Moss, Bacopa monnieri.

 

[Bright&BeautifulFish]

Plants won't survive long term in brackish water. You get to a point where they fall apart. 4 heaped tablespoons of salt for every 20 litres (5 gallons) of water will start to kill aquarium plants.

Please invest in a hydrometer or even better a refractometer so you can measure the specific gravity of the water to indicate the salinity. I would start by asking the fish store what the specific gravity of the water they are currently kept in is at and then raise the salinity to such concentrations. You should be measuring your salt as per the manufacturers instructions, please do not guess because if you get it wrong you could kill the fish. As has been already stated most aquatic plants will die in brackish water, there are a few I can recall which will tolerate some salinity to an extent, those include:

Microsorum pteropus, Anubias (bigger varieties, I'd expect the smaller nana species to die), Java Moss, Bacopa monnieri.

Hi! Thanks for responses! I have Java moss, dwarf onion, and a small anubias. I already have a hydrometer. The salinity I already know (1.008)

Thanks!

 

[Bright&BeautifulFish]

This is my idea for a starting point—-
the bag of salt says 1/2 cup for every gallon for full salt. So I will go lightly 1/4 cup. Thanks!