Setting Up A Brackish Tank

[Jason21]

I'm setting up a brackish tank and I was wanting everyone's input. 75g with a sand substrate. I plan on having a couple bubble stones/curtains out of the main traffic areas, 2 30-60 gallon heaters, and the tank came with a penguin 350 filter with dual bio-wheels. I have a dragon goby that is currently freshwater that I plan to acclimate. Other fish I plan to add slowly after the tank is well cycled and the dragon is settled in are: 3 bumblebee gobies, 2 archers, 1 reedfish, 1 knight goby, 1 flounder, 1 columbian shark, at least 1 horsehead loach(haven't done much research on this one yet), and I would love to have a puffer or 2 but I think with all the long fins already in the tank this would be a bad idea. Too many fish? Compatibility? And also going to have plenty of artificial plants. As for rocks and hiding holes, I was thinking of making my own. Maybe home depot for the rocks? Any certain stones I should get/stay away from? What about gluing them together? Hotglue? Any input would be greatly appreciated and considered.

 

[iliveinazoo]

I'm setting up a brackish tank and I was wanting everyone's input. 75g with a sand substrate. I plan on having a couple bubble stones/curtains out of the main traffic areas, 2 30-60 gallon heaters, and the tank came with a penguin 350 filter with dual bio-wheels. I have a dragon goby that is currently freshwater that I plan to acclimate. Other fish I plan to add slowly after the tank is well cycled and the dragon is settled in are: 3 bumblebee gobies, 2 archers, 1 reedfish, 1 knight goby, 1 flounder, 1 columbian shark, at least 1 horsehead loach(haven't done much research on this one yet), and I would love to have a puffer or 2 but I think with all the long fins already in the tank this would be a bad idea. Too many fish? Compatibility? And also going to have plenty of artificial plants. As for rocks and hiding holes, I was thinking of making my own. Maybe home depot for the rocks? Any certain stones I should get/stay away from? What about gluing them together? Hotglue? Any input would be greatly appreciated and considered.

I know nothing about loaches or reedfish so I'll ignore them

Salinity-wise: you could keep the rest of them at SG1.005 at 25DegC quite happily with the exception of the catfish which will require nigh-on marine conditions when adult, I'm fairly sure that dragon gobies prefer higher salinities too.

Compatibility-wise:
I worry for the Bumblebees because the Archers will eat them and some say that knights do to. Catfish generally eat anything that they can put in their mouth so I'd guess that the bumblebees again wouldn't last too long.
I worry for the flounder and dragon gobie with the catfish around.
2 Archers will fight to the point of the weaker one dying of stress.
These catfish require a school and will hence need a massive tank given the size that they reach.
Puffers will kill the flounder and are always hit and miss with other fish anyway

If you got a true brackish flounder that could survive a range of salinities then I'd be tempted to try these with the Dragon and a large school of a true Brackish Archers, then you could up your SG if your Dragon needed it.

With your size tank I'd be tempted to keep a school Red Scats (also not compatible with a flounder) and a single true Brackish Archer in a mangrove style set-up.