Tiger barbs/black skirt tetras kept in brackish?

[Raechal]

Okay so my mom bought a second hand 55 gallon that housed 2 clown loaches, 10 tiger barbs, 6 black skirt tetras, 5 scissor tailed rasboras, 1 common plec, and 3 smaller tetras (not sure of what they are yet) he said he kept the tank half brackish but the salt he was using was doc. well's aquarium salt which I think is a tonic to like help with stressed fish and medications. Does it also work for a brackish tank? I am not sure how much exactly he used, but he said he kept it "half brackish" I removed the scissor tailed rasboras and loaches and put them in my 120 gallon. The tiger barbs, black skirt tetras, and plec are still in the 55 gallon.

There are also two columbian shark catfish and I know they need a brackish set-up as they mature and also that they will get way too big for the 55 gallon in a few years, but they will be re-homed as I don't see my MTS getting cured anytime soon.

So my question is...Can the doc well's aquarium salt make a tank brackish if enough salt is added? And can the tiger barbs and black skirt tetras live in brackish water? I am thinking about just turning it to a full brackish set-up.

What things would I need to do this? Do live plants survive in a brackish set-up?

 

[digital_run]

I cant help with the brackish...but Tiger barbs are strictly a freshwater species...They would eventually die just like a brackish fish would in a freshwater set-up.

 

[Paul_MTS]

I'm pretty sure you can't achieve a brackish set up with tonic salt, you need marine salt to do the job there's quite a difference between the 2.

also no plec should be exposed to salt as it can kill them same goes for clown loach but you'ved already sorted them out.

The shark cats will need aorund 90 gallons IIRC.

any of the java's will live in brackish and thats all i can rember on the plant side.

so to go brackish with the shark cats you will need...

Hydrometer
marine salt
and a bigger tank in the future.

it might also be a good idea to get a protein skimmer when they get bigger so you can do less water changes!

I don't see my MTS getting cured anytime soon.

 

[andywg]

Paul's right on the aquarium salt. It doesn't have the necessary minerals to fully support a brackish environment.

Once the SG hits about 1.006 and above you will find that protein skimmers can work (the higher the SG the better the skimmer will work).

You may have to watch for pH buffering as the SG gets closer to marine - around 1.016+(I don't know the adult SG for shark cats so don't know if this will affect you).

HIH

Andy