Upgrading And Stocking Ideas

[ac106]

Currently I have 2 brackish tanks: 29G and and 20G Long

I am getting a 75G tonight with the intention of replacing the 20G L

OK so here is my plan

29G: Sand substrate with lots of rocks, flower pots, wood, and java fern. SG 1.005 HOT Magnum Canister Filter

10-15 Bumblebee Gobies
5 glassfish
5 halfbeaks
2 Figure 8 puffers
1 unidentified green goby


75G: Sand substrate with rock layer caves, some fake plants SG 1.010 Magnum Canister Filter
1 Green spotted puffer currently 3-4â€￾ very docile (maybe on prozac?)
2 knight gobies
1 Dragon Goby

Here is the dilemma:

I realize that Knights are a lower salinity fish but they will eat the BBGs and Halfbeaks so I cant put them in the 29G. I would really rather not get rid of them so will they be ok at 1.010?

Also, I would like to add either a small shoal monos/scats and a single archer. I know this is a risk with the GSP but he really is very very passive. (I realize this can turn on a dime). Can it work?

I am not sold on the GSP needing marine conditions and really don’t plan on going much higher then 1.010 for the future.

Thoughts?

 

[nmonks]

29G: Sand substrate with lots of rocks, flower pots, wood, and java fern. SG 1.005 HOT Magnum Canister Filter

Sounds good. Presumably since you aren't using plants or undertank heating, you'll be keeping the sand depth minimal. 1-2 cm should be plenty. The gobies will turn this over, or else add a few Malayan livebearing snails (these thrive in brackish to about ~50% seawater).

10-15 Bumblebee Gobies
5 glassfish
5 halfbeaks
2 Figure 8 puffers
1 unidentified green goby

A nice mix. Glassfish and halfbeaks don't need salt, but they'll tolerate it just fine provided you pick the right species. Wrestling halfbeaks (Dermogenys pusilla) and redfin halfbeaks (Nomorhamphus ebrardtii) seem to be the most widely traded brackish water tolerant halfbeaks. Likewise, Parambassis ranga is fine in low end brackish, but this may not be true for P. siamensis and certainly isn't true for some of the other species either. I have pretty much this mix in my soft water tank (halfbeaks, glassfish, South American puffers, plus some other stuff). Glassfish and halfbeaks seem to have the right characteristics for living with puffers -- they move very quickly at the first sign of trouble. The only other fish that come close are bleeding heart tetras. Your only gap in the roster is colour: I find glassfish and halfbeaks alone to be a bit too silvery. This may or may not be a bad thing depending on your aquarium. But if you want some colour, then some orange chromides (wild type, naturally!) or even some mollies could do the trick.

75G: Sand substrate with rock layer caves, some fake plants SG 1.010 Magnum Canister Filter
1 Green spotted puffer currently 3-4â€￾ very docile (maybe on prozac?)
2 knight gobies
1 Dragon Goby

Another good combo if it works, though I'd be keeping an eye on the GSP. They become aggressive with age.

I realize that Knights are a lower salinity fish but they will eat the BBGs and Halfbeaks so I cant put them in the 29G. I would really rather not get rid of them so will they be ok at 1.010?

Knights are fine at 1.010. Perhaps not ideal, but acclimate them carefully and they'll be perfectly happy.

Also, I would like to add either a small shoal monos/scats and a single archer. I know this is a risk with the GSP but he really is very very passive. (I realize this can turn on a dime). Can it work?

If your GSP turns out to be peaceful, as some do, then the monos, scats, and archer will be fine. If it's a psycho, then none of the fish will be. GSPs seem to be a bit better than topaz puffers, on the average, and lots of people/places mix them successfully. London Aquarium does, for example.

I am not sold on the GSP needing marine conditions and really don’t plan on going much higher then 1.010 for the future.

They don't need fully marine conditions. What they do need is good water quality, and it so happens live rock and protein skimmers work best (if at all) in marine tanks rather than brackish. I'm 99% sure this is why people have "better success" keeping them in marine tanks. So long as you watched the pH and nitrate levels, and did your water changes, I'm sure you'd have success with a GSP at 50% seawater.

Cheers,

Neale