What Fish?

[rocknurworld2006]

what brakish fish can u keep in a small tank no bigger than 40l

 

[nmonks]

Your best bet would a rockpool style aquarium with bumblebee, rhinohorn or desert gobies, various nerites and shrimps. Possibly a few swamp guppies (Micropoecilia picta) or least killifish (Heterandria formosa) if you can find them. SG 1.003 would be fine for all these beasts.

Cheers, Neale

 

[rocknurworld2006]

Your best bet would a rockpool style aquarium with bumblebee, rhinohorn or desert gobies, various nerites and shrimps. Possibly a few swamp guppies (Micropoecilia picta) or least killifish (Heterandria formosa) if you can find them. SG 1.003 would be fine for all these beasts.

Cheers, Neale

any ideas were can get either of the 2 gobies not the bumblebee?

is heterandria formosa a livebearer and not a killi?

also are the picta brakish, i thought they were freshwater, i have a mate who brought some wild ones back with him when he was on holday

 

[nmonks]

The gobies are seasonal, but if you use a mail order service from someplace like Wildwoods, you should be able to get them. Wildwoods certainly had some desert gobies in stock when I was there a couple weeks ago.

The least killifish is, despite its name, a livebearer!

Swamp guppies are brackish water fish in the wild, and do best in at-least slightly brackish water in captivity. In hard, alkaline water they may be fine without salt, but like mollies and arguably guppies as well, a bit of marine salt mix makes all the difference in terms of not worrying about finrot, fungus, etc.

Cheers, Neale

 

[rocknurworld2006]

The gobies are seasonal, but if you use a mail order service from someplace like Wildwoods, you should be able to get them. Wildwoods certainly had some desert gobies in stock when I was there a couple weeks ago.

The least killifish is, despite its name, a livebearer!

Swamp guppies are brackish water fish in the wild, and do best in at-least slightly brackish water in captivity. In hard, alkaline water they may be fine without salt, but like mollies and arguably guppies as well, a bit of marine salt mix makes all the difference in terms of not worrying about finrot, fungus, etc.

Cheers, Neale

ok just spoke to my mate the picta and their defo not brakish water fish, they do come into contct with some saltwater so can have lightly brakish water, ut are not a brakish water fish.
just thought id pass this on, as there is alot of info going about that it is a brakish water fish.



are the desert gobies ok with the least killifish? and are they hard to find?

thansk alot

 

[nmonks]

They are brackish water fish in at least part of their range, according to Fishbase at least. I don't know who your friend is, but if he/she has some experience that states these fish do better in fresh than brackish water, I'm all ears.

It's worth reminding ourselves that lots of things that aren't technically brackish water fish in the wild do far better in brackish water under aquarium conditions. Years of experience has taught hobbyists this. Good examples include mollies, orange chromides, bumblebee gobies, knight gobies, figure-8 puffers and green spotted puffers, all of which are primarily freshwater fish in the wild. But try and keep them in a freshwater tank and things don't consistent work out well. So far as I know, Micropoecilia picta falls into this category, but if it doesn't, I'm more than happy to be convinced to the contrary!

In any case, since it clearly does occur in brackish water, and the use of marine salt mix stabilises pH, elevates hardness, and reduces the toxicity of nitrite, maintaining this species in a brackish tank would seem to be a no-brainer. Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

Cheers, Neale

just thought id pass this on, as there is alot of info going about that it is a brakish water fish.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

They are brackish water fish in at least part of their range, according to Fishbase at least. I don't know who your friend is, but if he/she has some experience that states these fish do better in fresh than brackish water, I'm all ears.

It's worth reminding ourselves that lots of things that aren't technically brackish water fish in the wild do far better in brackish water under aquarium conditions. Years of experience has taught hobbyists this. Good examples include mollies, orange chromides, bumblebee gobies, knight gobies, figure-8 puffers and green spotted puffers, all of which are primarily freshwater fish in the wild. But try and keep them in a freshwater tank and things don't consistent work out well. So far as I know, Micropoecilia picta falls into this category, but if it doesn't, I'm more than happy to be convinced to the contrary!

In any case, since it clearly does occur in brackish water, and the use of marine salt mix stabilises pH, elevates hardness, and reduces the toxicity of nitrite, maintaining this species in a brackish tank would seem to be a no-brainer. Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

Cheers, Neale

just thought id pass this on, as there is alot of info going about that it is a brakish water fish.

yes i agree

he has i think 3-4 groups of picta he collected himself and brought them back, and said that sometmes they can get a bit of salt in the water due to close to the sea. but are defo not braackish, but freshwater. definately a nice little fish and interesting

 

[ac106]

just thought id pass this on, as there is alot of info going about that it is a brakish water fish.



yes i agree

he has i think 3-4 groups of picta he collected himself and brought them back, and said that sometmes they can get a bit of salt in the water due to close to the sea. but are defo not braackish, but freshwater. definately a nice little fish and interesting

you do understand who are "correcting" regarding brackish water fish right?

It's this guy: http/www.amazon.com/Brackish-Water-Fishe...3895&sr=8-5

which book did your friend write?

 

[seffieuk]

just thought id pass this on, as there is alot of info going about that it is a brakish water fish.



yes i agree

he has i think 3-4 groups of picta he collected himself and brought them back, and said that sometmes they can get a bit of salt in the water due to close to the sea. but are defo not braackish, but freshwater. definately a nice little fish and interesting

you do understand who are "correcting" regarding brackish water fish right?

It's this guy: [URL="http/www.amazon.com/Brackish-Water-Fishe...3895&sr=8-5"]http/www.amazon.com/Brackish-Water-Fishe...3895&sr=8-5[/URL]

which book did your friend write?

oh classic, wish I had said that by the way the book is excellent - a must have for anyone keeping Brackish, imho Neale is a legend, his book is an excellent read and the work he puts in on this and other forums is second to none

Seffie x

 

[ghent_3rd]

Anybody got any links to some images with small brackish tanks as I am thinking of setting one up myself, around the 10 gallon mark and would like to see what I could possibly do with the tank.