help with large brackish setup

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spitz006

spitz006

Piranha
MFK Member
Dec 25, 2010
565
122
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Allegan, MI
I am setting up my 35 gallon tall tank to be brackish. It's 24 inches tall, 18 inches deep, and 20 inches wide. I need there to be a few inches of air at the top. Not too much that my HOB will be unable to pump, but enough for fiddler crabs. With such a tall tank I don't know what to use for decorations, in terms of the crabs being able to get from the bottom of the tank up to the air. I was thinking a giant piece of driftwood would be perfect, but I have heard they rot fast in brackish water, and if I get a large piece of Malaysian driftwood from my LPS it's gonna run me over a hundred dollars. I have a lot of rocks but there aren't enough flat ones to make a two foot tall stack. Is there any cheap thing that you guys know of? Maybe a bunch of lava-rock? I could attach some of those turtle-things that stick on the sides, but will my crabs be able to "swim" up there to get to them?
 
Okay,
first you may want to consider an internal filter, so you can keep the water level lower in the tank, so you won't have to worry about the HOB filter. I use these in my quarantine tubs, and they are pretty good.

Cheap floating items are cork bark. If you go onto Dr. Foster and Smith aquatic, you can get rather good-sized Malaysian driftwood for 12.99 plus shipping (flat rate of 8.99) so you can get 3 or 4 peices for pretty cheap, and I think that will make your little fiddlers pretty happy!
 
If archers didn't grow to be so big, your tank could be perfect for a couple of them (not considering the HOB). Are you planning on adding anything other than the fiddlers?
 
Laticauda - I think you're right about the internal filter. I'll just run a small one and also a small sponge filter. Thanks for the tip on the driftwood!

2-Columbians - Right now I have the fiddlers in a 20 long with 4 female mollys and 2 celebes rainbowfish. When they move to their new home in the 35 tall I'll probably add some more celebes and a male molly, but I don't know what else to put in there. Maybe some bumblebee gobies and a knight goby. I love playing with the archerfish/mudskipper tank we have at the store, but like you said my tank isn't quite big enough. Someday I'd like to have a huge brackish tank with monos and archers.
 
Here is a picture of one of the pieces I got from Dr. Fosters and Smith Aquatic.
Malaysian_Driftwood_29.jpg

Malaysian_Driftwood_Side.jpg

It's in a 29 tall. It's barebottom, so if I had gravel, it would go up higher. This is the typical "large" size they sell. Sorry most of it is covered with fake plant and moss, but you get the idea.

The Mopani they sell is much larger, I have a few pieces of that as well, but it's also more expensive!
 
That's fake wood? Looks better than the fake mangroves I use from them.
 
From the OP:
a giant piece of driftwood would be perfect, but I have heard they rot fast in brackish wate
Click to expand...
 
I fake piece would do better but I have used real before. They make fake floating logs that are pretty cool. you could drape a fake floating plant of of that for crab access.
 
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