How to start a Brackish Water tank?

[Chrisplosion]

I am toying with the notion of getting a 30-55 gallon tank off craigslist and starting up a Salt or Brackish water tank. So how would I go about starting a brackish tank? I know a lot about freshwater.

I am interested in puffers and archers. So what are some good starter fish for that size tank?

What are dos and don't with brackish fish.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Archers would grow way too big for a 30g. You could possible keep one in a 55g but you'd want to lower the water level, so yo won't actually have 55g in there. I still think it's a bad idea. In a low-BW 30g, you could keep a couple of F8 puffers & a few other BW fish, like: 4 mollies or a pair of knight gobies or 2 chromides. 55g would be great for a single GSP & a tank mate or 2, after it reaches SW. That's how I learned to get into SW, by starting with a GSP that eventually needed SW.

http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/index.html

Check out my site for more info on puffers & other BW fish.

 

[geronimo69]

Go with a Ceylon Puffer. I have one in a 55 gallon with the salt at 1.016 or so. Awesome fish. Only thing is he's aggressive, no tankmates tolerated.

As for setting it up, it's just like freshwater, except you have to pre-mix salt into the water before you do water changes ( preferably for at least 12 hours ). You don't have to get into live rock/sand/skimmers until you go full marine and want corals and the like.

 

[Cappuccino]

Here's a good webpage for information
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/brackish/brackish.html

 

[Pufferpunk]

I like the 1st link better, although I helped write the 2nd one.