I am setting up a brackish tank but have been told many different things by different people. Is it ok to use aquarium salt or do I need to use sea salt? My local pet store told me aquarium salt was fine but the more I read I don't know. I have two puffers in the tank now and they seem to be doing fine but I think I need more salt. Please help.
Need Help
- Thread starter Butter73
- Start date
Butter73;655455; said:
First off, what species are the puffers. There are many completly freshwater puffers that will not tolerate salt in the water at all.
Secondly, depending on the puffer the amount of salt will change. I never work in salt per gallon as once opened salt will absorb moisture from the atmosphere and will result in different readings. You are better off getting a hydrometer to test the Specific Gravity (SG) of the water (or even better a refractometer, though such accuracy is not required in brackish aquaria).
Lower end brackish fish (such as a figure 8 puffer) will want water with a SG around 1.003 to 1.006. Higher end brackish fish (such as a Green Spotted puffer) will want more; around 1.010 and above.
I use Coral Life salt mix, it is a lot better than aquarium salt because it replicates the environments they are from and sea salts have great buffers in them. My SG is at 1.010 and my Figure 8s are doing great. What type of puffers are they? How big is the tank? and if the tank needs to cycle again, you need to find a new home for the puffers. They cannot handle an uncycled tank.