Okay guys, really needin some help. Got this lil 55 gal setup used to be fresh now tryin to be brackish. I have 2 needle nose gar - 7-8 in, 1 lionfish(toadfish?) 8 in. a moray, Gymnothorax tile - about 16 in. and a fiddler crab. All these were purchased as freshwater and i realize now they all need somewhat brackish to full marine. So - how do I convert fw to bw with all my fishies still in the tank- was adding aquarium salt slowly as was told by my lfs, but apparently this is the wrong answer. bought some marine salt today and added about 8 tablespoons- i dont want to add too much and kill bacteria but dont wanna go to slow and kill my fishies. I've read that they can handle somewhat severe changes in salinity but i've got no idea how much salt to add at a time or how fast to add it. Please let me know if you have any advice for me. thanks
please help
- Thread starter fishtex
- Start date
Get a hydrometer or refractometer to measure the specific gravity (salinity). When you're preparing new water during a water change, add some of the marine salt to the water and mix it thoroughly. Measure the SG in that water so that isn't too high, but definitely higher than 1.000.
I like to kind of calculate how much water I replace during a water change, and factor that into how much of a difference of SG the water can have.
Don't let the SG in the tank change more than .001 or .002 in a week. That will kill the bacteria and probably the fish.
I like to kind of calculate how much water I replace during a water change, and factor that into how much of a difference of SG the water can have.
Don't let the SG in the tank change more than .001 or .002 in a week. That will kill the bacteria and probably the fish.
Awesome - i'll continue with that for a while and see how they do. I do have a floating hydrometer and it barely registers that the water is at 1.000 - So i guess i'll keep adding. Also i was thinking of trying to hold it around 1.006 - 1.008, does this sound like a happy medium for all my fish?
In the long run, there may not be a happy medium for your fish. If one of them requires saltwater as an adult, then it certainly wouldn't.
For now though, I think that will be fine. Do some research and figure out the suggested SG for each fish and see what you can accomodate. You may have to re-home one or two of them eventually.
For now though, I think that will be fine. Do some research and figure out the suggested SG for each fish and see what you can accomodate. You may have to re-home one or two of them eventually.
alright, sounds good - I am just getting into this hobby, have had a couple of smaller tanks before, but plan on getting bigger and better soon. The eel is the only one i have read about living in full marine and the others rang from 1.005 to 1.015 - so i guess i'll keep raising it until they look happy and tell me to stop, lol. Thanks again for the help
