Upping salinity

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loconorc

Feeder Fish
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Sep 11, 2007
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I currently have a 25 gallon freshwater tank that I'd like to slowly convert to brackish for a pair of figure 8 puffers. How can I do this slowly without killing all my bacteria? I'm really unsure of how often to add salt, and how much. The math involved figuring out how much salt to add confuses me to no end... I'm sure its really simple, but after the school year is over, its beyond me! :nilly:
 
Anyone??
 
get yourself a hydrometer to measure salt. most people will recommend a refractometer, as it is far more accurate, but brackish fish like the amount of salt in their environment to fluctuate, so either will do. but dont go by cups or by weight. its rediculously inaccurate. it gets worse as over time salt absorbs moisture from the air, so it gets heavier, and has a lesser amount of salt (as a percentage). so an instrument desighned for the job is a must.

then you need to get marine salt (not aquarium salt) and raise your SG (specific gravity) no more than 0.002 per week. this number regards to the weight of an amount of water + salt.

1 ltr of fresh = 1.000

1ltr of salt water = 1.022+ (regarded as start of marine conditions)

for figure 8 puffers you will want around 1.005 sg. so it should only take 3 weeks to raise the SG with the puffers in. if the tank is empty, just add salt to the tank till it gets to 1.005. mix it thouroughly in a bucket before you add it to the tank though.

if you wanna raise the SG with the puffers in the tank, take out 1/3 of the water in the tank, and mix a batch of water at 1.006. .006/3 = .002

add this to the tank. you should also look up 'Drip Acclimatisation' on google. its a method of adding fish into brackish/ marine aquariums. its also needed if you buy fish online. simply floating the bag and adding the fish in these situations could lead to a dead fish. so its good to know.

welcome to the dark art of the hobby

:)
 
bromie has some good info there, but I just needed a starting point when I went brackish, so I was given this formula: 1 cup salt/5G should yield a .005 increase in SG. I used half a cup/5G per week so I didnt kill the BB.
 
Don't bother with measuring cups or whatever. Just go and get a hydrometer there cheap and work well. All the other info posted by bromie is all good. Good luck with the brackish tank.
 
I'm not saying he doesn't need a Hydrometer. I'm just saying it's a good rule of thumb to get you in the right ballpark. I needed this because my hydrometer doesnt read anything below 1.012 & I needed a method for getting up that high so I could measure it accurately. It also makes WC's a little easier during the salinity increase.
 
If you can not accurately measure your SG then you risk crashing your filters. Proper measurement is crucial sg should not be raised more than 0.002/week. If your not measuring then you are just guessing "ballpark figures". If you are looking for a good hydrometer try Instant Ocean by Marine Labs reads sg from 1.000- 1.032 and salinity 0 ppt-40 ppt.
 
A hydrometer (which I already have) isn't going to tell me how much salt to add per gallon, or answer my other questions...
 
loconorc;3265826; said:
A hydrometer (which I already have) isn't going to tell me how much salt to add per gallon, or answer my other questions...

there is no set amount. each different pack of salt from each different manufacturer will vary. so like ive posted get your hydrometer (since you have one you may as well get it wet)....

"if you wanna raise the SG with the puffers in the tank, take out 1/3 of the water in the tank, and mix a batch of water at 1.006. .006/3 = .002"

eventually you will get a feel for how much salt you need. i can get water to about 1.012 without thinking... even though it goes into my marine tank....:)
 
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