brackish water tanks

[Tedd]

how hard is it to keep and maintain a brackish water tank of 15 gallons? wife is
wanting a puffer and isnt willing to wait till i get that 55 gal. i've been
dreaming of. so i'm probably going to end up shuffling around a bit to clear out
the 15 (there goes my QT tank, amazing how that always happens ;-)

any sites recommended to read?

tia,

tedd.

[Jim Brown]

Tedd > wrote in message
...
> how hard is it to keep and maintain a brackish water tank of 15 gallons?
wife is
> wanting a puffer and isnt willing to wait till i get that 55 gal. i've
been
> dreaming of. so i'm probably going to end up shuffling around a bit to
clear out
> the 15 (there goes my QT tank, amazing how that always happens ;-)
>
> any sites recommended to read?
>
> tia,
>
> tedd.
>
>

Brackish tanks a fairly easy to maintain.
First, there is no set definition of brackish or at least how much salt to
add. Somewhere about halfway between fresh and marine would be appropriate,
or even slightly less. Brackish water fish come from areas where tides have
a major effect. Incoming tides are marine water, outgoing flow is
freshwater. So brackish water fish, by nature, are able to handle swings in
salinity. A hydrometer can help at water changing time. When I kept
brackish fish, I did one change with marine water, with the next being
freshwater.
As for the aquarium itself, you will be limited in plant selection, and the
decor should match your fish's preferences. The level of salinity can vary
by fish so that research will give you the best conditions for your wife's
preferred puffer.
Depending on the puffer, it may be a loner or it may do well in a group.
All of them can virtually prohibit other tankmates.
And do NOT forget to buy that new 55 gallon quarantine tank. ;-)

Jim