Brackish decor 1/25/2009
Hi!
I am going to start a brackish fish tank and I am wondering what kind or décor substrate bubblers, and plants rocks I should put in it.
<Rocks and bogwood are fine. Ceramic ornaments good too. Shells, fake corals, etc... if you want. Plants are trickier because only some species tolerate slightly brackish conditions.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/brpltsnealeart.htm
At SG 1.003, good choices including Java ferns, Vallisneria, Cryptocoryne wendtii, Amazon swords, etc.>
I was thinking
'¢Small small substrate with the natural look no colour rocks
'¢wall bubbler
'¢live plants if there are any or plastic'¢
and some rock caves
<Do go here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/BrackishSubWebIndex.htm
Many articles on decor, planting, etc. Cheers, Neale.>

Artificial Wood for Brackish Tank  5/2/07 Hey there, <Hi Terry, Pufferpunk here> First I would like to thank you for all the help in the past, and all the great info here. <Glad to help.> My question is in regard to a brackish 30 gal I have setup for a GSP. I am looking for artificial mangrove root to put in for the aquascape. I am trying to get it close to the natural habitat. I haven't been able to find anywhere online to get this root type that is artificial. Also the correct substrate, I have colored aquarium gravel now. I have heard it should be crushed coral and also heard black aragonite. <Either is fine, to maintain a steady pH around 8.  I prefer crushed coral, for easy cleaning with the Python syphoning system.  Keep in mind that black substrate will cause fish to look darker.> Oh the tank is 30 gal, with a mag.250 canister and a Bio- Wheel 170, with a SG of 1.014. Thanks in advance. <Petsmart carries very nice fake mangrove roots in several different sizes.  ~PP> Terry

Limestone and water parameters... <Hi! Ananda here tonight.> I'm in the process of "thinking" up my next tank and would like a light brackish tank with a couple fig-8 puffers, several bumble bee gobies, and a few mollies. <I can hear it now.... Puffer1: "Hey, do you see what I see?" Puffer2: "You mean that incredibly big fin, or those loooong tails?" Puffer1: "Yeah, them! Don't they look absolutely tempting?" Puffer2: "Snack time!!!" Yep, puffers think long tails and big fins are tasty treats.... > I'm using a 55 gal tank and plan on a substrate of fine aggregate and using several pieces of large "Texas holey rock". My tap water has a PH of 7.1, KH of 8, and GH of 12. I know the limestone will raise the parameters but to what extent? <Good question. It depends on both your water and the rock, and on what specific gravity you go for. The marine salt will raise your pH, too. I've never used the "Texas holey rock", so I don't want to make a guess that might be wildly inaccurate. You might consider posting on the WetWeb chat forums at http://wetwebfotos.com/talk to see if anyone else has used this stuff, and how much their pH and hardness have increased.> Will 110lbs of limestone significantly raise the PH more than say 40lbs would? <I'm going to say, "Probably." I know, it sounds like a cop-out, but it does, in part, depend on the surface area of the rocks. I would test the hypothesis in a smaller tank.> I currently have FW planted tanks and lower my tap water PH and hardness via natural means like CO2 injection, peat, lots of driftwood etc. as I refuse to use any "chemicals" to alter water parameters and I'd like to do the same with this tank. <Good idea. Using "chemicals" usually means you have to use them constantly, as the pH can fluctuate far more than you would like (and more than is healthy for your fish).> I want a constant PH around 8.0 and don't want my tap water hardness levels much higher than they currently stand. <Now that might be difficult. The limestone *is* a form of calcium, so your calcium hardness will go up when you add it to your tank. And the general hardness will go up when you add marine salt, since some of the things it adds are exactly the things that your hardness test kit measures.> Any advice would be greatly appreciated as your site is an invaluable resource. <Thanks! I wouldn't worry too much about the hardness in a brackish tank. Also, most brackish fish can tolerate a fairly wide range of pH values -- as long as you keep the pH steady! A constant pH is more important than a specific pH.  --Ananda> Live rock in brackish tank? - 02/22/03 <Ananda the brackish nut here...> I have a brackish tank and was wondering how live rock would do in a brackish tank. <Not particularly well. All the goodies that make the rock live will die off in short order, and your tank will *stink*...ask anyone who's had to deal with un-cured live rock.> I don't care if it ever grows anything on it I would just like to have it in my tank for looks and to give my fish some hiding spots. <I use all sorts of stuff for that: carved rainbow rock, real and fake driftwood, fake plants... to get something that sort of looks like live rock, I'd suggest lace rock.> My specific gravity is at 1.006 right now. Also what are some good books to get on brackish? I can't seem find any. <Me, neither. I don't think there are any that are in print. In lieu of books, check out our FAQs and the WetWebFotos chat forum: http://wetwebfotos.com/talk -- I check that forum pretty frequently, so I'll see anything you post. Do a search on "gravocrete" for our ideas on DIY not-live rock for freshwater (and brackish) tanks.> Thank you, Jessica Anderson <You're quite welcome. --Ananda>