The Brackish water system combines the best features of both fresh and marine salt water systems. From fresh water it has the breedability of the fish, the lower cost, and probably the best of all, live plants. Many brackish water fish are as colourful as saltwater fish. Aquatic plants for the brackish aquarium can be something of a challenge as most freshwater aquarium plants do not tolerate salt. However, this could be a fascinating and rewarding experience for anyone willing to try something different. If you are not that adventurous you could use naturally looking plastic plants instead. Following is a selection of commonly available fishes that can be successfully maintained in a brackish water aquaria. AMONG THE MANGROVES The thought of setting up a brackish water aquarium by many hobbyists may seem more trouble than what its worth. However, a brackish water aquarium suitably set-up with treated mangrove roots, rocks and sandy substrate can make a very attractive display. Water temperature should be maintained between 24 - 30°C, pH 7.8 - 8.4 and like any other aquariums, levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate should be kept to a minimum. Brackish water conditions can be obtained by mixing freshwater with saltwater at a ratio of 3:1. Although, you could accomplish the same effect by adding about 10 grams of aquarium marine salt per litre of freshwater. Maintenance on a brackish set-up is much the same as a freshwater aquarium. Partial water changes should be made every 14 days and when changing the water do not forget to add the salt supplement. The Archer Fish Click Here to the Archer Fish There are six species of Archer Fish in the family Toxotidae, and they occur in estuaries and freshwaters over a wide range, from south-east Asia to the western Pacific. Depending upon species, they range in size from about six to sixteen inches (fifteen to forty centimetres) in length. Colouration and markings within individuals of a given species can vary substantially over its geographic range, and also depending upon many other environmental and physiological factors. THE MUDSKIPPER The following are the aquarium conditions that I keep my gobies in : Water temperature - 24 to 28 deg C pH - 7.5 to 8.0 Salinity - specific gravity 1.003 to 1.006 (approx. 25% marine) The Puffer, Freshwater to Brackish Puffers, Part of the Family Tetraodontidae Puffers are of the family Tetraodontidae, meaning four toothed. Their bodies are club-shaped and unarmored. When in danger they have the ability to inflate with air and water making their bodies too large to be consumed. Their eyes are widely spaced on rather large heads and their bodies are often covered with spines or small plates. Their teeth are joined in a sharp triangular frame giving them a beak-like appearance. They are found in salt, brackish and freshwater and their flesh carries a toxin. They range in size from several inches to several feet. CLICK HERE PUFFERNET CLICK HERE ODDBALL FISH Four-eyed fish False four-eyed fish Mudskippers In captivity they do well with a sandy bank on which they can feed. This is quite difficult to make in a small aquarium, but since Anableps are large fishes (30 cms in length) they eventually need an aquarium at least 100 cms (4 feet) long if a school of these fishes is to be kept. Depth is unimportant, 20 to 30 cms (8 to 12 inches) is adequate, so the best tank is broad, long but shallow. The tank must be covered well: these fish can jump surprisingly well. The GobyBumble Bee Goby ABOUT THE GOBY CLICK HERE Just about all the sites I have visited cater for the mainstream fish. You are lucky if you can find some information on brackish species, but if you want gobies - forget it ! I think a lot of people don't even know that gobies exist - yet they belong to the largest family of fish! The Violet Goby or Dragon Eel The Violet Goby is a large, peaceful fish; highly elongate. It resembles an eel with dorsal and ventral fins running the whole length of its body, and tiny eyes on the top of its head. It has an arrowhead-shaped tail fin. It is a light violet color and has some interesting features. It has a fused pelvic fin which enables it to attach itself to the aquarium glass, using the fin like a suction cup. It also has a large, trap-door type mouth, which is studded with easily visible teeth. Most aquarium dwellers average 14 to15 inches when fully grown, but have been known to reach 2 feet, and even longer in the wild. Chequered Rainbowfish -- Melanotaenia splendida inornata M.s.inornata are tropical fish, and inhabit a variety of freshwater habitats with water temperatures ranging between 24°C during the dry season and up to 33°C in the wet season. The water is generally alkaline (pH 7.2 - 8.0); however, they are occasionally found in acidic conditions (pH 6.5 - 6.9). They inhabit the river systems of the Northern Territory and Queensland which flow into the Arafura Sea and Gulf of Carpentaria - from Darwin to the tip of Cape York Peninsular. They are frequently found in company with M.nigrans and M.trifasciata. They are peaceful, hardy, easily fed, spawn readily, and have brilliant colouration. M. trifasciata or "Banded Rainbowfish" occur only in the far northern streams of the Northern Territory and Cape York Peninsular. It is probable that the distribution of this species is limited by water temperature as these areas of Australia are usually above 20°C with maximum temperatures approaching 30°C. The Rainbow Fish Bleher's Rainbowfish Chilatherina bleheri is a lake and stream dwelling species found around the vegetated shores of Lake Holmes and feeder streams in the Mamberamo region of Irian Jaya. It was named after Heiko Bleher, a well-known fish collector from Aquarium Rio in Frankfurt Germany, who collected live specimens in 1982. Brackish Water Fishes are some of the most complex biotopes and can be found anywhere in the world where the ocean and rivers meet; saltwater marshes, estuaries, mangrove swamps, etc. UniqueFish Swordtails and Platies on also fond of brackish water, The Swordtail and the Platy are two more of the peaceful live bearing aquarium fish that are easy to take care of. They both enjoy the brackish water Aquarium     K Swordtail         CLICK Platy Members may ask questions on any aquarium related subject and look for information returned on their own personal email faster than most can look it up. If you are really serious about this hobby, check out Andre's Aquarium Club's SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP Click Here

SETTING UP THE BRACKISH WATER AQUARIUM (2a) Artificial sea water and measuring salinity (2b) Temperature, hardness and pH topics (buffering, filter media, etc.) (2c) Substrates and tank decor (2d) Planting the brackish water aquarium (2e) Diseases and remedies (2f) Breeding brackish water fishes The Brackish water The quantity of salt added is very much dependent upon personal preference - what works best for the individual aquarist and on the species of fish he or she intends to accommodate. I have known people who are adamant that one teaspoon of salt per gallon is quite adequate while others have successfully used up to three tablespoons per gallon. Generally, anything that produces a specific gravity within the previously defined parameters should produce favourable results. BRACKISH WATER FISH There are many fish that do quite well in the brackish aquarium. Many of these fish should not be kept in small aquaria as they will get too large ; namely, the monos, both the golden (argenteus) and the silver (sebae), the archers, the scats, the gobies, the silver shark cats and the datnoides. The monos and the scats, in particular, are more interesting, in my opinion, when they are allowed to swim in schools. All of the above fish, as adults, should be given a fairly large aquarium for their best interests. There are several brackish puffers. Some of these are cute when they are small but some of them can get to be about six inches long, also they do become quite aggressive with other fish. The puffers do have a very strong mouth, almost like a small bird beak. I have seen them crush a snail's shell and spit out the shell remains. One time a figure-eight puffer grabed a smaller, spotted puffer in it's mouth and shook it like a dog might shake a rat. It is recommended that the puffer be kept in an aquarium by itself, species wise. Brackish fish do best in water with a salinity of 1.015, or one to two teaspoons of salt per gallon, and a pH of 7.5 or higher. A List of  brackish water fish Scats (Scatophagus spp.) Monos (Monodactilus spp) Anableps Achirus species (chose the tropical brackish soles) Pipefishes Sailfin mollies and their relatives like mosquito fishes (Gambusia species) and pike livebearer Belonesox belizanus Etroplus spp. (usually E. maculatus), Asian cichlids sold as Orange and Green Chromides Malayan halfbeaks (Demorgenys pusillus) Indian glassfish (Chanda ranga), get the non-painted ones!!! a number of brackish water killies some African, like a lampeye Aplocheilichtys spilauchen, some Middle Eastern, like Aphaniops dispar, some native to USA eastern seaboard estuaries, like mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, and American flagfish Jordanella floridae from the brackish end of Florida swamps; hermaphroditic Rivulus ocelatus from South America, Wester US desert pupfishes like Cyprinodon salinus, a huge number of the nominally freshwater killies will do splendidly in water that is quite brackish -- and many of the African and South American species look as colourful as marine fishes), Asian Dantinoids (who get too big for small tanks), Asian and Australian Archers, some Australian rainbows like Melanotaenia macculochi, their compatriots Australian gudgeons (gobies) like Mogurnda mogurnda, a number of other gobies, like sleeper gobies, Additionally, the following plants are said to be good for brackish tanks: Java moss, Java fern, Elodea densa (Anacharis), Hygrophila polysperma As long as the water is not VERY salty: Echinodorus tenellius (pygmy chain swords), Sagittaria subulata, S. graminea, S. gigantea, Vallisneria americana, Water sprite, Hornwort. DATNOIDE Siamese Tigerfish Click HERE There are two main species of Siamese Tigerfish.. Datnoides microlepis and Datnoides quadrifasciatus. D. microlepis is the more hardy of the two main types of Tigerfish . The background coloration of this fish varies from a clear creamy white to pale tan, with verticle jet black bars on its body. The number of black bars actually depends on its geographic location. Fish from the Asiatic mainland have six bars, and those from the indo-Australian archipelago have seven. These bars do not converge with age. The Scat The genus Scatophagus includes the most widely available fish, and are found all over the Indo-Pacific. Selenotoca is more localized, restricted to New Guinea and Australia. Scatophagus argus is available in a range of colour varieties which may or may not be true subspecies. The commonest variety reaches over 30 cms in length. As a juvenile it is quite rounded in shape with variable colours but basically a spotted brown to green. One variety, the ruby scat (Scatophagus argus atromaculatus or "Scatophagus rubifrons "), has flecks of red over the body, especially along the back. Both become bronze to silvery brown when mature, with dark spots and a distinctive, hump-backed appearance. The African scat Scatophagus tetracanthus has stripes running vertically on the body when small, but is otherwise similar as an adult Java Fern If you' ve had trouble growing aquatic plants, you can probably grow Java Fern. Add to this a beautiful medium to dark green color with forms ranging from bushy to leafy spikes and you have what experts call a "beautiful" and "decorative" aquarium plant .We can describe the care and maintenance of this great aquarium plant. CLICK HERE Java Moss also enjoys the brackish water Our interest extends beyond these pages, to promoting conservation and aquaculture research projects worldwide-from helping understand environmental changes, to saving the endangered reefs, and endangered species with captive bred freshwater and marine life.  WORLD PETSTORE.COM     For Supplies at Discount Prices

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