Mudskippers/Brackish tanks

It's a litle like fresh water. Add a higher % of salt and tannins. I'm not sure off the top of my head the %, but I'm sure some one on here does =3

 

Brackish is usually somewhere around 1.07 specific gravity if I am not mistaken. Please remember that brackish doesn't mean just adding "aquarium" salt it is actually sea salt, the same used in marine tanks.

 

lol, see! Haha.
I had made a brackish pool for my Hermit crabs for a while. They seemed to like it more than the fresh or pure salt water.

 

If memory serves they need to have "land" so they can come out of the water (well actually they have to or they'll drown since there gills are moreso like lungs and can only retain water for a small amount of time.

I know my a local lfs had them in a really long tank (at first glance I thought it was a 55g, it actually may have been but I think it was a bit smaller than a 55).

From what I recall of the setup They had a lexan/acrylic partition siliconed in place creating a swimming side and a land side.

The swimming side was bare bottom besides a chunk of ?malaysian driftwood that was placed against the divider (assuming it was for them to get out of the water and be able to access the land side) and a submersible heater that ran across the back wall area.

The land side had what looked like eco-complete but a bit finer and some moss looking plant that was growing out of a terra cotta pot that was placed in the far back corner.

I know there had to be a filter (like the ones used for turtle tanks that don't have to be fully submersed), but I don't remember seeing it..they must have had it hidden?

Sidenote...It was defin. way more land than water, which I was a bit amazed because I initially thought they needed more water than land!

I found this video of a setup, although this one appears to show more water than land?

And here's a link about the brackish water and required salinity

 

WOW!!! That video wade me want some XD

 

You will need a hydrometer to test the salinity of the water.

Yes, that filter should be fine. You should be able to buy an intake extension for it.

 

I wouldn't keep it unfiltered. The water will be pretty dirty which in turn can affect the health of your fish. You'll still want to do partials when using a filter though.

 

refractometer is more reliable than a hydrometer, and you can get away without a filter and doing partials a minimum of once a week (you'll see how quickly they foul the water and understand why a filter is being suggested)...but even with a filter you'll need a prefilter or you'll really need to change cartridges frequently.

Canister filters work best...the intake simply goes beneath the water (obviously you'll have to have enough water to cover the intake) and the spray bar (if it has one) can go similar to how you see it in the youtube vid. (roughly halfway up the tank and positioned in a arc so it's more like a rainfall).

I know I've seen many use the same rena I have in a turtle tank done the same way as I'm describing to you>prefilter over intake and arc the spray bar above the water to create a rainfall effect.

 

Refractometers are expensive and need to be calibrated. I wouldn't suggest one of those unless you HAD to keep your salinity at a PERFECT level, for sensitive fish.

 

I used the hydrometer (plastic cheapos) and came to find out they were highly inaccurate compared to the refractometers...not sure how accurate the salinity needs to be for something like a mudskipper?

And sometimes you can get the refractometers from ebay for under $30.00

Cheapo Hydrometer

 

depends, I know most on the markets today are both saltwater/freshwater safe.
(I know the rena xp filstars are)...I think most (if not all) eheim brands are too.
What type of canister do you have in mind?

 

A brackish tank should have a salinity of 1.002-1.007, and like people already mentioned, you can keep this under control by measuring with a hydrometer. You don't have to use saltwater when doing water changes every time unless the salt level in the tank is low, or if you do a bigger water change. Aside from this kind of maintenance, it's the usual, trim plants from time to time and clean out the filter occasionally.

And about setting it up:
Like already mentioned, you need to make a "land part" in this tank as well, and the ideal substrate would be fine sand rather than aquarium gravel. You could use potted mangrove shoots or plastic plants in the tank, and cover these with some bogwood or big pebbles so that only the plants are visible. While adding water to the tank, you should add only a part of it so that the tank is half full, and now you should add more sand to shape a slope that resembles a beach. And a power filter is most suitable for this tank, the ripples in the water from the stream would enhance the feeling of a beach Much like it showed in that video!

Örr, hope this wasn't too repetative and that it helps somehow It's all I know about this kind of tanks :'D

 

$10 for both a refractometer and hydrometer.