A brackish-water aquarium is an
aquarium
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
where the water is
brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuar ...
(semi-salty). The range of "saltiness" varies greatly, from near freshwater to near marine and is often referred to as specific gravity (SG) or salinity. Brackish water aquaria is a popular specialization within the
fishkeeping hobby. Many species of fish traded as
freshwater species are actually true brackish species, for example
mollies,
Florida flagfish, and some
cichlid
Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this ...
s such as
chromides and
black-chin tilapia. There are also several popular species traded purely as brackish water fish, including
monos
Monos is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is one of the "Bocas Islands", which lie in the '' Bocas del Dragón'' (''Dragons' Mouth'') between Trinidad and Venezuela. It is so named as the island was once home to noisy red h ...
spp,
scats
The Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System, abbreviated SCATS, is an intelligent transportation system that manages the dynamic (on-line, real-time) timing of signal phases at traffic signals, meaning that it tries to find the best phasing (i. ...
,
archerfish
The archerfish (spinner fish or archer fish) form a monotypic family, Toxotidae, of fish known for their habit of preying on land-based insects and other small animals by shooting them down with water droplets from their specialized mouths. The ...
, and various species of
pufferfish,
goby,
flatfish, and
gar
Gars are members of the family Lepisosteidae, which are the only surviving members of the Ginglymodi, an ancient holosteian group of ray-finned fish, which first appeared during the Triassic, over 240 million years ago. Gars comprise seven livi ...
. Generally, aquarists need to maintain a
specific gravity of around 1.005 to 1.010 depending on the species being kept, but practically all brackish water fish tolerate variations in
salinity well, and some aquarists maintain that regularly fluctuating the salinity in the aquarium actually keeps the fish healthy and free of parasites.
Aquarium maintenance
Brackish water species can be kept mainly the same as standard freshwater aquaria, but a hydrometer is used to check the salinity of the water. Certain kinds of brackish water fish need to have their salinity increased slightly every six months. The tank sizes can vary widely depending on the needs of the particular species, and the temperature is usually in the tropical range of 76-82 °F. The substrate can vary from sand to gravel, but many aquarists choose crushed coral or
aragonite
Aragonite is a carbonate mineral, one of the three most common naturally occurring crystal forms of calcium carbonate, (the other forms being the minerals calcite and vaterite). It is formed by biological and physical processes, including pr ...
sand, both of which help raise the hardness and
pH to an acceptable level. Many brackish water fish, as any fish, can jump out of the tank, so it must be covered. Some brackish water species come from estuaries. These should have a slow moving current and some hiding places in their aquarium. Some come from larger rivers. These should have plants around the perimeter of the aquarium with some large rocks to rest on. Others come from mangrove swamps. These should have a few mangrove plants, and some species should have a beach to climb out on. Some freshwater species (and the
blacktip shark
The blacktip shark (''Carcharhinus limbatus'') is a species of requiem shark, and part of the family Carcharhinidae. It is common to coastal tropical and subtropical waters around the world, including brackish habitats. Genetic analyses have r ...
, a marine species) are hardy enough or survive better in brackish water, such as ''
Polypterus bichir
''Polypterus bichir'', the Nile bichir, is a fish which lives in the Nile and some of its tributaries in Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 milli ...
'', certain
loach
Loaches are fish of the superfamily Cobitoidea. They are freshwater, benthic (bottom-dwelling) fish found in rivers and creeks throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Loaches are among the most diverse groups of fish; the 1249 known species of C ...
es, ''
Danio rerio
The zebrafish (''Danio rerio'') is a freshwater fish belonging to the minnow family (Cyprinidae) of the order Cypriniformes. Native to South Asia, it is a popular aquarium fish, frequently sold under the trade name zebra danio (and thus often ...
'', all kinds of
mollies but especially the
Yucatán molly, and some
gobies
Gobiidae or gobies is a family of bony fish in the order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typically less than in length, and the ...
. All can tolerate the same amount of salt in aquaria, but should be acclimated slowly.
See also
*
Aquarium
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
*
Brackish water
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
*
Fishkeeping
*
List of brackish aquarium fish species
This is a list of commonly seen fish that can be kept in a brackish water aquarium.
Cyprinodontiformes
Catfish
Pufferfish
Gobies
Cichlids
Beloniformes
Other fish
See also
* List of brackish aquarium invertebrate species
* ...
*
List of brackish aquarium invertebrate species
This is a list of various species of invertebrates, animals without a backbone, that are commonly found in brackish aquariums kept by hobby aquarists. Some species are intentionally collected for their desirable aesthetic characteristics. Others ...
External links
Aquariacentral Brackish Water Forum FAQ
Further reading
*Frank Schäfer (2005). Brackish-Water Fishes. Aqualog. (English), (German)
*
Neale Monks, ed. (2006). Brackish-Water Fishes. TFH.
{{Aquarium
Aquariums
Saline water