ph levels.... advice please

[dana307]

Have slowly been adding aquarium salt to my 50 gal 1/2 way full. Have turtle, 1 common pleco, swords, and mollies. Am wanting to slowly go more brackish -- slowly for turtle's sake. Got a hydrometer but it keeps reading 1.000 (or less) which is the lowest marker on it. How do I better measure the salinity and not overadd/ underadd? I do weekly 20% water changes, ph is reading at 7.0. Nitrites and ammonia = nada. Temp about 76. Have a heater all the time and a light on 10-12 hours a day. Any advice for how to slowly turn this tank brackish? Any advice welcome.

 

[toodles]

Why are you trying to make this tank brackish? Is the turtle a brackish water species? (I know next to nothing about turtles......is there even such a thing as brackish turtles????) My concern is that IF your turtle is NOT a brackish species, then it would not do well in brackish water.....the salt would build up in it's system and eventually kill it. (Just like if a human were to drink saltwater, you keep trying to drink more and more to get the water, and the salt levels in your blood keep getting higher and higher until you die)

Even though your mollies might appreciate a little salt in the tank, it isn't necessary for them, your pleco sure won't like the salt, and the swordtails won't care one way or the other.
Alot of people feel that mollies must have salt in their water to thrive. I've kept mollies in full saltwater and in total freshwater and (for me at least), what is more important is to give them warm water, about 80º, and greens in their diet (like spirulina flakes, uncooked canned peas that have been deshelled, blanched romaine lettuce, etc.....) JMO.....

HTH

 

[adamj]

toodles is right about that turtle. also, your pleco will have a VERY bad time with the salts. But i must ask you,,, are you refering to aquarium salt that comes in the carton, or actual marine salt... there is a difference.

Mollies ARE a brackish fish, so they would enjoy light salinity levels. not sure about the sword tail, but the pleco will die because of it, if in fact its true marine salts.

Your hydrometer was designed to read marine salt levels. If you're usijng just aquarium salt, then it probably wont read it. Its designed to read higher levels of marine salt. Basicaly, the spcific gravity of the water.

Anyway, i suggest you do some water changes and get all the salt out... you have no use for it.

 

[dana307]

Adam -- have learned to trust your advice even though it can hurt. Turtle can tolerate brackish, this was researched first. Reasons for going brackish was for mollies benefit but I hear the advice and will rethink things..... Others on this board have said plecos have done okay in slightly brackish water. Which is the reason I plopped him in that tank. Have another tank and got a 2nd pleco which is reason #2 for changing pleco locations. But, I will alter my plan of action. BTW, it wasn't done without asking this board about plecos and salt and doing research on my type of turtle. :-( Appreciate the advice. thanks.

 

[NTidd]

Originally posted by dana307
Turtle can tolerate brackish,

Turtles shouldn't have to "tolerate" their environment, you should try to match the environment in which they came from if you are going to keep a turtle.