Archer Fish & Salinity ?

[kanzaris]

Hi All

I was browsing through the Forum and came across an Identification Guide for Archers by Dave Lagacy. I must say it is the clearest one I have seen.
As I was looking through this Guide I took a closer look at my latest additions of 4 Archers. I bought them to keep my other Archer company and they get on great.
My one Archer is definitely a Toxotes Jaculatrix but taking a closer look at the other 4 I am most definitely sure that they are Toxotes Microlepis. My problem is that the guide says that the Toxotes Jaculatrix can be kept at a salinity of up to 1.015, what is fine as my tank is at 1.010, but the Toxotes Microlepis only can be kept at a salinity of 1.005.
These Archers have been in my tank for about one month and are feeding ok and seem to be doing fine. I will bring them back to the shop even if I don’t get my money back or will try for him to order me the correct Archers.
My Question is how long until they get harmed by the higher salinity?

Thanks

Sabby

 

[Dave Legacy]

Sabby,

Sorry if my information has mislead, or caused you worry, in anyway. Those are salinity levels that I reccommend based on my own personal experience as well as the experiences of others that I've gathered from the internet. It's my feeling that any of the brackish-water species of archerfish would fare just fine in a specific gravity of 1.010. I think I'd be more concerned with the fact that you have two different species mixed together with an odd-man-out.

Brackish-water archers seem to be very adaptable and I fluxate my salinity levels fairly considerably with every water change with seemingly zero ill affects. I'm talking about going down from around 1.015SG to 1.010SG every two weeks or so, and all in one waterchange. However, I wouldn't want to raise the salinity that quickly in fear that the rapid salt content would toast my biological filter colony.

I have a lot of questions about proper salinity requirements that I don't think I can answer without taking couple of trips out to thier native waters and doing some tests. I recently asked my cousin to take notes for me while on a 2 month long camping trip across the entire continent of Australia. He wasn't able to bring back much, but he did happen to capture a photo of a Toxotes jaculatrix in a billabong located at Kakadu National Park in the Nothern Territory, and a good distance away from the river mouth (ocean). The billabong didn't look like anywhere I'd expect to find a T. jaculatrix. It was surrounded by tall, jagged, sedimentary rock formations with only light amounts of vegetation. I'd imagine that the water was hard with minerals, but I wouldn't expect it to have a high salt content (especially not 50% seawater), nor be much different than the Lake Malawi for example. Without water tests I'm just guessing.

I believe that the salinity in which an archer is happiest needs be be chosen by the archer. We can't give our archers that opportunity to move to different salinities as they choose, but we can adjust the salinity level based on their behavior. Archers change color when they're stressed, so it's fairly simple. You'll notice if you stir up the water and disturb your archers that they back markings will usually start to fade out to white or silver. They might also turn very dark in coloration, almost completely charcoal, if something is stressing them out. If they are displaying changes in coloration without any obvious causes, and it continues for a couple days, I'd change the water salinity back in the direction I had come from. Example is if I was at 1.005SG, and raised it to 1.007SG with my last water change, I'd return back to a specific gravity in the 1.005-1.006SG range and see if they're level of stress would reduce.

Let your archers do the talking. I don't think they'll become uncomfortable with the salinity overnight so you should have plenty of time to make the appropriate adjustments. Stick with them and see how it goes. If you're having problems with your T. jaculatrix and T. microlepis fighting I'd be willing to take your T. jaculatrix from you to join my shoal. =)

Take care,
Dave Legacy

 

[kanzaris]

Sabby,

Sorry if my information has mislead, or caused you worry, in anyway. Those are salinity levels that I reccommend based on my own personal experience as well as the experiences of others that I've gathered from the internet. It's my feeling that any of the brackish-water species of archerfish would fare just fine in a specific gravity of 1.010. I think I'd be more concerned with the fact that you have two different species mixed together with an odd-man-out.

Brackish-water archers seem to be very adaptable and I fluxate my salinity levels fairly considerably with every water change with seemingly zero ill affects. I'm talking about going down from around 1.015SG to 1.010SG every two weeks or so, and all in one waterchange. However, I wouldn't want to raise the salinity that quickly in fear that the rapid salt content would toast my biological filter colony.

I have a lot of questions about proper salinity requirements that I don't think I can answer without taking couple of trips out to thier native waters and doing some tests. I recently asked my cousin to take notes for me while on a 2 month long camping trip across the entire continent of Australia. He wasn't able to bring back much, but he did happen to capture a photo of a Toxotes jaculatrix in a billabong located at Kakadu National Park in the Nothern Territory, and a good distance away from the river mouth (ocean). The billabong didn't look like anywhere I'd expect to find a T. jaculatrix. It was surrounded by tall, jagged, sedimentary rock formations with only light amounts of vegetation. I'd imagine that the water was hard with minerals, but I wouldn't expect it to have a high salt content (especially not 50% seawater), nor be much different than the Lake Malawi for example. Without water tests I'm just guessing.

I believe that the salinity in which an archer is happiest needs be be chosen by the archer. We can't give our archers that opportunity to move to different salinities as they choose, but we can adjust the salinity level based on their behavior. Archers change color when they're stressed, so it's fairly simple. You'll notice if you stir up the water and disturb your archers that they back markings will usually start to fade out to white or silver. They might also turn very dark in coloration, almost completely charcoal, if something is stressing them out. If they are displaying changes in coloration without any obvious causes, and it continues for a couple days, I'd change the water salinity back in the direction I had come from. Example is if I was at 1.005SG, and raised it to 1.007SG with my last water change, I'd return back to a specific gravity in the 1.005-1.006SG range and see if they're level of stress would reduce.

Let your archers do the talking. I don't think they'll become uncomfortable with the salinity overnight so you should have plenty of time to make the appropriate adjustments. Stick with them and see how it goes. If you're having problems with your T. jaculatrix and T. microlepis fighting I'd be willing to take your T. jaculatrix from you to join my shoal. =)

Take care,
Dave Legacy

Hi Dave

Thank for your reply. There colour seems fine, they only go dark when harassed by the Monos. The Monos are going as they are bullying everything in my tank, so I will see if they be happier once the Monos are gone. Funny enough the T. Jaculatrix is the only Fish in my tank that stands up to the Monos, but he doesn’t bully the other Archers. If I have a problem with him in the long run I will give you a shout. I can’t take my salinity lower then 1.010 as I got a skimmer on my tank.

Thanks again

Sabby

 

[n3ont3tra]

Okay, sorry to nit-pick, but this really annoys me.
1.005/1.007/1.010/1.015 = specific gravity. NOT salinity.