Am Being Told I Need To Transition To Brackish, Have Some Qs..

[simonero]

I have a 10gal freshwater tank that is still cycling with a very young, hogchoker flounder.  I believe I am about a week into my cycle since the last full-water change (I was having some issues).  I am of the understanding that, even though he may have started out in freshwater, I will need to transition my tank to brackish if I'd like to keep him alive for as long as he fits in my aquarium.
 
Realistically, do I need to start this transition NOW, or with a flounder this young am I definitely fine for another week, or some other time period?
 
I am quickly learning a lot but I am a complete beginner - Everything I know I learned in the last two weeks.  Is it a silly idea to attempt a brackish tank as such an absolute novice?  
 
I read about putting plants in the tank because of algae in the pinned post.  I'm very amenable to the idea but 1) I have little to no lighting right now 2) other than things directly to keep my fish alive, I'd rather not do everything at once to spread out the $$$ and give me time to understand what I'm doing.  Do I absolutely need plants and lighting now, to avoid trouble in the long term?  Is there a special type I should go read about or does any LED light source (not from a LFS) work?  Is there a simple, inexpensive way to avoid algae problems for now to buy myself time getting plants & lighting?
 
Does making my tank brackish for this little fishy involve a gentle transition over a long period of time, or do I just supplement it the amount I want and maintain it?
 
Is there anything else (other than making sure any new fish are also brackish) that I should know before attempting to do this?  I don't want to find out that there are a bunch of major issues I need to learn about after it's too late, like I initially did with my new fish tank.
 
I appreciate any advice!

 

[techen]

I think what you are trying to do as a newbie is quite hard.
 
Doing a fish in cycle with a mostly brackish fish is going to be tough and I recommend you stop.
 
What I would do is get your tank fully mature (Fishless cycle) to avoid fish loss and once thats settled you can think about adding fish stock instead.
 
Brackish is quite a fair bit harder than FW and like I said you may be more suited for a betta in that size of tank so long as you have a heater and filter in there.

 

[simonero]

I think what you are trying to do as a newbie is quite hard.
 
Doing a fish in cycle with a mostly brackish fish is going to be tough and I recommend you stop.
 
What I would do is get your tank fully mature (Fishless cycle) to avoid fish loss and once thats settled you can think about adding fish stock instead.
 
Brackish is quite a fair bit harder than FW and like I said you may be more suited for a betta in that size of tank so long as you have a heater and filter in there.

 
Well, at this point fish-less is not an option unless my fish dies.  They knew less about my fish when they sold it to me than I now do, and therefore I am not willing to return him to the LFS to just be sold and die in someone else's tank instead. 

 
I do not want a betta - they don't really interest me very much, and I don't want a 10gal with only one fish ever.
 
If I did do brackish, would it be better to wait until my tank has cycled more/fully?  I am unsure but I get the idea that there's a possibility I have a little time with this fish, because they start off in freshwater?  Or is there just absolutely no way I should even consider this project?  I am a quick learner but like I said lack experience..

 

[techen]

Sadly, I can't really recommend you any fish that would go into a 10gal happily apart from a betta and shrimp.
 
If you do not return him there's quite a large chance he'll die in the FW and due to the tank being uncycled so it would be better back at the LFS than to suffer in your tank (My point of view)
 
But being that you've made your mind up I'll help as much as possible.
 
Brackish would benefit this type of fish better, yes. But it does mean a lot more work, Money and time for the tank to control the salt levels. Much like a marine tank which I would never recommend a first timer.
 
I know nothing of how brackish works. Only full marine or FW tanks, There aren't many brackish tanks out there due to people just giving it up and going full marine/FW
 
So you may have to google how to swap over but I would stay FW for now until the cycle fishes (Will take much much longer to do so with a fish in cycle) So you could expect up to 2 months wait before the cycle settles.

 

[Chad]

As Techen said, there is very little difference between a marine tank and a brackish tank. It's really just in the amount of salt you add. It can be done though if you are willing to give it a go. It's really not so hard once you get the hang of it. It's just a bit different than FW so it takes a different mindset.
 
Some of the smaller molly species might do okay. Molly, though sold as FW are brackish fish.
 
Another that would work is the bumble bee goby though he might become a meal for the flounder. Even though he's not their normal meal he's small enough and hangs out bottom side so it could happen. Great fish though for brackish.
 
The other brackish I can think of require 30-50 gallons or more. Maybe someone else can think of one that is suitable.

 

[maurizio]

I am a beginner, and I did start with brackish, mainly in order to second the water quality I have here (hard), and because I wanted some oddballs.
 
The way I did it:
 
1) fish- and plant-less cycled using freshwater: since my final aim was a SG of barely 1.002 at 25 C, I could afford having freshwater bacteria in the tank.
2) once cycled, added first fishes and plants, and started the transition to my low-end brackish: done in some 8 weeks (!), so not to stress existing bacteria and fishes
3) don't expect miracles with plants in brackish: unless other parameters are top-notch, they'll have a hard time in there. I'm so far quite unsuccessful, even in such low salinity
 
If you're sure a juvenile of your flounder can start in freshwater, you could follow my schedule above, but if they need high-end brackish to marine from the beginning, then you should provide such an environment now.
To my knowledge, flounders are not easy; one of the reasons I've excluded them from my wishlist, so far. Do read what Neal Monk's writes in his homepage, and if you can also his book. Great reading.
 
As already said, I think you're making your (and the sole's) life a bit hard, with such a start. I recommend one little step at a time.
 
Good luck!
 
Maurizio

 

[nigsy]

That tanks is way to small for any brackish species!!
 
Stop now. You are only going to end up with dead fish.
 
My pest snail tank for my green spotted puffer is that size!! And the reason....that all it's big enough for.
 
The advice given above is good. 
You would be better cycling the tank FW with no fish, just ammonia. Brackish tanks aren't that hard to maintain, once they are established and you learn how to keep the parameters right.
As suggested some shrimp species may be ok in it. You can even get away with Apple Snails at the low end of brackish.

 

[Chad]

That tanks is way to small for any brackish species!!

I think the bumble bee goby would be just fine.  They seldom grow larger than 1" and require very little space, spending most of their time using their fins to grip in the current and collect passing food.

 

[nigsy]

TBH, I've never seen those little beauties!!
 
I've only ever kept dwarf puffers and now 'Darwin', my green spotted puffer, in brackish.
 
10gal (I'm assuming US), so 37 litres isn't a lot, especially when you take out a few litres to account for any aquascaping.
 
Are they shoaling fish?? Hmmm need to read up on them...I feel a new tank may be on the horizon!!

 

[Chad]

They are beauties for sure. They are not shoaling but they are social, meaning they hide less if they have a friend or two. Unlike many goby I've found these fellows aren't as likely to jump from the tank. They can be acclimated to full marine but I've yet to determine if they are reef safe or not, or how they would get along with my clown goby so I've haven't done that yet. While 10 gallons isn't a large tank for sure, I do feel it's enough for these guys having kept them extensively and bred them.

 

[simonero]

To the people who mentioned shrimp - I like the idea of adding a shrimp in there... it would be neat variety, and if it cleaned up a little that would be nice too!  Can anybody suggest a shrimp that would be safe with the baby flounder and gobies in brackish water?  Or snails that won't become food at least initially?
 
So far my flounder has survived the odds wonderfully.  I'm surprised - I keep hearing they are tough to care for.
 
I added in two bumblebee gobies today.  They are very cute, and seem to be getting along surprisingly well with the flounder!
 
To the people who commented about tank size - I was told he was size-appropriate when I bought my flounder.  

   When he outgrows the tank, I will (full of sadness) re-home him.  He's less than an inch long right now though, so I think have a little time before he is uncomfortable lol
 
And thank you everybody!  I think I am going to start the brackish transition in another week or so...

 

[Chad]

Just as a side note get the new tank some time before he out grows the tank. What happens is fish get stunted which causes skeletal issues to occur. Change out the tank before it comes to this.
 
Ghost shrimp, while not the most attractive, should do quite well.