Brackish Pleco?

[ScorpiosWife]

Hey guys. Been a while, but I have a question. Is there such a thing as a brackish pleco? I have 2 GSPs that need a cleaner they won't eat, lol. Snails are always lunch. Shrimp, same thing. So, my next option is a pleco unless someone has another suggestion? My GSPs are not aggressive toward each other, but I've never introduced them to another fish either.

I did a water change about a month ago and now I have brown rust looking algae in their tank & one more tank I did that day. I'd like to get something that can survive in 1.018-1.020 salinity. Tank is at 1.018 today but within the next week I will be upping it to 1.020.

Thanks for any input!

[mnemenoi]

Most of the Hypostomus Sp. are known to be salt tolerant, but do get fairly large. Another option that many are unaware of are blue legged hermit crabs (sold in the marine section as clean up crew) are very tolerant of brackish systems and devour algae. I imagine they might do well and not be predated if introduced at night and after feeding. With stout enough shells they may go unoticed or at least the puffs would have a difficult time trying to get at them.

[barberking12]

common plecos i have a crrek next to my house and it is brackish and they are every were in it

[ScorpiosWife]

Thanks, Roy. Not trying to sound completely ignorant but I'm not really familiar with the scientific names. If I'm not mistaken, a plecostomus is the same thing as a hypostomus. If that's incorrect, please fill me in.

Can you suggest a species that is tolerant of full salt? I know the commons can be found in brackish & tolerate it, but when I go full salt (almost there) with the puffers I don't want to have to buy something else or worse, have the jump kill whatever I buy. I'm at 1.018 so the jump to 1.020 isn't far.

[ScorpiosWife]

I'm leaning toward pleco opposed to the hermits because my GSP's flip anything with a shell over & go to town. I looked into the blue legged hermits before but passed due to my little killers technique.

[mnemenoi]

The common pleco is a Hypostomus sp., though I doubt it will tolerate full marine. I'll have to think on an algae eater for high end brackish to full marine...

[ScorpiosWife]

Thanks. I'm gonna hold off for now, until someone comes up with something. I just hate that their tank looks like a rust bucket at the moment. Weird how that happened. My other 9 tanks are fine. It's just those 2 that I did water changes on, on that same day, that have this rust colored algae in them now. Grrr.

[troy tucker]

good to see ya Dawn...

[ScorpiosWife]

Thanks, Troy. Good to be back.

[cichlidomaha]

If you can slowly but up the salinity a bit, say up to 1.020- 1.023 or so which you state you are already at 1.018 which would be easy to adjust the puffers will be able to tolerate it if done over a period of time,Puffers can live in pure salt water with little if any problems, since they are found in areas with a mild salt content to a higher salt content as well.
You could put in a yellow tang, which is full salt water. I think if done very slowly you could completely acclimate your puffers over to salt.

Just and idea.

Tom

[ScorpiosWife]

Thanks for the tang suggestion, Tom. That's the idea as well. When we bought them they were, as most are in LFS, freshwater. We've acclimated them to 1.018 & over the next couple of weeks I'll be taking them to 1.020. What I don't want to do is spend $25 on a fish that becomes a meal but I suppose thats gonna take trial and error. Hubby has always wanted a saltwater tank, so I suppose he's about to get his wish.

[cichlidomaha]

You are quite welcome: Good Luck! Keep us updated on what you do.
Tom