My new brackish tank

[Pugness]

Hi Im new to the forum and new to the brackish tank however i keep diamondback terrapins.

So far this is my setup:

40 Gallon Long
Fluval 405
100 Watt Submersible Heater
SG is 1.008-1.010
Temperature is 78-80
Basking Area is 85-90
Substrate is Crushed Coral
I have some driftwood inside as well (is this ok to have in brackish environment)

Now I have a few questions. I want to put some fish/shrimp/crab/lobster but i do not know what is safe to put in the brackish environment that is safe for my turtles to eat. I know i can put in mollies but Im not sure about anything else. I want to put some crustaceans in there and possibly some snails but im not sure which ones are safe for the brackish water environment.

Thank You I will post up some pics in a little bit when I take the pictures.

 

[MOsborne05]

Livebearers can all live in brackish water. As far as snails, the only ones that are brackish are olive nerites.

 

[Pugness]

Here are the pics , please feel free to criticize, im open to suggestions.

the plant is plastic by the way

 

[BRANDX]

Nice tank!!!

Hey,

I know nothing of brackish tanks, but I must say your setup looks very roomy and clean...of course, I'm dealing with some small tanks. But, everyone can dream.
Can I ask, why do a brackish environment? For you personally, is there a particular animal you are building around? Or does it remind you of your Costa Rican vacation...why brackish?

 

[Pugness]

You didnt notice the Diamond back Terrapins, they need brackishwater because they are highly prone to fungal infections.

 

[UP UP AND GUPPY]

I love the Terrapin. I like the fact you are trying to put the factors of land and water together.

 

[FreshwaterJeff]

I know very little about the terrapins, so this is purely a question out of my own curiosity --

Are they likely to eat the mollies in time, or are the fish probably safe?

 

[Pugness]

Well, I put 3 mollies in there theres only 1 left but they were in there for about a week before the two were missing along with 2 Rosie Reds.

 

[straitjacket]

DBT's aren't fish safe at all.

Not all livebearers are brackish. To say any livebearer can live in brackish water and then say the only snail that can live in brackish water are the olive nerites doesn't make sense.
Many livebearers are found in areas where the water is hard. Hardness and salinity are two different things. Some mollies and Limia sp. and even guppies are found in brackish and even marine water though I don't believe the same is true for other Poecilia sp., platies and swordtails.
To add, some regular ol' trumpet snails don't seem to mind low-end brackish water at all.
There are also other species of Nerites, not just olives (Neritina reticlava), like the zebra nerite (Neritina natalensis) or chocolate nerite (Neritina coromandeliana), among others that can adapt to sub-marine conditions.