will saltwater fish live in a freshwater tank?saltwater setup cost?

Question

how long will salt water fish live in a fresh water fish tank (only saltwater fish in the tank) and how long?i got some salt water bait fish (12) 4 inch mud minnows,i would like to keep a live?i cought them with a cast net.i have them in a brand new 10 gallon fish tank new gravel and water filter pump aqua tech 15-20?its a fresh water setup now,i had the fish in the tank for 6 hours now and thay are doing great.none died so far.will salt water fish live in a fresh water setup if every thing is the same as a salt water fish tank setup but no salt in the water?do the salt water fish even need salt in the water to live?should i ad table salt to the tank?----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------i also have a 75 gallon fresh water fish tank setup gravel and hood with lights.i would like to make a salt water setup. how much would it cost me to buy a salt water pump skimer to filter the water?

can i use my fresh water gravel in a salt water fish tank setup instead of sand?i never seen a salt water fish tank with gravel before?can i have a salt water setup with out sand live rock or coral?only gravel saltwater and fish?i plan on having fish like mud minnows,saltwater cat fish,small flownder,and any small salt water fish i get catch why'ill i'm fishing?that are under 10 inch?

is it ok to have 4 inch mud minnows,4 inch shad,10 inch saltwater cat fish,6 to 10 inch flownder and some 10 inch sharks (any kind) in a 75 gallon or 150 gallon salt water fish tank setup with maybe 50 pounds live rock or coral?i want all kinds of local salt water fish in the tank.i want to setup the tank with 30 or 40 bait fish on top and 5 or 6 pread predator fish on the bottom of the tank?it will have more of a wild look to it than exotic.do i need a sump tank and pump? can't i just have a small 300 ghp water pump filter skimmer mounted on the back side of the fish tank?instead of having a sump and all the hose that goes with it?

i'm only useing 12 mud minnows as a test right now in a 10 gallon fish tank.i will have my bigger fish tank 150 gallon 6 foot long X 2 foot wide X 2 foot fully setup before i put all the fish in it that i want.

i read from the DNR that the fish i have now(mud minnows)live in both fresh and salt water.i also read that some salt water bait fish can live in fresh water.you guys are right most salt water fish will die in a fresh water tank.

Answer 1

Saltwater fish won't live in a freshwater tank for more than a few minutes before they die. There's a different osmotic pressure (different amount of salt inside their bodies than out) and this difference would cause them to dehydrate and die. They will need to have a saltwater tank for you to keep them (this is marine salt mix, not regular table salt).

There's a lot that needs to go into planning a saltwater tank. The filter you're already using can probably still be used, but you'll need a heater, coral or aragonite substrate, salt mix, and a hydrometer so you can mix the water to the correct salinity. Prices will vary depending on where you live, and the exact product you get, so you should visit your local pet store and price the items I've listed.

There's really too much information about what you need to do to set up a saltwater tank to go into an answer here. I'll include some links below where this is already written out for you.

ADDITION: There's a reason you don't usually see gravel in a saltwater tank. The fish need a higher pH, and the coral helps raise it to the level the fish will need (it may not get high enough, so you need to test your water before you add the fish).

Answer 2

Saltwater fish would not live very long in freshwater. You can't add table salt to an aquarium, it'll kill them. You need special aquarium salt. Since more pet stores are closed now at this time, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to buy some. You'll also need a hydrometer to measure the amount of salt in your tank. 1.022-1.025 is a good reading for most saltwater tanks.

Another thing, you can't have gravel in saltwater tanks. You have to buy live sand, which will support beneficial bacteria. Live rock will also support some bacteria. A protein skimmer is optional, but it can benifit your tank immensely. A saltwater tank overall is much more costly than a freshwater tank.

~ZTM

Answer 3

Depending on the type of fish and the size that you want to put into a tank, I had a shad that was a mere 2 cm when we caught it in a rock pool. This little thing wasn't aggressive and it actually got on very well with my tropical fish, and when I moved from East London South Africa I put it back in the sea. So the answer to your question is NO. I have read all the other answers and believe me I had that "shad" in my tank for a little over 4 years. I believe in using salt in my fish tanks, and that is why it adapted to my aquarium water.

Answer 4

salt water fish in a freshwater set up would literally drown.... the osmosis of the fish is totally different according to natural laws water is attracted to the saltier more dense substance so the salt water fish itself has a higher salt content than the water around it so the water around it will try to absorb itself into the fish and in doing so the fish will try VERY hard to expell as much moisture out of its body as possible.... not to mention that table salt has iodine in it which is quite poisonous to fish.... it just won't work.... although mud minnows will do ok in there for a little while they usually come up to the brackish waters and sometimes will make to fresh water streams but not for long long periods of time....

Answer 5

uh dude dey would die as soon as u put em in there after like 10 minutes