Put a bit of the coast in your home aquarium 



You don't have to leave the coast 

 behind after your vacation is over. 

 You can keep living, breathing and 

 multiplying sea creatures right in your 

 home in a brackish or marine 

 aquarium. And, you can learn 

 something about aquaculture at the 

 same time. 



Brackish-water aquarium 



A brackish-water aquarium set-up 

 imitates the ecology typically found in 

 North Carolina's sounds and estuaries. 

 The river-diluted sea water in this area 

 has a low salinity, and is suitable for a 

 variety of fishes and invertebrates, 

 both freshwater and marine. To 

 duplicate this environment, you will 

 need the following equipment: 



• Aquarium tank — all-glass tanks of 

 at least 20 gallons are preferred. Larger 

 tanks provide more space for inhabi- 

 tants and more stability for the 

 system. A cover for the tank is op- 

 tional but handy, because it prevents 

 animals from jumping out of the 

 aquarium. Pick a sturdy stand or table 

 for the tank (a 20-gallon aquarium will 

 weigh approximately 170 lbs. when 

 filled) away from direct light, and 

 protect the aquarium from extreme 

 heat or cold. Some light is necessary to 

 promote the growth of algae, but too 

 much will cause excessive growth. 



• Filter — an outside power filter at- 

 tached to the side of the tank is suf- 

 ficient. Filtration and circulation 

 remove particulates from the water 

 and help maintain adequate dissolved 

 oxygen levels. 



• Bottom material — a thin layer of 

 sand and gravel mixed with crushed 

 shell, no more than one-half inch deep. 

 A small amount of garden soil (one cup 

 to two square feet of bottom surface) is 

 good for certain fishes and inver- 

 tebrates. 



• Decorations — non-metallic rocks, 

 bricks and sections of PVC pipe used 

 sparingly are good for territory 

 markers, hiding places and spawning 

 surfaces. Clean seashells are also at- 

 tractive, but use very few because they 

 can collect decaying materials which 

 affect the pH of the water. 



• Water — can be collected from 

 sounds and tidal creeks or mixed up 

 from diluted sea-salt mix. Brackish 

 water has about one-half to one-fourth 



the amount of salt ocean water has, so 

 multiply by two or four the amount of 

 fresh water needed for every pound of 

 sea salt mix (salinity levels are not 

 very critical in the brackish system.) If 

 using chlorinated tap water, let it age, 

 or set it out in buckets, for a week to 

 get rid of chlorine and other chemicals. 



When you are ready to stock your 

 brackish-water aquarium, the rule of 

 thumb is one inch of inhabitants per 

 gallon of water. Sea creatures can 

 either be collected on a field trip to the 

 coast or purchased from tropical fish 

 shops, bait shops or scientific supply 

 houses. Species that do well in this 

 type of aquarium are marsh mummi- 



Photo by Steven A. Wilson 



chogs, sheepshead minnows, striped 

 killifish, sailfin mollies, mosquitofish, 

 mullet, eels, freshwater flounder (or 

 hogchoker), grass shrimp, hermit 

 crabs, starfish and sea cucumbers. If 

 collecting species from estuarine areas, 

 be conservation-minded — don't take 

 more than you can use. 



Most inhabitants in the brackish- 

 water aquarium should be fed once or 

 twice a day. There are three food 

 categories: live foods, such as brine 

 shrimp or small nematodes; dried 

 foods, which are prepared and sold 

 commercially, and fresh foods, such as 

 chopped earthworms. Avoid leaving 

 excess food in the aquarium, as it will 



Bob Goldstein working at one of his aquaria 



