Salt levels in planted aquaria...
 

I've just about decided on Red claw crabs for my Paludarium... The only problem is that they like a bit of salt.

I know most plants are sensitive to salt.. Everything I've read on red claws reccomends everything from <1.001 salinity to 1.005.

If my math is right, 1.001 should be approximately 1 tsp per gallon. I plan on using reef salt for the minerals (like iodine, that crabs need for molting)... Does anyone think that would kill crypts and hairgrass?

not sure but I do know that hairgrass can also be kept terrestrial and still grow,

Only some crypts will survive brackish environments. I believe crypt ciliata, undulata, wendtii will work. Not sure about hairgrass... but i do know some other plants that will survive is anubias barteri, Val americana and spiralis, sag subutula and lancifoila, and java fern.

I think you will kill it.

are you talking about my list of plants or the hairgrass?

hairgrass lol

I suggest you look up brackish tolerant plants. Salt at the levels you are suggesting kills a lot of plants IMO.

Well, there's lots of plants that tolerate brackish well if you adjust them carefully...

And a while back when I had ich in my guppy tank I gradually worked up to 1.5 TBSP per gallon of salt, and not a single plant melted in the 3 weeks I treated it... I think we might be suprised at which plants survive as long as it's gradual.

BTW, I switched over to fiddler crabs and Halocaridina rubra ("Opae Ula shrimp")
Perhaps 4-5 fiddlers, and 5-15 Opae Ula... Perhaps more, since they're tiny.
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