Convertin From Fresh To Marine

[Dalejr_802]

well i had my 50 gal set up as a frshwater aquarium and im trying to convert it to a marine aquarium. right now i have a fluval 404 its for 100 gal tank a 150watts submersable heater. so how much do u htink it will cost me to convert it my budget is only up to $200 and wat else do i need.... is a live sand neccesarry and benifitable to my tank and what are some of the precaustion that i need to be aware of to keep my fish not die because i have a friend who spent $5000 then his fish later die one by one

 

[robbhp]

First thing you need to know is what type of tank you want. ie reef or fish only/with or with out live rock. Or both. on your buget I would say that fish only would be the only way you could go. first of you need a skimmer, make shore you spend a good amount of money on this don’t go for air drive, pump drive is far better , 2nd you will need salt. a good test kit , a larger filter, if only to run with just filter floss or live rock rubble. You can pick up the FX5 (fluval) for cheap now. And with a bit of luck you should be well on your way. Also I would like to say that 150w from the heater does not sound to much , i would think of pos going for a bigger one, about 300w , but if it works for you the stick with it. and good luck


I would also add a few powerheads just to help stop the crap from sitting in the tank, if you do, try to do it make shure you don’t have many fish keep it light. And just the amount of water you have should help you keep it running. But I am shore some one will be along to give you a bit more info than I can ï￾Š

 

[13thmonkey]

i think the fluval 404 should be enough. it can handle up to 100 gall tanks. i would add a skimmer though. some crushed argonite, (agri-live if you can swing it). and two ways to go from here. either a lot of live rock ( only live rock) for about a month. or one fish, a few snails and a little bit of live rock for about a month. the month time frame is aprox. what your trying to do is establish your good bactiria. once you get an ammonia spike from your rock or rock/ fish, ammonia levels should lower naturally through filtration and water changes, after that you know your aquarium has established its good bactiria(these feed on the ammonia causing things in the tank) after that you just want to take baby steps in your additions to your tank, be it rock or fish. also dont get impatient with adding corals or inverts other than snails, wait untill you aquarium is nice established for those additions. oh yeah and maybe another small heater or a bigger one by its self. i started with a 200w in my 55gal and it seemed to run more often than not.

 

[andywg]

I would throw the fluval in the bin where it belongs, they are awful filters. Assuming it doesn't leak and destroy your floor, it can be used for carbon or other chemical filtration.

I would not want it as the prime biological filtration as you will have to really keep on top of the water changes and filter maintenance to keep nitrates down. And before long the cost of all that salt will equal that of buying some live rock.

A skimmer would be good, but quite costly.

I just don't think you can do a complete change over on a $200 dollar budget without cutting corners that will lead to increased costs and hassle later on.