I would like to convert a 55l tank from tropical to marine, I have a larger tank that my cories and cardinals can go into.
Can I please have some advise as I have never done a marine tank?
- Can I use the same filter, media (and bacteria) to avoid cycling?
- What is the best type of sand (I'd like white)?
- What is the best guide for stocking? I believe it is much less per gallon than with tropical fish?
- Are there any pitfalls that I should look out for?
- Are there any marine fish that are more suitable for beginners (I am after bright colours)?
- If I do water changes using RO salt water from LFS will I need anything other than standard liquid test kit?
Many thanks,
Mark
To the best of knowledge, no, you cannot use the same media because I believe freshwater bacteria is different than marine (either type would die in the opposite kind of system). Hopefully someone else can chime in and clarify that because I'm not 100% sure. Please know that the media used in freshwater tanks doesn't bode well in a marine system for many reasons, one being they are "nitrate factories". It will give you more headaches than you probably want.
I used southdown sand although I've heard it's now tough to find. Play sand looks nice as well and is very inexpensive.
I am a huge supporter of NOT putting a lot of fish in a marine system. I'm sorry but I don't know what size a 551 is so I can't give you a suggestion regarding how many fish you can put in your tank. The fish/gallon ratio is greatly oversimplified, but you cannot put anywhere near the amount of fish in a saltwater tank vs. a freshwater one. I recently tore down my 65g. tall and I only had two relatively small fish in it: 1 cardinal and one 1 small wrasse. Wrasses zip around everywhere so even one needs room. Some of the easier fish are blennies (and extremely cute), cardinals, and royal grammas to name just a few (there are actually quite a lot that newbs can choose from). A wonderful place to look is Drs. Foster and Smith---excellent site. I believe there's an area dedicated to suggestions for a beginner's fish stocking list so you might want to wander over and take a look.
I think the biggest pitfall is trying to move too quickly and not doing enough research. Take time and read, and also take time to plan out what you really want. I realize this sounds vague and I don't mean to be; however, there's a lot to consider.
The test kits you should have are: 1) Ammonia, 2) Nitrite, 3) Nitrate, 4) pH, 5) KH or GH, 6) Calcium, and some people get a magnesium test kit as well. And, you absolutely have to be able to check the salinity of your tank and many people choose refractometer (although that doesn't actually check salinity). You need to monitor that level as it's very important. There are probably others but I can't think of them at the moment. As you can see by the list, there are many things that must be monitored in a saltwater tank. Regardless of where you get your water, you need to test it.
You're starting by asking excellent questions! Keep reading, and keep asking!
