Converting to marine.

[Eelzor]

Ok, I have to get it of my chest and I really want to know some answers.

1. Is a protein skimmer only nessesary for a reef tank? (If yes, good. If No, then what types of tanks should it be with?)

2. If you had a cycled freshwater tank, once you convert it to saltwater, is it already cycled?

3. What do you have to use to add to the already cycled freshwater tank to make it saltwater?

4. If you used water straight from the ocean to keep fish already living in there (and you have filter/heating/tank size/etc all already prapared), would it live? Or a better way to say it, would the tank be cycled?

5. Native rays like shovelnose rays and fiddler rays live in very dirty saltwater in Australia. (100-300ppm) To keep these beasts, what do you need? (On this question I a not keeping them but I want to know)

Thanx in Advance.

 

[ste2k3]

You need a protein skimmer on any type of marine tank. The only way you may not need one is to use a product called mirical mud which is a planting medium for algea. this uses the organics that the skimmer would remove.

The bacteria in a freshwater tank would probably die even if you aclimated them slowly to saltwater because the ph will rise as well as the S.G.

strip it and start again.

You could use water straight from the sea in australia. You would stil need to cycle the tank though as you need the bacteria to grow in the filter .

basicaly a very large tank and an even bigger filter system. I'm not sure of the species and the conditions that thy live in but that is what I would say

hope this helps

ste

 

[Eelzor]

Thanks a lot ste2k3! With the matured sea water with the rays in it, what type of water would you use to change? Would you use something like "Instant Ocean"?

 

[Landlocked]

Instant Ocean is good stuff to use for salt if you're doing a fish-only tank.

For a reef tank, you'd want to have something like Reef Crystals. This is far better for inverts.

 

[ste2k3]

landlocked is right. also, if you live near the sea, you could just go and grab a bucketful every week for free. as long as there is no localised polution I don't see a problem.

ste

 

[Eelzor]

Yes, having rays in there it would most definatly be a fish-only tank. BTW that miricle mud is so expensive you might as well get a skimmer. What if you don't put a skimmer in the tank? Is there a cheap way to do it? Um, what does a skimmer actually do? Is there another way!!?

 

[Great Lakes]

A mangrove,(aquatic plant), tank is supposed to make the use of a skimmer unnecessary. This is the route I am planning to go.

GL

 

[Eelzor]

What I am thinking these mangroves are, are the huge trees on native beaches. Is that what you mean? Can you explain a little more about these mangroves GL? This is for a native saltwater tank btw.