Freshwater, Saltwater Conversion!

[Betta5]

I have 6 fish tanks which are all freshwater. 2 coldwater and 4 tropical. I am getting a bigger tank so when the freshwater fish are switched about this will leave me with a free 10 UK gallon tank.

This is what i am thinking....

1- 10 UK gallon tank.
1- Lid and light
1- heater
Some- live rock
2 mini water mover thingies (sorry name completly sliped my mind)
Sand
Salt
Hydrometer

My questions are..........

1. How much live rock?
2.Is there anything else?

thanks very much

Betta5

 

[jayjay]

2 mini water mover thingies (sorry name completly sliped my mind)

You mean filters?

 

[nano man]

I believe he is talking about powerheads. As for the live rock, I would says 10 to 15 pounds, don't know how many kg that is.

 

[Mr Miagi]

2 mini water mover thingies (sorry name completly sliped my mind)

You mean filters?

No, as nano man correctly pointed out, powerheads. Powerheads will suit a SW tank better than internal filters!

10 Kilos maybe? Its always shifty, because peaces change in density. You really want the lightest LR you can find. Roughly 1kg/1litre of water is the go, or as much liverock to accomplish your aquascape.

If you stick with the standard light, you will be limited to some lower light requiring corals, mainly shrooms and zoanthids. Maybe some leathers. Research here is the key.

A hydrometer is really dodgy. They can show a huge range of sg, and are really not worth much to you if your trying to be aquarate (sp?).

 

[jayjay]

Yeah sorry, powerheads

One thing, i'm maybe setting up a nano tank, I was told LR only needs to be 1kg per 2 gallons ?

 

[Betta5]

Thanks for all thte replys, if i wanted to keep soft corals like mushrooms,

1) What kind of lighting would i need?
2) How much will it cost (in £)?
3) What kind of soft corals could i keep?

Could i keep 1 damsel in there on its own? Coz i have seen one called a white ghost damsel and i want it!

thanks

Sean

PS it was powerheads.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Yeah sorry, powerheads

One thing, i'm maybe setting up a nano tank, I was told LR only needs to be 1kg per 2 gallons ?

The "rules" and recomended levels vary with everyone. Many people dsay different things. Just as long as you have a sufficient amount to take the bioload of fish. Id say 1kg/2g would be fine. It (peoples opinions) just vary, thats all.

Thanks for all thte replys, if i wanted to keep soft corals like mushrooms,

1) What kind of lighting would i need?
2) How much will it cost (in £)?
3) What kind of soft corals could i keep?

Could i keep 1 damsel in there on its own? Coz i have seen one called a white ghost damsel and i want it!

If you go with a damsel in a 10gallon tank, forget about anything else. Your probably limited in a 10g to one or two fish anyway, but they are territorial and wont allow another fish to co-exist.

On a 10 gallon you could get away with 2 T8 flouros IMO. I cant tell you how much they will be, youll have to do the research at your LFS and find out the prices.

There are many soft corals available, but youll find yourself short of space. Best start off by getting your set-up mature with LR before you think about what kind of corals. Shrooms and Zoanthids are just a rough guide to what could fit, and what could suit your lighting.

Have a look for some of BunjiWebs pictures, and see what he managed to accomplish in such small tanks.

 

[Betta5]

Hi, its 6.25am (GMT) and i still havent got to sleep. I have been reading lots about nanos all through the night.

I am going to my LFS today to get some dechlorinator so i will have a look at so saltwater 'bits'.

Will the damsel be ok in a 10 gallon? or is it to small?

Thanks Mr Miagi for your reply it is very helpful.

When i go i will see what is happening at my LFS with live rock. It seems to be like a rare fish in that shop. They only have it in sometimes.

thanks again

Sean

 

[steelhealr]

Betta5...ALL your answers are in the FAQ section written to help you start up a nano. SH

 

[Chac]

I would go for 1kg (Liverock) per 2 Gallon

I take it you will be using Tap Water (if you are buying dechlorinator)

Adding chemical to any tank when it is unnecesary aint a good idea IMO

You would be better off using RO Water

There are loads of places you can order LiveRock online

 

[Betta5]

So i will need 5 kg of live rock.

Where would i get RO water?

Thanks

Sean

 

[Chac]

So i will need 5 kg of live rock.

Where would i get RO water?

Thanks

Sean

I would say 5KG would be fien

RO - You can get it from you LFS or you can buy a RO Unit from RO-MAN

Some LFS sell both Fresh RO (for top-ups) & Salted RO (for Water Changes),

 

[Betta5]

I am going to my LFS again to-mora, well later on today as it is 00.7 oclock. I will have a look about the live rock and the RO water.

Question- If i was to ever use botteld spring water would i have to use dechlorinator? I know sounds stupid but i had to ask.

Thanks,

Sean

PS I am up because, my brother has just been hit buy a car, he cant remember anything. I think it was a hit and run. He has a big cut on his sholder. He has gone to hospital in an ambulence. I know its off topic but i just had to mension it. Sorry if its agansed the rules.

 

[Chac]

Not that sure about the properties of Bottled Water but I would say it would be more expensive in the long run than using RO either from your LFS or buying a Unit

Ebay has RO Units on sale all the time, you may be able to pick up a bargin

Hope your Bro' is fine BTW

 

[Donya]

If i was to ever use botteld spring water would i have to use dechlorinator?

No, it should not need dechlor. Make sure it's not "suplimented" with anything though...I saw some weird bottled water recently that had added fluoride, but it had to state it up front on the label.

One BIG downside I encountered to bottled water of all sorts: you may find it leads to kH and pH trouble. I had some distilled water bottles that tested for a kH of around 4...that should not have existed, but it did. I only discovered that after it had made my tank into liquid rock with a kH of 19. The pH was also going on the fritz at the time...switched to R/O and been problem free since. I was also problem free prior to using that source of distilled water though...just make sure you test each bottle for those things before you use it so you know exactly what you're adding to your tank so you don't have my problem.