Realised I Made The Wrong Choice !

[ShifyShify]

I have recently purchased a Juwel Rekord 70 freshwater setup but having done my research I have realised that what I really want to do is set up a nano reef.

My FW tank is has just finished cycling and only has 6 zebra danios in it which I can rehome with a friend.

Was just wondering if the tank with all its internal filter and heater can be addapted to Marine. The tank dimmensions are 61 x 46 x 31 cm.

Am I going to be better off buying a ready to go marine setup or addapting this one ?

Many thanks

 

[JaminRat]

Welcome to the salty side. It really depends what you want. Essentialy a tank is a tank and unless you are planning a sump then your tank will be fine. However sw is very different to fw. I would suggest reading all of the pinned topics both in this section and the chit chat forum. This should help to shed some light on the situation.

The key to marine is lots of research and the more you learn the more there is to learn.

Hope this helps

 

[Miss Wiggle]

start here

this is all the basic info, then ask us for more specifics.

essentially the tank will probably be fine to convert to marine, but the equipment may not, some will need upgrading, there will also be things you don't have at all.

it's a big commitment of time and money to go marine, and especially to go nano as this is even more tricky. have a look through the topics above and work out what you want to do, what equipment you need etc, then price it all up. then you'll get an idea if it's best to convert this tank or just start from scratch.

 

[ShifyShify]

Thanks guys, i have taken your advice and spent the morning reading up on this.
As I understand it the mechanical filtration provided by my existing filter sponges will be ok, also the active Carbon sponge will be ok, biological filtaration will come from the Live rock, I will also use AragAlive sand for the sand bed. I will need to add a powerhead of at least 1000l an hour but the only thing I am not sure about is the lighting. I would like to have a few fish, live rock and some soft corals but my tank seems to be quite deep !

Thanks for your help on the forum, the level of knowledge seems to be endless as is the willingness of people to help newcomers get to grips with what seems to be a challanging but equally rewarding hobby.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Thanks guys, i have taken your advice and spent the morning reading up on this.
As I understand it the mechanical filtration provided by my existing filter sponges will be ok, also the active Carbon sponge will be ok, biological filtaration will come from the Live rock, I will also use AragAlive sand for the sand bed. I will need to add a powerhead of at least 1000l an hour but the only thing I am not sure about is the lighting. I would like to have a few fish, live rock and some soft corals but my tank seems to be quite deep !

Thanks for your help on the forum, the level of knowledge seems to be endless as is the willingness of people to help newcomers get to grips with what seems to be a challanging but equally rewarding hobby.

if you just want 'some' corals then don't worry too much over the depth as you can always position them high up in your tank. but if you want to have a real proper reef (which I can virtually guarantee once you've got into it you will!! ) then it may be more of an issue.

I'd split the lph into 3/4 powerheads so you can play with the positioning to make sure you don't get any dead spots.

and yes this forum is rather good isn't it! I'm just getting to grips with SW myself and I'm loving that I can actually start to help others now, albeit just with the basics but it's always a start isn't it!

 

[ShifyShify]

Thanks again Wiggle.... I will go to my LFS and have a chat with the bloke there as he has a large selection of healthy looking Marine fish and corals.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Thanks again Wiggle.... I will go to my LFS and have a chat with the bloke there as he has a large selection of healthy looking Marine fish and corals.

no probs, remember to always back up advice with your own research, however helpful and friendly the guys in the fish store are still in business and still have to make money.

 

[ShifyShify]

Very true.

 

[SkiFletch]

Great advice. I've got one reccomendation. Loose the mechanical filter media before you become too lazy to clean it and it turns into a nitrate factory . In a saltwater setup, mech filtration holds lots of detritus away from the critters that eat it. That detritus then rots heavily and leads to a nitrate bloom if the filter is not cleaned weekly. As much as you may THINK you'll stay on top of cleaning the mech filtration, you probably wont longterm . Best to just ditch it and let your LR do its job

 

[ShifyShify]

Sorry to be dim... So i ditch the filter sponges ? Do i need to keep the Carbon one ? I presume i keep the pump to help with circulation but just add another 2 or three powerheads ?

Will the light be good enough or do i neet to modify it ?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks for you help guys ....

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, carbon is good for toxin filtration, and you'll want more powerheads. Ultimately you need to aim for 20-30 times tank turnover in LPH. What is the current lighting and how deep is your tank?

 

[ShifyShify]

Size: 61L x 46D x 31W cm, Lighting is a 15w 18" Arcadia Freshwater T8 tube.

 

[rhysiboy]

hmm you might need quite a lot more lighting but if you add onother maybe T5 tube that should be good and as time goes on and you have some cash saved you could add more tubes or maybe evven a metal halide pendant 8)

 

[SkiFletch]

Thats not very deep, but it is very little light . Might want to look into a T5 or Power Compact (PC) lighting setup. The number of bulbs will determine what you can keep. 2 T5s or 1 PC for softies, and I'd go with 3-4 T5s or 2 PCs for LPS

 

[ShifyShify]

Would this be the sort of lamps needed, with the twin starter unit ?

http/www.1st4aquatics.com/index.asp?func...;productid=1081

Have also found this powerhead, is this make any good - this would give me 2400lh plus my existing powerhead which i think is 600lh

http/www.1st4aquatics.com/index.asp?func...;productid=2695