Transition From Freshwater To Salty

[Didge007]

Basically, I have a new tank coming which will leave me with a free 2ft, 60l tank (I could make it the 2.5ft 80l if need be). It's currently a tropical setup, but im curious if I could convert to a saltwater & if so how hard would this be? What would be involved?

I have a internal filter which has a large amount of flow plus light. I would be wanting fowlr setup.

 

[MrLiam]

Its really quite simple if you can use the 80lt then I would use it.
What you will need is powerheads to get flow to Live Rock which is your filtration get rid of your internal filter
Also you need Reverse Osmosis water and salt and a refractometer to measure the salinity.
A protein skimmer but is not necessary but will always help if you have one.
Light wise you dont need very goof ones for a FOWLR but if you decide to want corals you can upgrade to a pendant or sit on top type.

 

[fishy55599]

skimmer wise, most people say in small tanks their aint much point.
you do need a heater tho.
T8's are fine for soft corals.
marine sand

stocking wise you could have a pair of clowns in it aswell as some cool inverts and corals.

i actually think saltwater is easier TBH as you can always get a good scape, there isnt a big ugly filter to clean.

you would be best looking for second hand items to make it cheaper.

you would need about 8kg LR id say

saltwater is easy when you begin

it is possible, my tank was tropical before

 

[lewiss]

Basically, I have a new tank coming which will leave me with a free 2ft, 60l tank (I could make it the 2.5ft 80l if need be). It's currently a tropical setup, but im curious if I could convert to a saltwater & if so how hard would this be? What would be involved?

I have a internal filter which has a large amount of flow plus light. I would be wanting fowlr setup.

Hey Didge

Nice to see another convertee!! Fresh water is cool but nothing compared to marine

I'd say, have a look at the Resource Centre as there is tons of info there! Here's the link :
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/361833-marine-resource-centre/page__pid__3016539#entry3016539

And also here's a basic guide to starting a tank of tht size:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/360290-simple-tank-set-up/

With Marine, the bigger the better in tank size so def use the bigger 2.5ft tank! It helps a lot with stocking!!

So as the others said you'll need:
1) A heater
2) A lighting system - preferably a T5 or metal halide system as it widens what coral you can keep, ultimately, you will fall in love with corals at some point so that will work wonders. If not a T8 system will be ok but it will limit corals down to a small handful.
3) Powerheads. For the 80 litres you will need 1600Lph turn over. (you aim for 20x tank volume) you want two of these to aim different angles at you live rock. As mentioned the love rock filters the water, so no need for an external filter!

Then you have some optional things
1) Pump/filter - this can be used to filter in products to assist with algae removal and carbon for toxin removal. I would personal advise this.
2) Skimmer - this removes toxins like ammonia and nitrates but is not necessarily req as it does the same as the LR (live rock) I personally would not recommend u need it (although some will strongly disagree)

Then actual items for in the tank
1) LR - I'd say a good amount would be 27 pounds (in weight) of LR, but you could get away with 20!
2) RO water and salt. RO can be bought for quite cheap or you could buy a RO unit which works out cheaper in the long run. (obviously) - salt to mix with water and bring to the correct salinity.
3) sand!!! Proper marine sand - not play sand!!

I'm all knowledged out for now!! There will be something I've missed so I'll be back later!!! or someone can chuck in their info!!

Hope it helps, u are making the right move - you won't regret, I promise!!

 

[seffieuk]

to the salty side of the forum

Seffie x

 

[woody88]

You might be pushing it with clowns tbh but some will agree and some will disagree. If you decide to have say 4-5 fish, you'll be increasing the bioload which means it would be worth investing in a skimmer.

Don't fall for the 'live' sand gimmick at LFS. Just get some aragonite sand or general marine sand. But NOT play sand.

For measuring the salinity of water, don't buy a Hydrometer as they're inaccurate. Get yourself a refractometer instead There are loads on ebay going for £20 ish.

You could use your internal filter to house phoshate remover and/or activated carbon.This will need replacing monthly.

If you decide to keep coral then you WILL need to run some sort of phosphate remover imo.

Small Nano sized tanks house much more unstable systems because of the lack of space so to keep it tip top you would need to perform weekly water changes [10 -20%] and general maintenance as well as frequent checks for salinity, ph, temp and nitrates [Once your cycle has finished].

Overall there's plenty of help and advice on hand here so don't be afraid to ask questions and lastly.......WELCOME TO THE SALTY SIDE!!!

 

[fishy55599]

you dont need a phos remover for soft corals

 

[seffieuk]

For measuring the salinity of water, don't buy a Hydrometer as they're inaccurate. Get yourself a refractometer instead There are loads on ebay going for £20 ish.

A refractometer measures SG by using the reflective index not salinity

you dont need a phos remover for soft corals

I'm afraid you do........

 

[woody88]

For measuring the salinity of water, don't buy a Hydrometer as they're inaccurate. Get yourself a refractometer instead There are loads on ebay going for £20 ish.

A refractometer measures SG by using the reflective index not salinity

you dont need a phos remover for soft corals

I'm afraid you do........

You know what I mean seffie! It's 'Refractive' by the way. Hence the word 'Refractometer'

You need phos remover for ALL coral as phosphate retards growth!

 

[MrLiam]

Is ROWAPHOS phosphate remover as I will soon end up buying some.

 

[woody88]

Is ROWAPHOS phosphate remover as I will soon end up buying some.

Yep!........And the best in my opinion. 'Phosban' being a close second!

 

[StandbySetting]

Rowaphos and Phosban are both the same product, they're Ferrous oxides which reduce phosphate, neither is better than the other.

 

[woody88]

Rowaphos and Phosban are both the same product, they're Ferrous oxides which reduce phosphate, neither is better than the other.

They probably are but i've experienced better results with rowaphos than phosban believe it or not.

If there the same then why is phosban about £2 cheaper?

 

[StandbySetting]

Because they're a different brand, most test kits are composed of the same reagents but are priced differently, the crystal size will determine the ability of the product, the smaller the crystal the better it will work due to the higher surface area.

 

[fishy55599]

oh im screwed got xenia on the way.
what is a phos remover where it goe?