alright, i'm convinced.

[silentskream]

i've finally been convinced to turn our 55 gallon into a saltwater (once we move all the current freshwater fishies to a bigger 250gal home)

here's what i've got:
the tank, the stand, the standard light set (like that comes in an all-glass brand kit), a topfin HOB filter, and a tetra heater.
also have about 4 55gallon buckets full of base rock (came with the new 250 that we're making freshwater) and
a protein skimmer that used to go with the 250 as well (dont know anything about the brand or power yet (haven't picked it up yet)


if i can't use the HOB filter, i can use a spare 20 gallon i have currently empty.

what can i use? what can't i use? what else will i need. do i have to use RO water?


thank you!

[trainedkilla]

Was the 250 a saltwater tank and was the rock in there while it was running? If so, has it been kept in SW since the 250 was taken down (im assuming it was taken down)?

The 20G can be used as a sump as long as it has never had copper in it (as in ich treatment).

If the LR is cured and the skimmer is good, you will need an overflow to move the water from the tank and a pump in the sump to return the water. You will also need a diagram to build the baffles you need in the sump.

Is it going to be a fish only tank or a reef? If it is a reef...your biggest buy will be the lighting. That will depend on what you want to keep.

[Grins]

Tell us what your plans are for it and we can make some suggestions. Until then you might want to give this thread a read: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118995&highlight=dirty

[schigara]

Saltwater fish are so beautiful you will qucikly be obsessed with SW, forget about FW and wish you had used the 250 for salt. Just my opinion because I did exactly that.

[mrtuskfish]

Saltwater fish are so beautiful you will qucikly be obsessed with SW, forget about FW and wish you had used the 250 for salt. Just my opinion because I did exactly that.
I agree; and its not just the fish and other SW life, but all the new toys! There is no question ,that within a year, you'll wish you had a 250 gal SW & a 55 gal FW. I'm marking my calender to follow up with you in 9 months!:grinyes:

[FeatherDuster]

Saltwater fish are so beautiful you will qucikly be obsessed with SW, forget about FW and wish you had used the 250 for salt. Just my opinion because I did exactly that.

lol thats so true. I was eyeing my 35G freshwater tank while I had my 10G SW nano. The only reason I didn't convert it is because I wanted a bigger tank xD

[silentskream]

i'd do the 250 in saltwater if i could, but i've got two young archerfish that are REEEEEALLY gonna want the elbow room when they're a foot long.

the 250 was never running. the guy spent $4000 on the whole set up and equipment and rocks, left the rocks in the buckets filled the tank up with tap water and never turned anything on. he's got fake glass fish hanging from the hood with fishing line because he doesn't have to take care of them... the skimmer is still in a sealed box.

anyways, the "live rock" has been sitting dry for years.. it's now just "base rock" from what i understand and will need at least a few pieces of cured & ready to go live rock to get it going again. (we're going to be selling most of it cuz it certainly wont all fit in the 55gal.)

we really dont know if we want to do a reef or just regular. we're hoping that with the money we get for selling the rock, we'll be able to afford any upgrades we need (lighting etc)

can i just get different lightbulbs to fit in the same ballast? or do i need to get a ballast that can hold different things?

[Jaysn]

You'll need entirely different ballasts and housings if you want to go reef. If you're going to do a FOWLR (Fish only with live rock) tank, then lighting isn't as important, and you may be able to get away with what you have now.

[silentskream]

we'll probably just do a fowlr for now.. maybe we'll do a reef in the near future, but for now we'll stick to fish.

i'm going through liveaquaria right now looking for possible fish. any recommendations (or warnings) would be helpful. then i'm gonna look for diagrams for the sump.


also, can submersible pumps not specifically designed for aquarium use be used in a sump? (like the kind for un-flooding a basement?)

[wantvws]

there's a couple of stickies about beginner fish and not beginner fish at the top of the newbie forum...I found them very helpful.
I think the Live Aquaria site has a beginner fish section too.
Robbie

[trainedkilla]

What kind of fish do you like? What is the fish that you "must have"?

You can build your fish list around that one fish.

[silentskream]

we really dont have a must have.

i like cardinals, but i also like dwarf lions (well i like the big ones too, but i would like to have more than one fish). my boyfriend likes eels, but he also likes damsels (the blue and yellow ones).. i like gobys (and mandarin dragonets but i know they're delicate)


i mean i've been keeping freshwater fish for years now, and by switching to saltwater suddenly i have more options than i ever could have imagined... i'm a little overwhelmed.

i do know i would like something i can hand-feed. i think that would be really cool.

[FeatherDuster]

we really dont have a must have.

i like cardinals, but i also like dwarf lions (well i like the big ones too, but i would like to have more than one fish). my boyfriend likes eels, but he also likes damsels (the blue and yellow ones).. i like gobys (and mandarin dragonets but i know they're delicate)


i mean i've been keeping freshwater fish for years now, and by switching to saltwater suddenly i have more options than i ever could have imagined... i'm a little overwhelmed.

i do know i would like something i can hand-feed. i think that would be really cool.

Hm.. I would take a couple of trips to your local fish stores. That will give you an idea on what is available in your area and some ideas. You also have determine what kind of tank you will have. Just like freshwater, you can have a community, agressive, or species tanks. Almost any fish can be taught to be hand fed. However you may want to stay away from those that can do damage.

[silentskream]

there aren't any saltwater lfs around here.. i'd have to order anything i get over the internet. we went out of town last weekend to a saltwater store, and those fish that i mentioned are the ones we liked.

[Grins]

Pick up a copy of Scott W. Michael's Reef Aquarium Fishes. It lists over 500 species and has color photos and details on each including compatibility. Be sure to get the one with the blue cover as it has updated information and more details.

[silentskream]

so does that mean that i can't have any combination of the fishes that i mentioned before?

if i had to pick one i'd say the dwarf lion.. can i have anything else in a 55 with one of them?

[Riverserver]

When it comes to Lions, they can be trained to not eat fish smaller than them, but like regular lions, they cannot be predicted. (http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u255/riverserver/123590b2.jpg) They may very well try to eat anything they think they could fit in their mouth. An easy way to combat this is to never feed them fish of any sort, only shrimp. Lion's (and most salt water fish) will learn to associate you with food and you want that. I have a zebra dwarf lion with a catalina goby, he could easily inhale him but doesn't have any interest in him as food. They're other fish like chromis, dwarf angels, and wrasses that you could be happily kept with a dwarf lion.

Eel's will make it hard to keep a good cleanup crew, like sally lightfoot crabs or emerald crabs. I also wouldn't get a snowflake unless you at least had a 75 gallon.

I would also strongly suggest you get some live rock. It will provide a natural filter, numerous hiding spots, create a beautiful aqua scape, and hitchhikers are fun.

[silentskream]

ok here are my narrowed down stocking options:


A)
1 juv dwarf zebra lion
a few (how many?) coral beauty dwarf angels

OR

B)
6 spotted cardinals
1 false percula
1 green clown goby
1 royal gramma basslet
3 yellowtail damsels

does that seem reasonable so far?

[Riverserver]

If you're ordering from Live Aquaria, or anywhere online, make sure you get a "medium" sized lion, the smaller ones are sucky shippers (I had three show up dead or died within a few hours).

You can only keep one dwarf angel at a time unless they're a mated pair. They will fight constantly and one, or both, will end up dead.

Have you thought about a flame hawkfish?

You will seriously want to avoid damsels, they're really aggressive when they age.

[silentskream]

darn, i was told the yellowtail damsel was less agressive. oh well.. that sure is a pretty blue color.

the hawkfish is pretty.. but can't go with the lion right? so it would have to be for option B in place of the damsels.. correct?

[Riverserver]

No you could get the hawkfish, dwarf angel, and the dwarf lion.

[silentskream]

oh really.. hm.. that would be cool.

since the lion and hawkfish need feeder shrimp, i was wondering how easy it would be to keep shrimp in the sump (which i still haven't designed) and let them breed there?

[Riverserver]

Live foods should only be used to help them make the move to frozen / prepared foods, live shrimp are not necessary.

[mrtuskfish]

I think the source you're looking is as good as they get; I have bought almost all my fish from F&S (liveaquaria) since they started in the business.I have never received a inferior fish from them. I've been buying most of my supplies from them since they bought Pet Warehouse. Their service, support , and quality. And their guarantee may sound too good to be true, they bend over backwards to honor it. I posted this elsewhere, but a while back I ordered a harlequin tusk and they sent one that was twice the size of what I ordered. They refunded my $ and I kept the fish. The tusk is now in a hospital children's ward. I'm a little prejudiced, Marty Smith was my Vet when I lived in the Wis. northwoods years ago. Here's an idea that may help--split an order with a friend and lower shipping costs. I have also had good experience with SWF.com. The nearest lfs to me is about 90 miles away; but I would still buy online if the store was next door.

[silentskream]

went and picked up the protein skimmer. the pump came with the skimmer, but i dont know if it's to pump water to the skimmer or to pump water into the tank?

the skimmer is the oceanic plus series model 6.
the pump says it pumps 20L/Min

anyways, all of this stuff is very dirty and i'm going to have to do a lot of cleaning, but i thought i'd go ahead and get pics up so i can get an idea of what's what.

[tullsterx]

Saltwater fish are so beautiful you will qucikly be obsessed with SW, forget about FW and wish you had used the 250 for salt. Just my opinion because I did exactly that.

Yep. . . that's what I was thinking. Why don't you use the 250 as the marine tank? That makes lots of sense. But, anyway, 250's are pretty cool whatever you put in it.