Freshwater to Marine conversion

[jojojives]

I have a 45 gallon freshwater aquarium I would like to change to a marine aquarium. I have a standard undergravel filter system and normal lighting and air pumps. What do I need to replace or add?

My second question is - I have well water at my home (No Chlorination, etc). Is it OK to use this water in the tank?

[latazyo]

upgrade lights, upgrade filter, get rid of air, you need RO water for a reef....

ummm

you need to decide what you want to keep in there for use to help you...if you want just fish, then your lights, etc are fine, butr if you want corals, then you need some good upgrades

what are you planning on keeping?

[OrionGirl]

Depends on what you want to have in the tank. Fish Only with Live Rock (FOWLR), might be able to run on the lights, but any type of reef is going to require an upgrade to lights. The air pumps are pretty much useless, as is the UGF.

Best bet: decide if you want a reef. Look into the critters you like and their needs. Look at the cost of upgrading.

Get sand (3-6 inches of it), live rock, a heater, powerheads for water movement.

As for your water--chlorine isn't the only concern. You can have it tested. You'll want to look at ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, alkalinity, pH, total dissolved solids.

[mhmh]

UGFs are still used by many knowledgeable, experienced aquarists. Look at these two articles:

http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquamag/rtrrfug.html

http://archimedes.galilei.com/raiar/lifttube.html

[OrionGirl]

UGF's are not used when you have a deep sand bed. The sand filters through the slots in the plating, filling the cavity underneath, and eliminating the flow through. Even if you could run an UGF with sand, you wouldn't want to because you WANT the anaerobic pockets deep in the sand for nitrate processing.

If you use crushed coral, you can run a UGF, but you won't be setting up a deep sand bed.

[Boogiechillin]

Agreed w/ OrionGirl...it's best just to stay away from UGF's in marine systems. You lose any chance at anaerobic filtration, plus they tend to produce a good bit of nitrate beyond other mechanical filters. Not a big deal in a FW or fish-only marine tank, but it's a significant problem in a reef.

Spend some time looking around the fish & invert profiles at www.wetwebmedia.com and see what critters interest you.

[jojojives]

I am thinking just fish for this particular. I have the kids all set up with freshwater and I need a change. I am looking at buying a couple of larger tanks that I would consider reefs in.