I'm looking at purchasing a used tank from a guy that used it for saltwater. Is it ok to use to for freshwater? If so, what would the process be to change it over?
Can a saltwater tank be changed to freshawater??
- Thread starter anniejensen
- Start date
If you aren't taking any of the fish, then just empty it out, clean it up, get a filter for it and cycle it, and you should be good to go. I would not use any of the rock or substrate from the SW setup though.
what sploke said one less sw tank in the world is a good thing..... clean it out really well vinegar works great
I love the look of a saltwater but have never ventured into that realm. The substrate in a salty will be able to hold the pH quite high so you don't want it. There is no need for a protein skimmer in freshwater so just leave that off. The filter is probably pretty robust compared to a freshwater but would be fine if you got new media for it. The lighting is likely to be very intense compared to a freshwater, it will cause algae problems unless you tone it down some. I have no idea if they have heaters the way we do for a tropical so you may need to take a close look at the heater.
Check for overflows and holes drilled in the tank though. Some like to complicated and this my force you to do the same.
Saltwater to fresh water is not that hard. Just clean it up and clean anything you intend to use for your setup. Just make sure that the tank is not pre-drilled since this can be a problem in freshwater. Some freshwater tanks can be run this way especially if it is a planted tank but it is just easier if it is all still in tact from the start.
Marinemom
Marinemom
