alright, i'm convinced.

silentskream

silentskream

AC Members
May 16, 2004
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Florida
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!
 
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.
 
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.
 
schigara said:
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.
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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:
 
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schigara said:
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.
Click to expand...

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
 
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?
 
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.
 
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?)
 
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
 
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