Converting from salt water to fresh...lots of questions!

[hootie51]

Hi everyone,
I'm going to take down my four year old reef and set the tank up as fresh water. I just don't have the time, money, or equipment to run my reef as effectively as I want to. The tank is a 40g breeder. I have some questions as I am more familiar with salt water than fresh water. My goal is to set up a "basic" tank with hardy, easy to care for fish. The tank will not be planted. Ok now my questions:
FILTRATION: I am debating between an Emperor 400 and a canister filter. Since the tank will not be planted or to heavily stocked I am leaning towards the Emperor. Also, what does everyone think about UV sterilizers? Are they worth the extra money or not?
SUBSTRATE: I really prefer sandy substrates as opposed to gravel. Could I use an aragonite substrate?
LIGHTING: I am currently running a T-5 lighting system (nova extreme pro with 3 10ks and 3 460 actinics. Total wattage is 234). Is this to much light? Obviously I prefer to be able to use as much of my existing equipment as possible, but I'm not sure if my lighting is to strong for FW.
Temperature: My reef runs between 78-80 degrees. Is this ok for FW or do I need to figure out a way to get the tank for run a little cooler?
WATER: I know that for reefs RO water is preferable to tap water. Is this the same for FW or does RO water strip to much out of the water?
Stocking: As I said earlier, I prefer hardy, easy to care for fish. I really like cichlids (African and South American), but I'm not sure if my tank is big enough. Also, do cichlids have any special requirements or needs? If cichlids are not a good idea, what are some good suggestions?
I think that's all my questions. Sorry for the long post, but I appreciate all the advice.
Thanks,
Steven

 

[67chevelle]

I like to double up on filtration.I would get a canister and a Emperor myself.That way if you have problems with one,you already have your backup running and cycled.Extra filtration never hurts.I like UV sterilizers,but they are not a necessity.If cost is a worry,don't worry about getting one.

You can use aragonite for substrate.But I wouldn't if is the same stuff that has been sitting in saltwater for 4 years.Pool filter sand,or play sand is often use as substrate in FW.You could get enough for a 40,for around $10 or less.

You can also you your Nova.I would unscrew all but 2 of the bulbs myself.That is way too much light for a unplanted,and non CO2 tank.Freshwater does not need actinic lighting,so I would not use any of those,and then just leave 1 or 2 of the 10,000k in it.That is a great light fixture,and if you decide to go with a planted tank later,just replace the actinic with some 6500k bulbs.

78 to 80 degrees is fine for almost all tropical freshwater fish.

I would use 1/2 RO water and 1/2 tap water to start out.The RO water is supposed to help with algae.

Most American cichlids,unless you get some dwarfs,will all get too big for a 40.There are a few you could get,Convicts and Firemouths come to mind.There is a large variety of dwarfs you could have.
Africans would be fine too.They like lots of rock work,and many people have so much rock in their tanks,there is no room for plants anyway.
Check out the photo section for ideas of what you can do for an African set up.There are some amazing tanks.

 

[hootie51]

Thanks for the help Chevelle. I will seriously consider both a canister and Emperor. I agree about doubling up on filtration. I would definitely not use the same substrate from my reef. I would use new aragonite. I also did some research on fish and I really like some of the dwarf cichlids (firemouths, cockatoo, rams, etc).

 

[bushwhacker]

filtration yeah get both it really helps, substrate i'd go get play sand 4 bucks for 50 lbs at ace hardware . your lighting the actinics do nothing for a fw tank. replace them with 6700k daylight bulbs you could make a great planted tank but youd need co2 to control the algae. i'm sure there are separate switches on that light so just enough to run 1.5 to 2 wpg is great