Fresh. 29 to salt. Please help!

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mtdewlover

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Hi. I currently have a 29G African Cichlid tank. I want to switch it over to a marine aquarium. I have many questions I would like to ask..
1. Is a 29G to small?
2. What kind of filtration will I need?
3. What's up with this live rock thing? Will I be able to get some?
4. What about corals and other plants?
5. How do I make it salt in the first place? Do I just add salt?
6. What kind of levels will I need to have to keep a marine tank. PH, amonia etc....
7. Any special lighting required?

Any other advice would be very much appreciated. Again I am just now looking into this marine tank switchover. I do have a minimal budget, but do realize this marine thing can be pricey. Thanks for your help! :)

Alicia
 
what is a minimal budjet?
a 29 gallon salt was my first tank when i was three years old
it seemed to work fine but you have to change the water a lot if you whant a lot of fish in it.
you can save a lot of money if you order your equipment from that www.thatfishplace.com they have prices that are 60% below retail and will save you some big bucks
for a fliter for basic fish like small damsels i would recomed a peguin 330 which is 29.99 what will save you money in the long run
yes any store that carrys marine fish should carry or be able to order live rock but make sure it is cured
if you whish to keep a bright color you will need special and expensive lights
corals will be hard to keep unless you fill your tank with flitered from R/O or de ion most requrie bright lights to but if you want to keep macro algae you can buy a 55 watt power comact bulb with ballast whish will set you back at leat 75$
well you want to keep the temperature around 76 degress which will require a heater
then you can for basic fish mix sentheic sea salt with tap water and then check specifc gravity of the tank whick you will need to buy the test and a ph test kit
salinty=.21-.25 and ph 8.1-8.4
onced the tank is cyeced for a month the amonia should be gone and you add a nitrite toerent fish like damsels
you can use a 20 watt 10,000k bulb and a 20 watt actinic bulb to creat a nice effect
 
Hi Alicia. Yes, it most certainly is a pricey hobby. My suggestion would be to not jump right in, and start off by doing a lot of reading and researching. "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Bob Fenner would be a good place to start. Do your research and decide exactly what you want to/are able to keep. We'll then be able to help you design a system that can fit into your budget (sort of :) ).

First off, the major concern would be the tank. Make sure you have never used any copper-based medications in it, or else you'll never be able to keep marine inverts alive in there.
 
Try this little thread to help you get ideas on what your going to need. We posted it in both 29g and 55g set-ups.. SHOPPING LIST saltwater doesn't necesarilly have to be an expensive hobby as everyone thinks.. About the only thing that will change on this list would be the lighting.. If you decide on growing corals and such (and no, these are not dificult.. ) you will need to upgrade. I would always recommend using RO/DI water no matter what set-up you end up running.. It will help control your algea blooms, and keep out polutants.. (have you ever seen what comes out of your tap?? it ain't pleasant)
 
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I am very interested in this topic. I am looking to do the same thing with my 29.

I already have a Compact Flourescent light for some live plants I had. I can use that and add a nice half and half bulb for the actanic.

I would like to keep a trigger fish.

However, I have read that they get very large.

And if I did have a trigger would I be able to use a DSB or would the trigger eat everything in it?
 
A 29g is too small for a trigger. You would be able to keep a DSB, but you would essentially eliminate all the other cool things a marine tank can have. Snails, crabs, corals... just about all inverts are out if a trigger's in the tank.

EDIT: DeVitaf, if you want to keep a FO tank with one "showcase" fish, a dwarf lion would be a great fit for your 29. They're not reef killers like triggers, so you could keep sessile inverts like fanworms and sponges. With the PC lights you have, you could also certainly add mushrooms and zoanthids, and probably some soft corals as well. Just a thought.
 
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Awesome...

Thanks guys.

Now you have given me more to think about... Maybe I will try the deep sand bed and Live rock.

What other types of fish would fit into the 29 that are reef friendly?

BTW, I am planning on getting a house soon. At which point I will hopefully be getting the BIG tank that I have always wanted. A 125-220 :).

Hopefully then I can get a few triggers!
 
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