From salt to fresh

[kmgriff72]

Hi all, I recently had to take down my SW tank because of the expense. I really want to get the tank going again and had thought about FW tanks. I have a 75 gallon tank with a Fluval 404 filter. I have rinsed the filter out very well and cleaned the tank with bleach and rinsed it out very well. My question is, What else do I need to get going? Do you cycle a FW tank like you do a SW tank? How often do you do a water change on FW tanks? I really enjoyed my SW tank but because of other financial obligations I had to quit for right now and was wondering if FW is cheaper and easier to deal with?

Any advice would be appreciated.....
Thanks

 

[dorkfish]

run gravel as your substrate(for ease of cleaning, no reason you can't use any other substrate), use a gravel vacum to do a 25% water change atleast once a week, use tap water preferably treated with prime for water (RO doesn't serve us well in FW, if that was what you were using), give your fish hiding places such as plants and rock caves and viola!, the basics of a freshwater tank. For more info, I wrote an all inclusive article for noobs here, that should answer any further questions.

Freshwater isn't substantially easier to deal with, but is cheaper when it comes to livestock but may not be with decor(if you fall into the LFS trap of only useing stuff bought from the fish store to decorate your tank). As for equipment, the only thing you won't have to buy is a protien skimmer(well, you don't need it for saltwater but most people use one) and actinic bulbs (these would be replaced by daylights).

 

[kmgriff72]

Oh, I was told that you only have to do a water change once a month. If you only have to use tap water then that won't be expensive to keep up with. I was wanting to use the colorful gravel. I was thinking about just keeping some fancy goldfish for a while until I figure out what I want to do. How long should I let the tank run before putting in some fish? Do I need to set it up and then put some raw shrimp in it to cause a cycle or does it cycle like SW does? I have never had a tank before and just jumped right into SW instead of going FW first.

 

[dorkfish]

start with the fish you want, don't be a fish haver(sorry if thats a put down becuase of what you did with the saltwater fish).. I'm gonna try the link I provided again, it is'nt working for me. http://aquafacts.net/showthread.php?t=415

The article has a description of the nitrogen cycle, wich tells you how to do the cycle. You can use shrimp to cycle the tank if you can't find amonia. Look through the stickys in the freshwater sections and all the freshwater articles in the articles section. Also, remember to research all your fish(don't trust any one person or websites advic use several to make sure your getting the right answers)so you don't end up with any giants or incompatibility issues.

And, some of my favourite sites for fish info to get you started with further research:

age of aquariums

fish profiles

pandora's aquarium

wet web media

about.com, fish section although some info on this site is completly wrong(one of those sites where you should confirm your info with other sites).

live aquaria(really a mail order site, but has good info).

EDIT: you need to wait until the nitrogen cycle is complete just like SW, and the only difference between a fresh and salt cycle is you need to add an amonia source for fresh, verses the amonia just shows up(becuase of die off) after adding liverock in saltwater.

Also, use a natural gravel, the brightly coloured gravel loses it's novelty value after a while and certain colours of decor will affect the fishes mood (eg, makes the fish more agressive).

 

[beatle]

You can use shrimp to cycle the tank just like SW. Some people prefer ammonia because you can be more precise. The end result will be the same. You'll see your cycle has completed when ammonia and nitrites read 0 and nitrates are high. If you were using RO/DI water for SW, you can use it for FW, but it's easier and cheaper to just add a water conditioner to tap water.

I don't know if there's any truth to colored gravel making fish more aggressive. Use what you think looks best. Natural gravel, however, is a lot cheaper than colored stuff if you buy at Home Depot or Lowes.

 

[tricksterpup]

Oh, I was told that you only have to do a water change once a month. If you only have to use tap water then that won't be expensive to keep up with. I was wanting to use the colorful gravel. I was thinking about just keeping some fancy goldfish for a while until I figure out what I want to do. How long should I let the tank run before putting in some fish? Do I need to set it up and then put some raw shrimp in it to cause a cycle or does it cycle like SW does? I have never had a tank before and just jumped right into SW instead of going FW first.

I would just go ahead and let it cycle for about a few weeks to a month. I once asked if you could shrimp as a cycler and most responses was you could but WHY? and these were from old timers here as well. It is an interesting thought but I wouldnt do it. I would either buy bacteria and slowly add to your tank for fishless cycle. Once your tank cycles, add your fish in by groups of three, it takes awhile for this but then there is no chance of overloading your tank.
Goldfish is a good choice. I turned my 75 gallon into a Goldfish tank instead of a SW. Trying to save money at this time.

 

[kmgriff72]

I know what you mean about the expense. I miss my SW tank but I figure if I go FW since it is less expensive and time consuming then I would be able to get it up and going faster than waiting until I can afford SW. When you say you use tap water for water changes with a conditioner , are you talking about something like Ammolock for the ammonia and chlorine? If tap water does ok (my water tested fine at the LFS) then water changes will be no problem to keep up with. It was buying or making SW that was so expensive. I was doing that at least once a week if not more when my water was acting up. And the money I lost in fish...Oh boy....How much of a gravel bed do I need? Just enough to cover the bottom and make it look pretty? I am really eager to get started but have promised my husband that I would at least wait until after summer because of summer daycare expenses...

 

[tricksterpup]

I know what you mean about the expense. I miss my SW tank but I figure if I go FW since it is less expensive and time consuming then I would be able to get it up and going faster than waiting until I can afford SW. When you say you use tap water for water changes with a conditioner , are you talking about something like Ammolock for the ammonia and chlorine? If tap water does ok (my water tested fine at the LFS) then water changes will be no problem to keep up with. It was buying or making SW that was so expensive. I was doing that at least once a week if not more when my water was acting up. And the money I lost in fish...Oh boy....How much of a gravel bed do I need? Just enough to cover the bottom and make it look pretty? I am really eager to get started but have promised my husband that I would at least wait until after summer because of summer daycare expenses...

I would buy Amquel as my conditioner.
As for the gravel, its your choice. you can get enough to cover about an inch or so in your tank. I use a crushed flint stone that is pretty cheap. Its like a large grain sand.

 

[dorkfish]

Did the links work for you?

A one inch gravel bed should be sufficient for holding plastic plants down(wich you need a good covering of, otherwise you would end up with skittish fish) and just so you know, garden gravel from landscping companies is cheaper and works just as good as the stuff you get from your LFS. Prime is a good water conditioner, same for amquel plus.

Out of curiousity, when you had your saltwater tank up, how often were you adding fish, and how many? Also, how long did you let the tank run before you started adding fish? Usually after the nitrogen cycle is complete in a salty tank it still isn't ready for fish yet.

 

[kmgriff72]

Did the links work for you?

A one inch gravel bed should be sufficient for holding plastic plants down(wich you need a good covering of, otherwise you would end up with skittish fish) and just so you know, garden gravel from landscping companies is cheaper and works just as good as the stuff you get from your LFS. Prime is a good water conditioner, same for amquel plus.

Out of curiousity, when you had your saltwater tank up, how often were you adding fish, and how many? Also, how long did you let the tank run before you started adding fish? Usually after the nitrogen cycle is complete in a salty tank it still isn't ready for fish yet.

Yes, it did thank you.