Recycling old freshwater filters for Saltwater

[splashdream]

Hello,

This is my first post and also marks the start of my conversion from fresh to salt water aquaria. I will be assembling a 50g FOWLR tank which was previously home to 20 tetra's.

My question is this. Just under a year ago I purchased a Fluval 405 which has been the primary filter for this aquarium for the last 8-10 months. Through my readings in this site I have heard that canister filters cause more grief than they do good. I am curious how to best utilize this filter from my existing freshwater setup to my new saltwater setup.

My initial plan is to use 2 of the 4 trays of the fluval for chemical filteration and the other two for mechanical (foam). For bio filtration I am planning for a mix of live rock and non-live rock with oolite as the substrate base. As for my fish selection I am only looking at 2-3 fish in this tank. As I have children they are screaming for Nemo and I would like to have another or so fish maybe just cheap damsels don't know for sure yet.

I have been on the fence about a protein skimmer and as they range in price and features I am still trying to research what skimmer I will use. As this is my first saltwater tank my budget isn't as large as I would like so equipment purchases will be very budget concious. So, with that said does anyone have a protein skimmer that they recommend which is low cost which would support this marine environment?

I read the article on the Hagen Refugium and as I have an AC500 sitting around that still works I was also thinking that may be a good way to add bio filtration and cut down on the amount of live rock I have to buy.

The cycle period for this tank is planned for 4 months as I have to buy things slowly and will be working with about a 30/70 live rock to dormant rock ratio. This extended length of time is planned due to the seeding period of the non-live rock.

Well, that is all I have for now. Thanks in advance for any responses. Scott

 

[Reefscape]

Hiya Scott....Welcome to the forums...

Well...Will give you a little info on your questions...

On the filter, leave it out..If you have in the tank 1 to 1.5lbs of live rock and sand substrate, they will act as your filtration..Canister filters are best left to fresh water fish in my opinion...

On your fish, stay away from damsels...They are very territorial and will end up taking over your tank, can be real nasty buggers and by the time you realise this, you wont be able to catch them with out taking all the live rock out...I would suggest a pair of clowns and something like a goby or a blenny..both have great character and real good fun to watch...

Cannot comment on the skimmer as i live in a different country to you...

Your planning of cycling the tank i would suggest would not take 4 months, the average time is 4 - 6 weeks really..You will have plenty of live in rock in there ( 30% ) for the cycle to start, may not take that long, but if you plan for about a month, you should be fine..

Hope this helps, ask anymore questions you may have as you go along..

Niko

 

[splashdream]

That helps a bit.

So, if I have just LR and eventually LS in the tank that provides the bio filtration. If I am not going to use the Fluval then are there any inexpensive but worthwhile options for Chemical and Mechanical filtration? Also, since I am doing a FOWLR should I be looking for a powerhead or two for this setup? Or would this cause me more pain than good?

I noticed at the LFS today that there LR was 6.99/lb which is a bit more than my budget allows so I may have to start with a bit less LR and more non-LR in the tank and cultivate the LR from a seed of say 3-5 lbs. Is this even realistic? Even if it were to take 4 months to cultivating the non-live rock it would be more feasible than the purchase of LR from my LFS.

 

[Yash]

Hey Scott! Firstly, welcome to AC!

Regarding some of your questions ....

1. Regarding using your Fluval 405, as you've heard, a canister filter used with its media over time will turn into a nitrate factory. If you have to use it, I would suggest running it without any media in it ... use only activated carbon if you must. Also, filling it with live rock rubble (if feasible) would be ideal as a form of biological filtration.

2. You can, in addition use the AC500 as a hang on the back fuge. More biofiltration the better!

3. Even if you are only planning a FOWLR setup, having powerheads in very critical. The perform two key functions ... keeping your tank water oxygenated through water movement, and also keeping unwanted algae off the sand. If you don't use powerheads positioned correctly, you'll soon see lots of "dead spots" in your sand where brown algae will take over.

4. Once again, you are spot on as far as the "dead rock" turning into LR. The base rock will indeed over time get seeded by the bacteria and critters from the LR and will itself turn into LR. However, using a 30-70 LR : Base Rock ratio will take a considerable amount of time before all the base rock gets seeded ... so you'll need lots of patience, but it looks like you're prepared for it. So, your plan ic most certainly feasible, though it will take a lot longer. Also, bear in mind that the filtration in your tank will be somewhat compromised when using that ratio as opposed to a 60:40 ratio. So, you'll need to keep a closer eye on your tank params, and also stock much more slowly.

5. As Niko pointed out, STAY AWAY from damsels. They might be cheap, but they will cause havoc in your tank! They certainly are extremely territorial and can get quite aggressive, not only towards each other but also towards other fish. You'll end up with a really stressed out pair of clowns if you keep a damsel in there. Also, they are extremely quick and know exactly what you plan on doing when you approach the tank with a net in hand. Unless you're very lucky, the only way to get rid of them would be to take all your rock out to nab them. Not worth the trouble in my opinion.

6. Regarding your skimmer question, if you're in the U.S. Coralife is a good brand. To be honest with you, the prices between brands doesn't vary a whole lot, maybe $10-15. If you do find one that is considerably cheaper, its more than likely not going to do a good job. For your tank size, a Coralife skimmer will cost about $115 or so. You can add that a little bit down the road though.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Regards,
Yash

 

[splashdream]

Yash,

Thanks for the pointers. I am removing the idea of the Fluval from the equation (found a buyer for 75 from the LFS today ). This gives me a $75 boost in budget so now I have to figure out my shopping list for this first influx of cash. Now to figure out what components I need to handle the mechanical and chemical filtration.

Anyone have any recommendations for mechanical and chemical filtration for a tank with LR and LS as the main source of Biological Filtration? Also, any powerhead recommendations as well?

Scott