Saltwater Conversion

S

SPACEMAKER

Rookie
Jan 2, 2007
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Holt, MI
I have a built in 135g tank in which the previous owner of my home had a saltwater aquarium. I am planning to stock the tank with freshwater fish.

Will I have to replace the pvc and hoses? There is some salt residue built up in them.

Should I do anything special as far as cleaning the tank? I have already cleaned it thoroughly with a water and a towel. I just want to make sure I have done everything I need to do.

Thanks.:)
 
SPACEMAKER said:
I have a built in 135g tank in which the previous owner of my home had a saltwater aquarium. I am planning to stock the tank with freshwater fish.

Will I have to replace the pvc and hoses? There is some salt residue built up in them.

Should I do anything special as far as cleaning the tank? I have already cleaned it thoroughly with a water and a towel. I just want to make sure I have done everything I need to do.

Thanks.:)
Click to expand...

I doubt you'll have a problem as long as you washed everything with water. Most freshwater fish can deal with low concentrations of salt, and any residue in tubing will go away with time.
 
I am going to clean the tank out as thouroughly as I can.

An expert at my pet store said that it might take several weeks to cycle my tank and the things I've read here back that up. It makes sense that any salt residue left over in the tubing will be long gone by the time I start adding fish.
 
I would give SW a try! It is much more addicting than FW once you start (mabye that is bad news?). It is much more rewarding. The fish are more colorful. The plantlife is more colorful and unique. SW is not much more time demanding than FW. Virtually everything in a SW tank is alive where-as most people that keep FW fish... Keep fish. Even growing purple and green corraline alge in SW can be fun.
 
i also have a used reef tank im going to be using for freshwater( oscars).
i have cleaned mine out with water very well but i ma having one problem.
the "skimmer" ( i think thats what its called). the partition in the inside corner to house powerhead etc.
i was wondering how to clean it properly. ive been looking all over and cant seem to find out.
there seems to be some sort of media inside it or maybe salt/calcium buildup.
i know nothing of salt water and prefer not to cut it out of the tank.(for future use)
any suggetions on how to properly clean it would be great.
its the only dirty thing left in my tank hehe, its partially spattered with pink residue (i belive from corals) which i can razor off but its the internal of a skimmer im most concerned with.
 
If you ask me, there's a LOT of difference between the cost and maintenance of SW and FW, depending on where you live. For instance, the cost of reef fish in Florida is usually a third of what people in the mid lands pay because of shipping expenses. The quality of the fish can also be dubious. You have to carefully monitor pH, nitrates/nitrites, gravity, and temperature because reef fish are VERY suseptible to changes in their environment.

Freshwater fishes, however, are more forgiving. Most live in environments that have wet and dry seasons or summer/winter seasons where temperature, nitrate/nitrites, and pH can vary depending on the river/lake/marsh level. The ocean is so vast that there are rarely many fluctuations like what freshies endure.

Then there's the added costs of sea salts, corals (if you want to bother with them) live rocks, coral/reef sand (depending on how you want to set up your tank) the protien skimmers, the special foods for reef fishes' dietary needs, and the added issue of illness and what to do with a sick fish.

Depending on his experience level with aquariums and the degree of involvement he'd be willing to take into maintaining it is whether or not he should consider it.

*** Oh, and to get back on the subject, perhaps running a bit of warm water through the pipes would help dissolve and remove the salt more before you start adding water and setting up your tank?
 
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