Simple noob ?s

[sumthin fishy]

So I posted a while back, my brother has a salt water 20 gal tall. I was taking care of his fish while he's gone for a bit and they all died I have left the tank running but with no fish in it I think the tank may have lost it's bacteria. Is it the same, or simmilar to freshwater? I know FW pretty well (not an expert, but I get it). Do you test/cycle the same way? Is there anything different about SW that I need to know? Give it to me like I was 5, cuz all I know about saltwater is that it tastes bad!!!!! :laugh:

 

[OrionGirl]

Yes, SW tanks cycle similar to FW tanks. different strains of bacteria, but same deal. You need different test kits for SW--the FW ones will not work for ammonia and nitrites. You can feed the tank bacteria to support the bacteria, though, so they won't all die.

 

[sumthin fishy]

Ok, so I'll go get a SW test kit after work. Still checking for ammonia nitrites and nitrates. Is that all? And did you mean feed the tank with ammonia to support the bacteria? I can just use the same stuff I have to cycle my 55 gal FW(if I ever get that project going)?

 

[Gealcath]

All you need to feed the bacteria is an ammonia source, rotting and decaying organic matter do it just fine.