I have a 29 gallon freshwater, but im getting a 75 for my birthday the 17th so im moving my fish to that tank. So what will i need to turn that tank into a saltwater tank. Also, how much should it cost, and what would be a good starting fish?
What would i need
- Thread starter Hockey4Life0413
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30 - 60 lbs of live rock,
20lb Live sand
a couple of good powerheads
Salt
Hydrometer
Test Kits
in the uk the above would cost between $400 - $600 but things tend to cost a great deal more over here
20lb Live sand
a couple of good powerheads
Salt
Hydrometer
Test Kits
in the uk the above would cost between $400 - $600 but things tend to cost a great deal more over here
A protein skimmer accelerates water and air to 'blast' the protein (fish waste, uneaten food, etc) from the water into a cup - it appears as a foam that can be removed from the system. It's very helpful in removing waste before it turns into ammonia / nitrite / nitrate, which keeps the water cleaner overall.
It's very helpful, though not strictly required. I have a 24G Nanocube without a skimmer, and it works just fine.
It's very helpful, though not strictly required. I have a 24G Nanocube without a skimmer, and it works just fine.
Do you need live rock and live sand. Are there any alternatives if not what is the best place to buy them.
Why not make the new 75 a marine tank. A fowlr (fish only with live rock) would be easier to maintain and be successful with. The live rock as filtration should be approx 2/lb per gallon with a couple power heads to move the water (if no substrate more water movement) a skimmer and lower wattage lights if you aren't keeping corals though there are some that can be kept under lower lighting. Saltwater is not an inexpensive hobby, but it can be done on a shoestring if necessary
Ive got bigger fish that i need to put in the 75. But are there any alternatives to live rock and live sand.
Hockey4Life0413 said:
Live rock and live sand provide starter biological colonies for the nitrogen cycle, as well as biodiversity (lots of little living things that don't really come individually).
In both cases, your goal is to create a lot of surface area for bacteria, while seeding the aquarium with life.
For the rock: You can start with some non-living base rock and a smaller amount of live rock, but this isn't ideal (that is, it'd probably work, but wouldn't yield the absolute best results for quite some time). Live rock can be purchased online or from your LFS (I got mine from the one of the Orange County branches of Jeff's Exotic Fish - www.exoticfish.com - only a 15 minute drive, and I enjoy hand-picking the rock).
For the sand: You can use standard play sand and a few cups of sand from an established tank, and in time it'll eventually spread to the live sand. You'll likely be OK doing this - the money savings isn't quite as significant as substituting the live rock with base rock, but it'll save you a few bucks. You can buy the standard sand at home depot (you're looking for 'southdown' or an aragonite based play sand), or live sand at your LFS or *cringe* major pet chain.