fresh to salt

TEPOZ_AZTLAN · 07-10-2005, 10:53 PM

Hello I've been reading some other threads about changing from fresh to salt
now I have some ??? of my own I hope to get some answers.
I currently have a 29 gal fresh w/ come live plants I have a millennium filter which is a 3 stage filtration system. What I want is fish only w/ some live rock and live sand. Is my filter good for this set up?. Is lightning a factor for fish?
7 months ago I set a 12 gal nano reef and I got way to much sand

I have the sand in seal plastic bags, is this sand usable still?.
Besides a power head, what other equipment is nescesary for the salt water
fish tank
Thank you.

frank broderick · 07-11-2005, 02:08 PM

Read Read Read the posts they will be help before you start thier is a lot of useful info here.

Birdlady · 07-11-2005, 07:56 PM

Millenium filter...is that a cannister filter? With biomedia, carbon, etc.?

Lighting is not really a factor with fish, other than how they look under the light.

Is the sand dry unused sand? If so, it should be OK to use. Altho, with a FO
you may want to go with crushed coral for ease of cleaning the sand bed .

You already have a nano reef, you know the rest of the story!

If you are using a cannister filter, you need to keep up with it. Clean the sponges every couple days and keep up with the carbon replacement, replacing a quarter of the carbon each week.

A protein skimmer, while not mandatory, would be a big help in keeping water clean.

You will probably need to do more frequent water changes in a FO system.

TEPOZ_AZTLAN · 07-11-2005, 11:49 PM

the filter is one of those that you place on the edge of the tank " hang on"
w/ carbon media.
The sand is a mixture of Aragalive and live sand that was in a tank w/ water only from lfs.
How often of water changes we talking about?. I do 25% on current tank every 2 weeks.
Thnaks for replies birdlady :smile:

Birdlady · 07-12-2005, 07:40 AM

I don't know that I would use that sand then...without circulation and oxygenation, I would bet some bacteria populations have died off and it would be a problem. You can always sniff it, I bet it is stinky....

I don't know if the millenium filter would do the best job...you can try it and upgrade later if you find that you need to .

Water changes like you are doing now would probably be fine

What kind of fish are you looking to put in there?

APC · 07-12-2005, 07:52 AM

I agree...for fish only go with the crushed coral and keep it clean!

The filter might be okay in conjunction with a protein skimmer - but on its own it seems kind of weak to me for that system.

Another thing to remember is that with salt water, the fish to gallon ratio is smaller then with freshwater. 29 gallons should only house a few smaller fish in my opinion.

TEPOZ_AZTLAN · 07-12-2005, 10:39 PM

Well now that I'm getting some good info things are changing, so the filter will be fine w/ the help of protein sk. does pet smart or petco carry anything ok for cheap?
I'm looking for small fish 4" max, and small fish. So what is the ratio for salt.
I love this place I taught it'll be the same fish ratio as fresh Why it is different,
So how many 3" fish can I host in mine sorry for the ignorance

but asking is my nature

Thx again

APC · 07-13-2005, 05:30 AM

I am not sure about petsmart or petco honestly. You may want to check on-line at www.thatfishplace.com. I have found their prices to be very good (about 50% below retail) and shipping is reasonable. As for a good skimmer...you have potentially opened a can of worms with that question. People tend to have strong opinions on that on this site :-). At risk of starting a debate, I will tell you that I personally have a seaclone 150. It works great for me.

As for inches per gallon, you will find a lot of opinions on that as well. I think that a good rule of thumb is one inch per 5 gallons for salt water. Couple of reasons off the top of my head: 1. Salt water fish are more sensitive to poor water quality parameters. The more fish you have, the more waste you have going into the tank and the higher chance for fluctuations. 2. Salt water fish are not cheap. Based on reason # 1 above, you need to protect your investment - better safe then sorry! If you over stock your fresh tank, you might lose a .99 tetra or two. With salt fish it is hard to find something for under $15 or $20. Not that there are not expensive freshwater fish too, I am generalizing here. Also I do not mean to equate cost to value of life (for the environmentalists among us :-). Just talking financials here.

Birdlady · 07-13-2005, 06:13 AM

I have never kept a fish only system in marine, so I have a question for those of you that have.....

Which would you use, a protien skimmer or a cannister filter? and why?

kb.bear · 07-13-2005, 07:47 AM

I believe that salt and a protein skimmer go hand in hand. Skimmers go a long way in maintaining water quality any other filtration is a bonus and helps to move more water. more flow means less debris settling to the bottom. I like to use some type of filter media to collect larger debris even if it needs to be cleaned out often