New to Salt - What do i need to start?

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spidartankss

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 5, 2007
41
0
0
London, Ontario
I have kept fresh water fish for a while now and i was thinking of turning one of my fish tanks into a marine tank but i wasnt sure exaclty what ineed to get me started.
i wanted to do a little research before i go into the store so i know a little before hand.

i have a 50 gallon tank with a Fluval 4 (internal submersable filter). i also have a double strip light and a heater. basic set up for freshwater. actually i have turtles in the tank thats why i have the fluval filter.

What else do ineed to get me started into a marine tank. i know a few things like a crushed coral substrate, protein skimmer (how much) and i know that you have to break the tank in SLOW and start the tank with hardy fish like Damsels.

but i was wondering if anyone can give me a little push in the right direction.
will my filter work for the salt water tank? is the heater okay? what else is tehre and how much should i plan on spending to get it set up.

thanks - sorry for the newb questions
 
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Danyal

Gambusia
MFK Member
Nov 26, 2006
935
5
18
woodland, ca
you don't have to "start" the tank with damsels, that's an old myth out of the 60s, if they survive you're looking at your tank becoming a war zone, it's far better to do a fishless cycle, especially using live rock. the filter will provide an semi-decent amount of water movement and mechanical filtration(i've got a 4plus in my 20L goldfish tank, love it) but you'll need more filtration. you don't need crushed coral, it'll be more difficult to clean, agronite sand will be easier although if you like the look of CC its ok you just can't have bottom fish that need the soft sand and it'll require frequent cleaning. getting a sump would be the absolute best first step, it'll provide unbeatable filtration and you can put most of your equipment in it, next is to get a bunch of live rock, it provides unmatched bio-filtration, if you wanted to all you'd need for filters in a ton of live rock and a good skimmer.
 
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BIGgourami

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jan 31, 2007
6,181
12
92
34
Chicago, IL
if you wanted to keep it cheap, get an aquaclear 70 and convert it into a refugium (which is easier than it sounds) add some live sand to the place where the filter media should go and then get some cheatomorph algea for the rest of the space. it will act as a copepod factory, a nitrate sponge and a bio filter, best bang for the buck. the LR should be most of your filtration otherwise so all you'll need is a powerhead or two.
i would buy the live sand, some people doubt it 'livelyness', but it's a good start and not much more expensive than dry sand.

as for fish you can do a lot of stuff, what were you looking to keep?
 
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