Fresh to Saltwater conversion

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Get rid of the sand, dry out the tank scrub and make sure it very clean and buy new sand. Don't waste your money on live sand, most "live" sand isn't live and regular sand will do fine. For filtration I wouldn't do canisters cause they tend to be nitrate factories so your best bet would be to go with a sump/refugium and a protein skimmer. The lighting all depends on if you plan to have corals but if you don't then you shouldn't have to worry about getting a really good light.


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I'm following this because I may do this one day. My wife loves the colorful reef fish. I would love a fat ax angler.

Not that I have or had saltwater but most of the time I see people prefer a sump and like metioned before, you would use an overflow for that. You could probably get by without a protein skimmer since the overflow will take water off the surface. You would probably need a good, prupose-oriented sump to ensure it breaks down once it's there though.

UV sterilizer? I thought those were preferred for saltwater tanks. I haven't ever used one so I can't offer advice on that but I'd like to hear from others.
 
So the debate starts....i run a few salt tanks with canisters no prob. In my personal experience of running 10 salt tanks atm, skimmers and live rock are by far the most important part of any salt system. When i started i used every different filter setup and they all work. Some better than others. Skimmer/sump/liverock is what you need to get goin on the right track. This doesnt mean you cant set up your tank with what you got and add on more later. It will take a while to cycle anyway so it all works out.

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I also think the sand will b fine...just take it out and clean it. I reused sand in a couple fresh to salt changeovers. The largest size agronite shell mix is one of my fav's and keeps "dust" and debris down when my triggers dig. Sands can be a mess and choke off corals tho so give that a thought when choosing stock.

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badassissimo said:
I'm following this because I may do this one day. My wife loves the colorful reef fish. I would love a fat ax angler.

Not that I have or had saltwater but most of the time I see people prefer a sump and like metioned before, you would use an overflow for that. You could probably get by without a protein skimmer since the overflow will take water off the surface. You would probably need a good, prupose-oriented sump to ensure it breaks down once it's there though.

UV sterilizer? I thought those were preferred for saltwater tanks. I haven't ever used one so I can't offer advice on that but I'd like to hear from others.
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Best do some research 1st -

Overflows prevent water from leaving the system in the event of pump failure they do not remove dissolved proteins.

UV sterilizers kill stuff in the water column this would include zoo, bacterio, and phyto planktons the stuff corals eat. It would also destroy free floating zooxanthallae the symbiotic algae that coral cannot live without.
 
Otherone said:
Loose the sand it'll be a nitrate nightmare from previous use - start new start sterile.

Things you need - Non-reef salt mix, hydrometer, 180 lbs porous calcified rock from the ocean not lakes, good heater, good saltwater testkit, and better lights - 30watts won't do much for PH stability in 180 gal of saltwater
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How does the lighting effect the ph stability? Looked it up and the closest I found was someone who thought too much light raised the temps up releasing extra H atoms.
 
dragonfish said:
How does the lighting effect the ph stability? Looked it up and the closest I found was someone who thought too much light raised the temps up releasing extra H atoms.
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I will preface by saying I don't know much about it, but when I first saw that comment, my first thought was maybe the 30 watt light wouldn't penetrate the water depth all the way or with its full intended intensity or something along those lines. I thought a stronger light was necessary to light the whole tank and maybe that had something to do with it?
 
KellyFrancis said:
I will preface by saying I don't know much about it, but when I first saw that comment, my first thought was maybe the 30 watt light wouldn't penetrate the water depth all the way or with its full intended intensity or something along those lines. I thought a stronger light was necessary to light the whole tank and maybe that had something to do with it?
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I could see that for corals needing light but don't get the ph thing.


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dragonfish said:
How does the lighting effect the ph stability? Looked it up and the closest I found was someone who thought too much light raised the temps up releasing extra H atoms.
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30 watts in 180 gallons is the equivalent of a moonlight. There won't be enough light to keep the ph stable. No photosynthesis will be able to occur or very very little. But you tank inhabitants will still be using up oxygen, adding carbon dioxide to the water and thus raising the carbon dioxide levels and lowering your ph.

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