FW sump to Saltwater

[bigvisk]

Is is possible to transfer a sump that has been used for freshwater into one for SW?

what i mean i guess is would there be any harm?

I want to convert my 90g fresh water into a 90g salt (im buying a 75g to transfer my fish into, which consists primarily of bichirs who do not utilize the verticalness of the tank). the tank is currently set up with an overflow and a sump running at 800g/hour (roughly).

Im just wondering if the bacteria and stuff in the filter should be killed off and cleaned before setting up a salt water, or how to go about it. should i just make another sump, (i made this one) or what.

On another not, is there a link to the best way to set up a refuge, or an explanation.

Like i said, im just exploring this option for now, a beautiful reef tank is in my future, the only question is when

 

[grmanrocks]

id say it would be fine



i mean, the only thing i can see happening is that the dieoff form the sump would speed the cycleing process


but are you sure you even want to use a sump?

on all my salt water tanks i opt for the live rocks and live sand method with a few well placed powerheads

lower maintenance and sumps tend to turn into nitrate factories rather quickly


just a thought


as for the fuge, id opt for a manufactured HOB version... all u really need is some light and water movement.


ur call tho


also try reef central.com and nanoreef.com for more responses.


what do you plan to house in there? and what kind of loighting are you paliing on utilizing?


zip me a PM with any questions u may have and i can attempt to answer them in greater detail



good luck entering the salt scene

 

[bigvisk]

with the no sump method, is all i need for filtration live sand and live rock and a skimmer, i could do that, along with a HoB fuge.

im still researching different light wave lengths etc. for optimum growth and the varying depths.

i want to keep corals, lots of them, but i have not decided which kind yet.

i think in the short run im going to set up a 30g reef, and then in the winter ill be able to buy a new 90g and turn that into a large SW reef tank, and not have to mess with my current FW tanks, hmmm.

i guess, what i need to know then, is that for filtration yall basically use LR/LS for bio and a skimmer for the rest? then just a well placed powerhead (or couple depending on tank size) for water movement.

 

[Danyal]

if you're worried about the sump creating nitrates, i'd just turn it into an inline 'fuge w/ macro algaes or more live/base rock and then you'd also have a place to put the skimmer under the tank.
<is that for filtration yall basically use LR/LS for bio and a skimmer for the rest? >
yep, that seems to be the most common practice. a good turn over rate prevents "dead spots" in the rocks(places where debris collects and decomposes) so the general rule is at least 10x hourly turnover but i've seen people going for more than 45x turnovers.

 

[grmanrocks]

with the no sump method, is all i need for filtration live sand and live rock and a skimmer, i could do that, along with a HoB fuge.

im still researching different light wave lengths etc. for optimum growth and the varying depths.

i want to keep corals, lots of them, but i have not decided which kind yet.

i think in the short run im going to set up a 30g reef, and then in the winter ill be able to buy a new 90g and turn that into a large SW reef tank, and not have to mess with my current FW tanks, hmmm.

i guess, what i need to know then, is that for filtration yall basically use LR/LS for bio and a skimmer for the rest? then just a well placed powerhead (or couple depending on tank size) for water movement.

yep, id go with 1.5x as many lbs of rock as gallons, and 1lb of sand per gallon. if i was you id even skip the skimmer, i dont run any on my tanks (i must admit however they are all under 20 gallons) i belive they are unnesecary and remove too many "good" things to be beneficial. just do water changes

when i comes to lighting no matter what kind you choose you can always keep a pletheroa of corals. the lighting just limits what "group" of corals

i have tanks ranging from 75watts of halide over 10 gallons to a 5 gallon deepwater reef with just N/O floursecents. its actually my favorite tank, gorgs (though failing for unknown reasons i defenitly do NOT recomend them), sun corals, duncan, dendros, tubinaria ect.

id recomend you go higher on like rather than lower just cuz there really is NO such thing as too much light, you will never surpass the lighting of the biggest bulb of all (the sun).

od settle for the liverock livesand combo with at least 20x turnover, which is what i run on ALL my tanks with great success (cept the stupid gorgs)

 

[bigvisk]

by 20x turn over, since there is no filter, you just mean using powerheads?

so if its a 30g, have maybe 3 powerheads set up pushing at least 600gph?

that doesnt seem to be too expensive at all.

i mean, if you dont need a skimmer, dont need a sump, the most expensive thing will be the lights, rocks and corals themselves then, that seems very doable.

thanks for the info.

 

[grmanrocks]

by 20x turn over, since there is no filter, you just mean using powerheads?

so if its a 30g, have maybe 3 powerheads set up pushing at least 600gph?

that doesnt seem to be too expensive at all.

i mean, if you dont need a skimmer, dont need a sump, the most expensive thing will be the lights, rocks and corals themselves then, that seems very doable.

thanks for the info.

i say yea on the 3 powerheads, 2 in the back corners with the flows crossing diagonaly and crashing in to each other in the center of the tank and thus dispersing it throuhgout the tank, and the 3rd where needed

the lights themselves will certainly be the most expensive, folled by the live rock

unless you end up with some horribly expensive corals ;p which u may... i know i did, i fell in love with a 15 head colony of duncan at $20 a head.....centerpaice of my 5 gallon...i love the thing

 

[bigvisk]

solid, so now to decide on lights and get the party started .

time to start reading up on some and checking prices, anyone know any good deals i should look at let me know .

 

[grmanrocks]

i recomend a sunpod if you want that kind of lighting, they are pretty powerfull, especially for 30 gallons

go with the 30" 250 watt fixture available HERE : http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/metal_SunPod.htm

i dont think you will be dissapointed

and then you can keep pretty much anything you want, tho i wuld get like a single strip floursectnt fixture to supplement some actinic.

im actually planning on using the 16" sunpod on one of my 5 gallons cuz i want a clam

a little expensive but defiently worth it

 

[bigvisk]

the 30" even though the tank is a 36"? and it is expensive, but without buying other stuff, it would be worth it.