Help!

[Bootler]

i decided i want to set up one of my freshwater tanks to saltwater. after i take my freshwater fish out, do i have to replace all the water? or could i just add marine salt and test the salinity and give maybe a week to set in. i already have sand in the tank from my freshwater set up. im going to start off small with a mandarin goby mainly because they are inexpensive. but i will not put a goby in if i have to cycle the new tank. i know that for cycle fish, you have to use clowns or damsels. this tank is fully cycled for freshwater. i have had several fish living in there for almost a year now. also, any tips on the new saltwater set up? maybe what to watch out for? i read several articles and i read that i do not need any new equipment for the FOWLR setup. all i need is live rock and of course fish lol. and i do not plan to add live coral so the lighting should not make a difference. are protein skimmers really necessary? Please inform me MFK, i trust this website over the google articles i read.

 

[nonstophoops]

i decided i want to set up one of my freshwater tanks to saltwater. after i take my freshwater fish out, do i have to replace all the water? or could i just add marine salt and test the salinity and give maybe a week to set in. i already have sand in the tank from my freshwater set up. im going to start off small with a mandarin goby mainly because they are inexpensive. but i will not put a goby in if i have to cycle the new tank. i know that for cycle fish, you have to use clowns or damsels. this tank is fully cycled for freshwater. i have had several fish living in there for almost a year now. also, any tips on the new saltwater set up? maybe what to watch out for? i read several articles and i read that i do not need any new equipment for the FOWLR setup. all i need is live rock and of course fish lol. and i do not plan to add live coral so the lighting should not make a difference. are protein skimmers really necessary? Please inform me MFK, i trust this website over the google articles i read.

You must remove all of the water and wash the sand. Adding salt to the existing tank will kill all the bacteria and cause problems. You really should just start over.

You do not need a fish to cycle the tank and I would not recommend using one. A little bit of live rock will do just as well.

Mandarin Gobys absolutely NEED a well established tank and are not easy to keep so I would look in a different direction fish wise. Once you have the tank running for a long time(a year or more) and have some experience in saltwater then you could get a mandarin.

As far as incite on saltwater, you will most likely need to increase your flow from what you have for freshwater. Adding powerheads to the tank can help in this regard.

I think that protein skimmers are pretty much necessary. They help remove lots of waste and keep the tank healthier. You can do tanks without one, but I would not advise it. My suggestion would be to get the saltwater tank up and running and in time as you stock it to get a skimmer.

Your lighting will be fine for a FOWLR setup so no worries on changing that.

 

[Bootler]

You must remove all of the water and wash the sand. Adding salt to the existing tank will kill all the bacteria and cause problems. You really should just start over.

You do not need a fish to cycle the tank and I would not recommend using one. A little bit of live rock will do just as well.

Mandarin Gobys absolutely NEED a well established tank and are not easy to keep so I would look in a different direction fish wise. Once you have the tank running for a long time(a year or more) and have some experience in saltwater then you could get a mandarin.

As far as incite on saltwater, you will most likely need to increase your flow from what you have for freshwater. Adding powerheads to the tank can help in this regard.

I think that protein skimmers are pretty much necessary. They help remove lots of waste and keep the tank healthier. You can do tanks without one, but I would not advise it. My suggestion would be to get the saltwater tank up and running and in time as you stock it to get a skimmer.

Your lighting will be fine for a FOWLR setup so no worries on changing that.

ok thanks a lot. ill probably just replace the sand. i have play sand that i have in there. i have the marine sand in my sting ray tank. which SW fish do you recommend for beginners? i love ones with deep color. i'm starting this up in the 35 gal. so small fish. if i enjoy the saltwater, i will switch my 75 gal to SW too. i really want to upgrade my 75 to maybe a 120 so i could switch the 75 to SW too. would any protein skimmer work? and to make this clear, i change the sand, take the water out, put new marine sand in, then i pour the SW in and i should then be good to go? no cycling? maybe add a few clowns or something?

 

[Bootler]

You must remove all of the water and wash the sand. Adding salt to the existing tank will kill all the bacteria and cause problems. You really should just start over.

You do not need a fish to cycle the tank and I would not recommend using one. A little bit of live rock will do just as well.

Mandarin Gobys absolutely NEED a well established tank and are not easy to keep so I would look in a different direction fish wise. Once you have the tank running for a long time(a year or more) and have some experience in saltwater then you could get a mandarin.

As far as incite on saltwater, you will most likely need to increase your flow from what you have for freshwater. Adding powerheads to the tank can help in this regard.

I think that protein skimmers are pretty much necessary. They help remove lots of waste and keep the tank healthier. You can do tanks without one, but I would not advise it. My suggestion would be to get the saltwater tank up and running and in time as you stock it to get a skimmer.

Your lighting will be fine for a FOWLR setup so no worries on changing that.

o yeah and i have a powerhead soo i'm good on that. will my penguin bio wheel external filter work for a SW tank? does that really matter?

 

[Mudslinger14]

ok thanks a lot. ill probably just replace the sand. i have play sand that i have in there. i have the marine sand in my sting ray tank. which SW fish do you recommend for beginners? i love ones with deep color. i'm starting this up in the 35 gal. so small fish. if i enjoy the saltwater, i will switch my 75 gal to SW too. i really want to upgrade my 75 to maybe a 120 so i could switch the 75 to SW too. would any protein skimmer work? and to make this clear, i change the sand, take the water out, put new marine sand in, then i pour the SW in and i should then be good to go? no cycling? maybe add a few clowns or something?

Stay. Away. From. Damsels. They'd kill you if they were that much bigger. A pair of clowns would do nicely in a 35. I think AquaC skimmers are pretty good from what I've heard. That's all you need to do, but you NEED to cycle it. Get 15-20lbs of CURED live rock and put it in your tank for about a month just to be sure. This is what I've done. Once your tests are in check, you can add two clowns. When you pick them out, try to make sure they're a pair, or at the very least...Not trying to kill each other. Clowns can be quite aggressive, I believe. And the last thing you want in your first saltwater tank is an overly aggressive fish putting you off the whole idea.... *pokes my fish*

 

[Mudslinger14]

o yeah and i have a powerhead soo i'm good on that. will my penguin bio wheel external filter work for a SW tank? does that really matter?

For me, in my tank...(35 gallon as well), I have a hob filter and the live rock as filtration. No skimmer or powerheads...However, I am constantly cleaning this tank and it drives me nuts. You need sufficient flow to go around the rocks in your tank so there are no dead spots (Areas where water isn't moving really). The Berlin method (Protein skimmer + water movement + live rock) will be a. o.k. in your tank. Just make SURE to cycle it before you do anything. I can't stress how important this is in a saltwater tank.

 

[Bootler]

For me, in my tank...(35 gallon as well), I have a hob filter and the live rock as filtration. No skimmer or powerheads...However, I am constantly cleaning this tank and it drives me nuts. You need sufficient flow to go around the rocks in your tank so there are no dead spots (Areas where water isn't moving really). The Berlin method (Protein skimmer + water movement + live rock) will be a. o.k. in your tank. Just make SURE to cycle it before you do anything. I can't stress how important this is in a saltwater tank.

ok thanks. ill probably start this up ASAP. maybe next week. i have to go buy my materials first. but yeah i cycle it for a month. will the old freshwater bacteria help cycle it in any way? and if i get some clowns, do i need an anemone? what do you have in your SW 35 gal right now? also, how often for water changes and when i fill my bucket up, are there any special directions? i still add declore and i just pour the marine crystals in but hold long should i let it sit for?