New here....

[jr136]

Hey everyone,
Looking to switch over from the saltwater side of things. I have been in the hobby for a long time on and off and currently have a150 cube that I am looking to swap over. My Family is growing this summer so I decided it was time to break down the reef to a fowlr and it just is too much to upkeep at the moment. Rather than get out completely I thought I'd try something different and ideally a little less demanding: looking for some suggestions on setup, livestock ect

I am planning on draining tank once all livestock is gone, removing sand, and cleaning out sump and equipment. Can i use the base rock? if so how should i go about cleaning it? Thanks in advance

 

[jr136]

Pic of tank

 

[Evz jardini]

Welcome to mfk , that's a great looking setup you've got there there's quite a few options rather than marine , I think an African mbuna setup would look good im that tank with rocks stacked up the middle.
its personal preference I suppose I got bored of my Africans pretty quickly there not monster enough for me I'd probably end up with a single wetpet or breeding pair of American cichlids in it

 

[matthewr262]

If your base rock has any type of growth on it, ie. Tube worms or anything of the sort you will have die-off in freshwater. You may need to cycle your system for a good amount of time. Using calcium based rock pretty much reduces you to hard water fish.
Cleaning all the the equipment I'd use vinegar to dissolve any tube worms that have grown on the glass and inside filters. Rinse very well when your done.

 

[jr136]

Thanks for the replies, the current light is little bit neater looking than this picture shows. Should I bleach the rocks are rinse in rodi water?


Lfs near me has teacup stingrays they look nice but no clue on care

 

[matthewr262]

Thanks for the replies, the current light is little bit neater looking than this picture shows. Should I bleach the rocks are rinse in rodi water?


Lfs near me has teacup stingrays they look nice but no clue on care

I'd save yourself s world of hurt and hold on to that rock for another day. Especially with a ray, they require softer acidic water
The "teacup" or reticulated ray get a disc size of 15". They don't stay as small as the lfs tells you.

 

[jr136]

Good point on size, I wasn't sure about the growth. Despite the gallons the footprint of my tank is only 36"x36"

 

[duanes]

I would agree the tank is a bit small for rays, I just attended a lecture by one of the foremost authorities on rays, and she recommended no less than 300 gallons for the smallest of rays.
I believe the rift lake African suggestion above is a good one.
You could use the rock and sand you already own (after cleaning of course) and have your choice of a multi colored group of fish, that would do best when crowded in that size tank.
Some examples
Nimbochromis livingstoni

Ctenochromis horei

and Lepidiolamprologus elongatus to show just a few.

There are also rift lake catfish you could add for variety

 

[jr136]

How would you suggest cleaning the sand. Rinsing with freshwater?

 

[duanes]

That's how I would do it.
But do you consider your present substrate "live sand" and what you have to be "live rock"?
If so, a more drastic rinse might be needed, because if, as mentioned above, there were many macro organisms present, and not totally removed by rinsing, they could potentially die in fresh water and create an ammonia spike.
Before adding fish, adding fresh water to the tank, and changing the water periodically every couple days for a few weeks should kill of the animals, and changing water and rinsing could remove them. This might also help cycle the tank, because as they die, ammonia would be released and jump start your new fresh water biological cycle.