I have a 260gal saltwater tank with tons of stuff. It was given to me a few years ago and I never seem to have time to set it up. I think I'm going to convert it over to fresh water as I know I won't have time to maintain a saltwater tank. I think all I need to run is the sump with filter socks and get rid of skimmer and all the other stuff. I have so much stuff and I don't know forsure if I should keep some of it for freshwater setup. Anyone know of a good place to find what I should keep and what needs to go? I can get pics of all the equipment I have later in the week if needed. Thanks
Salt to fresh
- Thread starter BuggyNutt
- Start date
Anything that you would use for mechanical filtration and equipment like heater, pumps, power heads , possibly UV (if it came with one) you can use.
Dosing equipment or Co2 /calcium reactors you will not need. You could possibly use dosing or Co2 if you did a planted tank.
Rocks or calcium based substrate you wouldn’t use unless you were doing African setup or similar hard water setup.
Dosing equipment or Co2 /calcium reactors you will not need. You could possibly use dosing or Co2 if you did a planted tank.
Rocks or calcium based substrate you wouldn’t use unless you were doing African setup or similar hard water setup.
I'm not exactly sure what I have..lol. I think I have 3 different reactors but I'm going to have to post the equipment up to find out what I have. Do people still use bio balls or is that a thing of the past? Just trying to figure out what to do in the sump. Thanks
Yes people still use bio balls. I have some in one of my sumps.
Some use diy bio media like lava rock or pumice. Some prefer ceramic media.
Really any type media will give you some biological filtration some are just better then bio balls because of the added surface area they provide.
I agree, since biomedia is just a surface for beneficial bacteria to become biofilm on, it doesn't matter what it is, that said, if they came with the tank, why not use them.
Anything used in salt water aquariums, can be used in a fresh water tank, or sump.
I use refugiums, protein skimming, in fresh water, and bioreactors if a certain fish i have requires need a slightly different water parameters than my normal tap water. to breed, or be healthiest ie, calcium reactors can used to help buffer tap water that has low alkalinity, for fish that do best in high alkalinie water like rift lake Africans, or Central American cichlids.
Or certain reactors can be reimagined and used if you want Amazonian fish that require tannins, and you don't want leaf litter or peat bags hanging in the tank proper.
I have bioballs. in combination with other types of biomedia, in one of my algae scrubber,refugium type sumps for a Panamanian freshwater biotope.
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I realize many fresh water hobbyists don't feel the need for refugiums, but in cases where the tanks fish would eat small animals like shrimp, they fill (for me) the same type important roles they do in nature. They help break down substances more easily used by bacteria, they consume left over food that might overflow into sumps, and help clean mechanical and biomedia of sludge.
I also like to use snails and other animals in sumps, and in algae scrubbers for the same reasons.
So you keep the skimmer in the system? Does it help or just use it because I have it? Thanks
I like to use protein skimmers in fresh water, they remove a lot of nitrate precursors, unwanted algae spores, and there waste, but.....the type pumps are often used in salt water tanks, are not often strong enough to fractionate fresh (salt water is much more dense so easier to crack). You would need to experiment with your pump to see if its strong enough.
Below is a video of a foam fractionator working on a pond I had in Wisconsin a while back, you can see the junk it removes from the water column.
koi pond fractionation
I also used other versions on tanks.
But whether it works for your needs, only you can answer, and whether you delve deep enough to experiment with it.
Below is a video of a foam fractionator working on a pond I had in Wisconsin a while back, you can see the junk it removes from the water column.
koi pond fractionation
I also used other versions on tanks.
But whether it works for your needs, only you can answer, and whether you delve deep enough to experiment with it.
Name this stuff. I have a bunch of stuff and not sure what or where it goes. The shelf with all the boxs is 90% aquarium stuff. I also measured the tank out and it is a 180gal not the 260 that I was told. All this was given to me as I was the only one that kept any tanks. Help me out if you can. Thanks
The Tunze autmatically controls water flow, dosing reactors (3rd pic(?) , auto topoff, light periods (including moonlight simulation) and a host of functions needed in reef tanks to make life much easier and less fidgety, once figured out.
The Tunze run about $250 new, but I think newer more user friendly technology has taken over these days (maybe not,I'm not a reef tank person), so they may be reconsidered obsolete by some.
The 3nd pic may simply be where salt water was mixed.
Of course for fresh water fish, many of these things may be overkill by most casual aquarists, I guess it depends on how deep you want to immerse yourself in the hobby, what kind of fish you keep (as far as difficulty and need in maintaining certain water parameters)
An example might be if you want to keep and breed Tropheus, but your tap water is too soft, and mineral poor, then you may want to use one or more of the reactors to buffer pH and alkalinity, and have the Tunze do the work.
Or if you want an Amano style planted tank, and you want to dose ferts, and have certain photoperiods, flow fluctuations or even seasonal replications.
Or...if you wanted to keep a blackwater Cardinal tetra, wild caught angel tank, and dose tannins you mix up in the bin in the 3rd pic from an RO unit.
The Tunze run about $250 new, but I think newer more user friendly technology has taken over these days (maybe not,I'm not a reef tank person), so they may be reconsidered obsolete by some.
The 3nd pic may simply be where salt water was mixed.
Of course for fresh water fish, many of these things may be overkill by most casual aquarists, I guess it depends on how deep you want to immerse yourself in the hobby, what kind of fish you keep (as far as difficulty and need in maintaining certain water parameters)
An example might be if you want to keep and breed Tropheus, but your tap water is too soft, and mineral poor, then you may want to use one or more of the reactors to buffer pH and alkalinity, and have the Tunze do the work.
Or if you want an Amano style planted tank, and you want to dose ferts, and have certain photoperiods, flow fluctuations or even seasonal replications.
Or...if you wanted to keep a blackwater Cardinal tetra, wild caught angel tank, and dose tannins you mix up in the bin in the 3rd pic from an RO unit.