Converting 55g FW to SW

[d-man]

In a way the ATS is like a fuge with a light and macro algae, but it has a lot more air to it so you can hopefully grow turf algae that is a lot better than any algae you can grow in your fuge. I suggest getting some sand and rock, setting it up with your filtration and as much extra water movement you can while you read up for a few weeks and your rock cycles. I would do a few extra water changes to compinsate for the lack of filtration, but this way you can get your hands in the tank while your learning. You could put 34g in a 19x 19x22 if you used the hole thing, but you would probably need to custom make it or order it. Soooo your really planing on a reef tank?

 

[jstdv8]

biggest differnece beween the scrubber and cheato or other macro that you grow in your sump is that regular macro grows in the water so light has to penetrate the water where a scrubber has very little water between it and the light source, it can aslo get all the air it wants from the room. So alot more growth happens.
The real key though is that you clean it once a week and export ALL of the nutrients that the algae has captured. With cheato you harvest it but only a little at a time. Much better at removing the bad stuff, but they work pretty similar as far as them both being macro algae, just one is way more powerful than the other

 

[lolitsafish]

I am a little confused, so the algae screen you linked me dman needs more air, but a refugium doesnt? sorry its just a little confusing. Also I havent even cleared out the 55g of freshwater yet, it still has fish in it. This is just the planning stage before I do anything, and from the feedback i am getting from my parents this 55g will be a long time to settup, as in piece by piece.
Also dman, I dont think i want to do a reef, i want to do fowlr.
A good opportunity has come up for me to get a 38g or 40g fish tank for saltwater as an early christmas gift, im not sure what i would do with them though.

 

[d-man]

ok so your getting a new tank and not converting your fresh water? I think you got it pretty good with the ats/fuge. Air and light are a big deal in saltwater. You should also look into a wet/dry trickle filter, but If you really only want a fowlr tank I think all of this is a little excessive. I would just go with a simple canister or hob mechanical/chemical filtration for a fowlr. I would latter put in a fuge if I felt I did not have enough rock for pods or look for a mandarin that eats frozen food (hard to find but can be done).

 

[deejeff442]

pods provide a necessary fat that cannot be replaced by any frozen food.it will just take longer for the mandarin to die of malnutrition.
sounds like the op is on too small of a budget to start up a salt tank.this is not a hobbie we can cut too many corners on.
i might be wrong but ,that is why most saltwater keepers start out with freshwater as it is alot less expensive.

 

[d-man]

True with the pods, but a 55 should be able to make enough pods for a mandarin if it's healthy enough and there are not too many other fish picking them off, I just feel it's a lot easier if they eat frozen. I don't know about the money part, I think it can be done for not that much $, but ya it's always going to be way more than freshwater. I had a great 29g reef tank for years with just a hob protein skimmer (150$), a penguin 200, and some nice t5's.

 

[deejeff442]

seems to me he has the filters and tank all he needs is 50 lbs of lr and some sand?maybe another ph.dont follow what another tank is for.
if he is paying any of it himself or its an xmass gift? no need to worry about skimmers,scrubbers ,sumps ect. that can all come later.
as long as there is lr and a hob filter and he keeps the livestock to the small fish listed he should be good to start.

 

[lolitsafish]

I am still converting, but I am also getting another tank hopefully. Then the algae scrubber would be because it is an easy DIY and filters well, and then I dont need to buy a skimmer necessarily.
I have the tank and even filters, but like you dee I just need the live rock, sand, and the small fish.
I am not lacking money, I am just trying to restrict costs. I knew going into this that it would be expensive, so I will just have to spread the buying over a period of time, just not one large sum of money. I will be be funding part of it myself, and part will be supplied by my parents.
Does that answer everything?

 

[deejeff442]

yes sir.at least you are asking lots of questions go to the disease forum and look what someone who didnt ask questions is going through right now.

 

[lolitsafish]

As you may find out, I am a little OCD about planning my tanks out, as in I try and plan everything. Problem is, when things dont work perfectly like I imagine they should I sometimes have no idea what to do. Or I get tired of planning and just do it when its not ready, I can sometimes be an impulse buyer, but not usually.

 

[deejeff442]

impulse buying is a no no .hard not sometimes though.maybe use the other tank you are getting as a quarantine tank .that will save you some headaches .buying a fish and putting it right into a dt will eventually cause a disease problem.even though a fish looks healthy it might not be and if you add it to the dt then you need to treat the tank.you will need to put the fish in another tank for treatment so my tiss well set up another tank as a qt from the start.all it needs is a hob filter a ph ,heater and some cheap pvc pipes.

 

[jstdv8]

be sure to get plenty of LR and sand i think that all tank filtration starts here weather you go with a sump and macro alage or a skimmer or a combination of these you still will be best off to have a good amount of LR in there and the correct amount of LS.

 

[lolitsafish]

Yup, while I dont want to go reef (at least I dont think so) I wouldnt mind lots of live rock. Also, I would be running the HOB filters I currently have as filtration until the algae scrubber has enough growth on it. I am thinking of building the algae scrubber right now (as in this week, or soon) so I can get it all worked out.
Examples:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/fowlr%2055g/DuncanT89/ImportedPhotos00005.jpg
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/images/thumbimg/400/7361_1.jpg
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/images/thumbimg/400/4732_2.jpg

 

[deejeff442]

all the algae scrubber does is eat up nitrates and phosphates and some extra nutrients.it doesnt help grow the good bacteria colony.if you dont mind the extra noise leave the biowheels spinning.
i really was thinking of adding a scrubber but my snails and tangs like some algae.so i am on the fence about it.i would more like to build one to see it work.
too bad your so far away i would give you all you need to start a tank except the lr.i have a 120 and 75 gallon tank collecting dust ,2 skimmers,a fuge and who knows what else piled up in my shed?

 

[lolitsafish]

That is very inconvenient, I would have made (and by me I mean my dad driving and me talking with him or sleeping) a multi-hour drive to pick it all up, but texas is a little further then a few hours.

 

[deejeff442]

yea i moved here from buffalo and that was 24 hrs driving .your probably an extra 6 or 8 at least.

 

[lolitsafish]

Delaware is closer to texas then buffalo at least. But hey, It would be convenient if you were still there, I am gonna be in ny, ny allot this december for family stuff.

 

[d-man]

what type of skimmers do you have Dee? Lolits if you like the stuff (sump, skimmer), it might be cheaper to buy it from dee and pay for shipping than to get it new and if you get it online you'll pay shipping anyway.

 

[lolitsafish]

Quote:
Originally Posted by d-man http:///forum/thread/382109/converting-55g-fw-to-sw/20#post_3333048
what type of skimmers do you have Dee? Lolits if you like the stuff (sump, skimmer), it might be cheaper to buy it from dee and pay for shipping than to get it new and if you get it online you'll pay shipping anyway.
That is a good point, mind answering Dee? I am sure we can work something out if your agreeable.

 

[lolitsafish]

Good question dman. If you are agreeable to it, we could probably work something out depending on the gear.