converting a freshwater into a saltwater

clownsrock

clownsrock

New Member
Hey everyone.
i was wondering about converting my 20 gallon freshwater tank into a saltwater tank. :needhelp:
can u guys tell me what i need to do that and how to do it. :needhelp:
and also if i should get live sand. :needhelp:
how much live rock should i get? :needhelp:
and what filtration equiptment should i get? :needhelp:
thanks alot
-Oliver :happyfish
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Well you will first want to empty your tank of all the freshwater and clean it with some hot water.
The first thing you need to ask yourself is did you ever treat your tank with any type of copper medication? Was any of your freshwater fish sick, and if so, what did you treat them with? This is very important and if you do not know, you need to find out before you go any further.
As for filtration, a hang-on-the-back power filter will work fine, but you will also need a powerhead. The best powerheads are AquaClear and MaxiJets.
You will definitely want to do live rock; I would recommend about 25 lbs. I would also recommend you use aragonite sand for your substrate.
If you plan to have corals, you will need to get rid of your light and buy a new fixture that will give you about 80-120 watts of lighting.
 
clownsrock

clownsrock

New Member
so the filter that i have now will work?
i never added any of that copper medication so that will help?
are power heads expensive cause if they are reallly expensive im not sure if i will be able to afford one cause im only 14.
and will i have to buy a whole knew fixture or just a new light bulb cause i have a floresent one in there already.
thanks a lot guys ur really helpin me out
-Oliver
 
clownsrock

clownsrock

New Member
so the filter that i have now will work?
i never added any of that copper medication so that will help?
are power heads expensive cause if they are reallly expensive im not sure if i will be able to afford one cause im only 14.
and will i have to buy a whole knew fixture or just a new light bulb cause i have a floresent one in there already.
thanks a lot guys ur really helpin me out
-Oliver
 
dexter

dexter

Member
Newbie here also, set my 30g fowlr(figh only with live rock) last Saturday. Best thing you can do is cruise these message boards. I've learned more here than in any book I have yet to buy...lol

Max Powerhead was $14.00 at my lfs. Since $$ sounds like an issue, a fowlr may be your best bet. No expensive lighting needed at beginning.
Make sure you clean your tank and filter. The one you have is ok, although I just upgraded.
Another suggestion of what Ive been doing... visit a few lfs(live fish stores) and see what they have set up, power head positions, rocks, etc. Best thing I've found is that just reading and visiting a few stores has educated me.
Also, be patient. SW takes time to cycle and be ready to acccept critters and fish.
good luck and welcome to your newest addiction!

Dxtr
 
xjayx

xjayx

Member
Originally Posted by clownsrock
so the filter that i have now will work?
i never added any of that copper medication so that will help?
are power heads expensive cause if they are reallly expensive im not sure if i will be able to afford one cause im only 14.
and will i have to buy a whole knew fixture or just a new light bulb cause i have a floresent one in there already.
thanks a lot guys ur really helpin me out
-Oliver

Yeah, the filter you have now will work. You can continue to run it and use carbon if you want but in salt water you really don't need those filters.
Just make sure you have enough live rock and a protine skimmer.
Protine skimmer is a must as far as filtration goes.
A powerhead is fairly important... they range from about 20 bucks all the way up.
Just know that salt water tanks aren't cheap.
The cost adds up and before you know it, you will have spent much more than you origionally planned to spend.
As for the lighting...
If you only want to keep fish only with live rock, then the florescents will be just fine but if you eventually want to start keeping coral or anemones or whatever else, you will have to buy a new fixture with stronger lighting.
You probably won't need live sand if you have live rock.
Just get argonite sand and eventually it'll spread from the rock to the sand or you can seed your sand with a cup of live sand.
Make sure you don't over stock the tank and keep only small fish suitable for nano tanks cause a 20 gal tank is very small for a salt water tank.
Any way
check this thread out for better start up info.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=80022
 
jayc

jayc

Active Member
Originally Posted by clownsrock
so the filter that i have now will work?
i never added any of that copper medication so that will help?
are power heads expensive cause if they are reallly expensive im not sure if i will be able to afford one cause im only 14.
and will i have to buy a whole knew fixture or just a new light bulb cause i have a floresent one in there already.
thanks a lot guys ur really helpin me out
-Oliver
Hi
I'm 14 too. If your like me and dont have a whole lot of $$ to spend I would do a FOWLER (fish only and live rock) aquarium first. They are alot cheaper and easier than a reef. Thats what I did for over a year, and now I'm starting to adventure into making a reef. Which ever you do have fun with it and be careful its very addicting. :D
 
sw65galma

sw65galma

Active Member
Originally Posted by clownsrock
??????????????????
Do a search on here for skimmer.
Basically it bubbles air through the water and the waste attached to the air bubbles and get collected into a cup.
It a way to get DISSOLVED waste out of the water. Whereas your filter removes only Undissolved waste..
 
airforceb2

airforceb2

Active Member
Keep in mind that you are going to spend over $100 on a skimmer. If money is an issue, think of it like this. You will need to spend about $30 per gallon of water. You have a 20 gallon tank so you will be spending roughly $600 to convert your existing tank.
 
N

nluchau

Guest
Originally Posted by airforceb2
Keep in mind that you are going to spend over $100 on a skimmer. If money is an issue, think of it like this. You will need to spend about $30 per gallon of water. You have a 20 gallon tank so you will be spending roughly $600 to convert your existing tank.
$30 dollars per gallon of water you say. Umm Not really.
I have a 75 gallon setup and have alittle over $1000 invested.
 
clownsrock

clownsrock

New Member
thanks for all of the info guy
its really helpful.
would any of u guys post some pics of some 20 gallon tanks so i can get an idea of how to set mine up.
 
airforceb2

airforceb2

Active Member
Originally Posted by nluchau
$30 dollars per gallon of water you say. Umm Not really.
I have a 75 gallon setup and have alittle over $1000 invested.
What kind of set-up do you have? Brand of skimmer/lights/sump?
You should have spent at least $200 on a skimmer if you have a reef.
 
dexter

dexter

Member
hehehe, Thanks Stressman, still new with all the LFS, FO, RO, PDQ, FOWLR, etc.. :hilarious
although.... shouldn't your Local Fish Store has Live Fish... hummm...

Dxtr
 
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