from fresh to salt..

[watergardenut]

I have a 125 gal. freshwater tank that has been in use for years as a home to a large oscar and two large cichlids. This may seem dumb, but, here goes... would the benificial bacteria in the substrate and the rock in a fresh water tank be able to survive the change to a saltwater environment and jump start a new saltwater tank? Or are the bacteria specific to fresh and/or saltwater? I suspect I know the answer, but I thought I'd run it by you all to be sure. Thank you.

 

[azul1994]

No they are different. I would just start all over, with new base sand, and seed it with live rock. You should have inbetween 125-250 pounds of live rock.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by watergardenut
http:///forum/post/2573848
I have a 125 gal. freshwater tank that has been in use for years as a home to a large oscar and two large cichlids. This may seem dumb, but, here goes... would the benificial bacteria in the substrate and the rock in a fresh water tank be able to survive the change to a saltwater environment and jump start a new saltwater tank? Or are the bacteria specific to fresh and/or saltwater? I suspect I know the answer, but I thought I'd run it by you all to be sure. Thank you.
Start it over from scratch. You do not want gravel in a salt system. Use sand. Wash the tank thoroughly before you begin.

 

[watergardenut]

Ok, thank you, Just thought I'd ask.