I'm thinking about changing from saltwater to fresh water....

[carolyn]

How difficult is it?
Once I get rid of the live rock--etc...can I keep the same substrate? I guess I'd have to rinse it well.
I'd lose the protein skimmer, but can I use the same trickle filter I have...just get new wheels & of course filters??????

 

[perchpsk]

If you are going to do this I would go to African cichlids. The lakes they live in are relatively "salty" for fresh water and you wont have to worry about substrate and filtration changes. They like high alkalinity, are hardy, reproduce well in captivity and are very colorful and active. I had them for 5 years before salt.

 

[carolyn]

thanks for your input.
How many Cichlids can be in an 80 gallon setup??
Do you think I should wait before adding plants etc....
I'm hoping the maintenance will be less with freshwater!!

 

[jlem]

Where in Nor Cal are you. Are you going to be selling anything and when. Cichlids like a high PH so I think that besides the skimmer and rock you could pretty much use everything else.

 

[evilbob22]

Watch out, Cichlids don't do so well with plants. They like a more barren, rocky landscape. Usually Cichlids + plants = floating plants, but there are exceptions... usually the ones that don't tolerate salt as well...