Just got a 150 gallon tank and would like to put salt water in it

dayorkpa

dayorkpa

New Member
Hello im new to the salt water community and i just started on this site. I was just given a 150 gallon tank that was used for fresh water and i want to convert it over to salt water. Where do i start. And it is not drilled, should i get it drilled or just use something else. Please help
 
cain420

cain420

Active Member
i would go with that and an overflow to a sump/fuge.. and a water pump to return the water to the tank. ur gonna need lots of live rock, or lr.. $$$$$ goes for around $5/lb. in bulk! Ur gonna want to use sand even if u start with crushed coral.. u will switch to sand eventually, so save the time and $ and stress on fish by doin that from start.. what u plan to stock or grow depends on the light setup u want.. get a good test kit so u know the expensive fish u buy are in safe water! use ro water, dont know what it is, look for the thread.. u will want a protein skimmer for that size tank.. definately dont skimp on the skimmer! u can get one that sits in the sump/fuge so it is out of sight.. live rock gives the beneficial bacteria a place to live.. and a bunch of other critters that your fish will eat later... base rock is not as pourous and weighs alot more therefore i went with all live rock, no base!.. biggest thing u will need... PATIENCE!!!!!!
what did i miss???
 
blesum

blesum

Member
Originally Posted by cain420
use ro water, dont know what it is, look for the thread..

Reverse Osmosis water from a water machine/processing store.
-Blesum
P.S. My first post NOT asking a question! Whoo-hoo!
 
agent707

agent707

Member
Live Rock. $2.00 to $4.00 lb. here link + shipping... never bought live rock from them before, but have bought LOT's of other stuff. I think it's a good site.
LFS (local fish store) will cost you $$$ as mentioned. $7 to $8 here.
One thing you're doing right. Posting at this forum! So hopefully you'll miss a lot of mistakes I made.
- Live sand only. No crushed coral. At least 100 lbs... other's will probably recommend more.
I had luck with this at the LFS and got it for $30 per 20 lb bag. Much more online from what I found.
- Lighting. IF you want to raise Coral you'll need BRIGHT Lighting. Metal Halid + Flourescent is most popular hoods from what I see.
Otherwise, Flourescent is sufficient.
You're talking roughly 300-600 watts vs. 80-160 watts.
Fish. Forget about buying any for a while. Get your tank setup and let it run through the cycle. What's a Cycle you may ask? SEARCH and READ! Highly important to know.
Just because someone "gave" you a tank... don't think you're going to get out of this Cheap!
Aquariums are MONEY PITS! :scared:
Even with your "free" tank, you're going to spend at least $1,000 to get it going... and can get as much as $3,000 if you go full reef.

Good luck.
 
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