Stupid? or Do-able?

[juliedrool]

So I had this 55g cichlid tank set up for a while but moved out of state so there the fishies had to stay. (Sad to say we had one awesome Texas cichlid) After settling in our new house the freshwater was put back up, (assuming we'd seek out another Tex) and always with the thought of a 150g SW being in the back of our mind. Realizing that we just didn't want to wait anymore for saltwater, we decided to convert only after having 5 plattys cycling the tank for 5 weeks. Not wanting to waste the already cycled H2O I kept 3/4ths of it and decided to vaccuum and remove the gravel, change the filter media, added 50 lbs dry and 20lbs LS, and 25 lbs LR.
I'm not planning on a reef, just a FOWLR and my H2O parameters are as follows:
SG: 1.023
PH: 8.2
Nitrite: .1
Nitrates: 5-10
Ammonia: 0 -.25
Alkalinity: High
I'm using a Red Sea test kit. Wished I would have purchased a salifert. (live and learn) Bottom line is was I crazy to do this? Also I added an additional power filter (nothing fancy) and no powerhead. Do I need one? And how long should my tank sit before I add fish? When my ammonia and nitrites are at 0? I plan on only 4 fish.
Imput would be greatful. Oh and the LR was all cured.

 

[hawthorn]

IMO yes you do need a powerhead for circulation ansd as for adding fish you need to wait until you ammonia and nitrites are at 0 but what fish are you planning on having in your tank as some fish need a mature tank and shouldnt be put in there untill the tank is about 6 months old. You will need to make sure your tank is big enough to hold the fish you plan on getting also you will need to know if the fish are compatable with each other JMO. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[alyssia]

Yes, your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates all need to be 0. And if you think you will ever add any inverts you need to raise your sg to 1.026.

 

[juliedrool]

So I'm not crazy? I know alot about the fish I plan on adding...I research everything and used to work in a fish only store 10 years ago. As for inverts, none for me, at least not in the next couple of years.
Should I let the tank just sit, or help it out with some additional bacteria to get rid of the damn ammonia and nitrites?

 

[danedodger]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this but any bacteria you built up cycling fresh water with those platys won't be suitable for saltwater so you'll have to cycle all over again. I may be dead wrong on that but my brain is insisting that the bacteria is different from fresh to salt.
Should I let the tank just sit, or help it out with some additional bacteria to get rid of the damn ammonia and nitrites?
Once the tank cycles fully the ammonia and nitrites should go down to 0 on their own so you don't really have to worry about getting rid of them. How do you plan to add bacteria? There's stuff you can buy and, in my experience anyway, it doesn't hurt anything but most of the well known experts in the hobby seem to agree that these commercial products don't do a thing to help either.
How was the liverock cured? If you purchased rock that said it was cured and it was then shipped to you there would still be some die-off which could account for your readings.

 

[cowfishrule]

different bacteria live in the freshwater than saltwater.
i would just let the tank cycle it self for about 6 weeks, then do a couple of good water changes over next couple of weeks.
all in all, i would wait about 9 weeks before adding any fish.

 

[spanish dancer]

Originally Posted by alyssia
Yes, your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates all need to be 0. And if you think you will ever add any inverts you need to raise your sg to 1.026.
Does it actually matter what the specific gravity is for inverts? Because I have always had my specific gravity at 1.023, and I have many inverts, all doing just fine, and that is the same specific gravity that my LFS keeps all of their inverts in.