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Pet Forum / Aquaria / Marine Reef / May 2005Switching a 75 Gallon FW tank to Saltwater FO
Hi there, I've been lurking for a while and I'm impressed with all the know-how, and willingness to share it, on this board. You guys are great! I'd like to impose on you for a little advice of my own. I've kept a planted freshwater tanks for three years now, but I'd like to take advantage of my move from CA to CO to switch to freshwater. However, I'd like to take advantage of as much of my existing equipment as possible, and I'm not sure what to use to supplement my existing setup. My tank is an acrylic 75 gallon short tank, which means it's shorter and has a bigger footprint than most 75 gal tanks. The tank has a lid built into it with two big holes where the lights go -- mostly for feeding, I presume. Behind those, it has two elongated holes, but they're not right up against the edge, so I'm not sure that an over-the-back skimmer would attach correctly. Is there a way to ascertain this without buying one and trying it? I have an Eheim 2028 filter that I *think* can be used in saltwater as well as freshwater. Is this worth keeping, or is filtration negligably useful compared to skimming? The thought of setting up a sump doesn't excite me, but I'll do it if necessary. I'm moving to a mountainous area of Colorado and I'm worried about power outages due to storms. I really don't want an outage to lead to flooding because the siphon overflows either the sump or the tank. Is this a problem? Also, the stand I built doesn't have a whole lot of room underneath for an additional tank. Are there any good free standing skimmers? That seems like the simplest option to set up; I could simply put it underneath the tank next to the filter. What brands do you recommend? I plan to use live sand (well, actually I'd like to seed some Florida crushed coral with Agra-Alive, if possible) and some live rock, so that should help with water quality. I'm rather befuddled about the filtration/skimming question in general. I welcome any and all advice! Thank you very much! -- Kathy My canned newbie response: I would highly recommend reading: Natural Reef Aquariums: Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms by John Tullock This is the first book I loan to anyone thinking of a reef tank. CW > Hi there, > [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > -- Kathy Thanks CheezWiz! I've read "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" cover-to-cover, but I'll put Tullock's book on my list! It's a long process but well worth it. You probably won't need the Eheim if you have enough live rock and a good skimmer. Auqa C makes really good skimmers, freestanding and hang on. I didn't go with the sump setup because of the same fears of siphon floods in the event of a power outage. Try to do about 1.5 - 2 lbs of live rock per gallon. That will take care of your bio-filtration. Research and read ALOT before diving in. > Hi there, > [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > -- Kathy Thanks Ray. I've heard only good things about the Aqua Cs, so I'll look into their freestanding models. Is it possible/recommended to seed dead rock with some live rock? Could I start out with half live rock and hope that with some TLC, the dead rock will start to grow? If so, what kind of dead rock is recommended for the task? If I have to pay for live rock I certainly will, but I've been looking at it online and it's fairly expensive. Also, shipping to my house in the woods may be difficult; I heard stuff takes a little longer to arrive. I did that, be prepared to fight hair algae for a long time until the good stuff takes over.. CW > Thanks Ray. I've heard only good things about the Aqua Cs, so I'll > look into their freestanding models. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Also, shipping to my house in the woods may be difficult; I heard stuff > takes a little longer to arrive. Maybe you could try half live base rock and half regular live rock. LR is very expensive. If you think it's high online, try the LFS. At least double if not triple the price. Now that I have a bunch of good rock going, I buy the rock in small quantities while poking around in the store at $20 at a time. Eventually I'll have a ton of it. > Thanks Ray. I've heard only good things about the Aqua Cs, so I'll > look into their freestanding models. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Also, shipping to my house in the woods may be difficult; I heard stuff > takes a little longer to arrive. > Maybe you could try half live base rock and half regular live rock. LR is > very expensive. If you think it's high online, try the LFS. At least double > if not triple the price. Actually, mine is charging $4.50/lb for cured LR. George Patterson "Naked" means you ain't got no clothes on; "nekkid" means you ain't got no clothes on - and are up to somethin'. I have been using a CPR overflow for years, but am still so paranoid that I have a webcam so I can check in on it when I am away.. Power outages do not cause problems, clogs do.... My next tank will be drilled. The benefits of an under tank refugium are well worth the cost and effort... CW > It's a long process but well worth it. You probably won't need the Eheim > if you have enough live rock and a good skimmer. Auqa C makes really good [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] >> >> -- Kathy For you guys with fears of siphon floods in the event of a power outage, try drilling a small hole (just below the water line) on the tube that returns the water from the sump to the display aquarium. This way (when power outage occurs), only the water above this hole will be siphoned back to the sump and once the hole is reached, the air will cut off the water. As far as clogs, have a back-up system in place or two systems running at once. Water damage can ruin and weaken flooring not to mention carpet. To save money on live rock, look to purchase used systems. Sometimes you get a whole "simple" system with 80 lbs or so of live rock (and some fish/basic coral/criters) for the same price as just purchasing live rock at your local fish store......just my thoughts Thanks for the suggestion! I'll reconsider a sump, though I'm still not sure (hardwood flooring below the tank). Used is a great idea -- I'll start checking Craig's list when I get to Colorado. |
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