Hello Everyone.

[seanhayes3d]

Just wanted to pop in and say hello.
I also had a potentially silly first question though. I have a brackish tank that has been running since early January. I have two puffers, and a few cichlids. (yes I am aware they should not be in this high of salinity) or maybe they can for the time being. It is at 1.009. For substrate I'm using Nature's Ocean Black beach live sand. A few pieces of drift wood, and a few rocks. If I continue to raise the salinity, could I make it a marine tank? Also Would the puffers survive? I'm pretty certain I'm going to have to relocate the Cichlids before I do this, and That should not be a problem.

Thank you,
Sean

 

[seanhayes3d]

P.S. I also have the Fluval 405 on my tank.

 

[willray]

Really,,,, there are NO silly questions in this hobby. When in doubt ask about! "Marine tank" So your thinking fish only?

 

[Turbosnail]

Welcome to the BRS! What kind of puffers are they? I know that you can acclimate most puffers to full salt water if you do it slowly and as Willray said above there are no silly questions in this hobby. Make sure you do your homework before you get started nothing fast happens in this hobby so take you time.

 

[seanhayes3d]

Thanks

Well they are green spotted puffers. Sadly one might of ingested something he should not have, or could be some others factors. His belly is blackish, as the other is white. But with that aside I like the look of live rock, I could see getting into making a nice reef. Just with out changing much and what I already have what would be on of the better ways of going? I'm also running a 30 gallon tank. So I have a lot of filtration.

So here goes nothing with some questions.
1: With my current substrate I'm I good to go with going full salt?
2: I like the look of my drift wood, but do I have to remove it? Also would it buffer the PH to much for saltwater?
3: How much Live rock would be required for a 30 gallon tank?
4: Finally does the live rock use up the "space" in my tank? (2 inch of fish for every gallon)

Again thank you for taking your time to read and respond.

 

[willray]

1: Yes! Just be sure to rinse it well,preferably in some r/o water.
2:No driftwood...nothing that will rot or decay.
3:Tough call as some rocks are heavy as cement while others are light and airy, 30lbs min.
4: Yes minimally though.

You actually have minimal filtration for a reef tank.The rock once is established(live)it will add to the bio-filtering capability...allot but for a reef tank it is advised to use a skimmer and eventually ditch the fluval.
What about lighting?

 

[seanhayes3d]

With my substrate do I still need to rinse it even though I'm already using it?
May I ask why nothing that will rot or decay?
Thank you 30 pounds isn't that bad to figure out and buy .
Right cause the suction is from the bottom not the top. is using a skimmer the best option to just be using?
For lighting I have a florescent light bulb. If I go all fish and no rock is this all I need? And if I go rocks what kinds do I need?

 

[Aquaman_68]

anything that rots or decays will raise the organic level in the tank that could cause algae blooms.

Foam fraction is the best method for pulling out organics.. (skimmer) that is the most natural approach...it's like the waves crashing on the beach!! (the foam you see on the shore from the waves is actually the foam that a skimmer would produce...)

The best way for you to actually start (going foward not backward) would be to siphon out the substrate....rinse with fresh ro water & than maybe rinse again in some well mixed fresh salt water.. Buy 10 pounds of live sand to seed it after putting it back in the tank.. (probably want to get the new added live sand before cleaning the old sandbed so you won't incure an ammonia spike...)

You can get the sand back in the water filled tank rather easy... (by using the PVC method) I can get into that if you like....I just don't want to floor you too much yet....u have to get ur feet wet first......BTW...what type of tank do you think you want to have? FOWLR or a full blown reef w/corals etc?

Oh yeah...don't let me forget...Welcome to the forum & this side of the hobby.


B

 

[seanhayes3d]

Thank you very much for all the information. After reading everything you have all said, and thinking about it. My best course of action would to buy a separate tank and start from scratch. Maybe sometime soon I will be officially joining you all in the world of salt water.

 

[Aquaman_68]

oh man...here we go!!!! Lets see what comes!! ask alot of questions before making ur purchase! (it can't hurt & people r willing to help a fellow reefer)

GL,
B

 

[seanhayes3d]

Well Here I am officially starting my first SW tank. I got a 38 gallon from this fellow. The tank is from 1996, and is in wonderful condition. Not even for its age like this tank looks brand new. I filled it up outside to see if i could spot any leaks and nothing. The Silicone looks like it is brand new. Right now i have the glass sitting on its stand with 5 gallons in it right now, to see if the bottom holds. I'm going to have to buy everything else for it though, which from where I am its not a bad gig, cause I got the tank/stand for free!! :-D (oh I love wives who want more room in there house!!!) Any who. I would love to have a nice reef setup (live rock and such?) My store has a really nice piece of LR that I would die to buy so. That is my goal. So for starter questions. How much LR should I get/need? What kind of lighting? Filtration, should I go big or go home with this? As in my FW tank has a fluval 405 on a 29 gallon. So I do understand higher filtration is never a bad thing. But still would like to know. heater set to about 80? How long before I put LR/fish? Also I own a ton of mollies are they a good choice to cycle a tank with? Oh and please ask anything from me that you might need to know, and add anything I might need to know.

 

[Reef_Wizard]

1. Drill and install overflow (recommended) OR buy a U-tube overflow (assuming your tank is non-rr)
2. Buy or build sump/refugium
3. Collect equipments (skimmer, return pump, powerheads, test kits, refractometer, ro/di)
4. Install plumbing and test-run the system
5. Buy live rocks and sand OR buy dry rock and dry sand (then buy seed rock and sand from pest free/ trusted system)
6. Begin fishless cycling

Lighting - what kind of coral do you want to keep? Softies, LPS, SPS, clam? Visit LFS or other reefers and see how you like different lightings and color

The more things you plan ahead and test before adding fish or coral, the less likely you will regret it. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with 1st tank.

 

[bossreef]

Also I own a ton of mollies are they a good choice to cycle a tank with?

Save the fish! The live rock and sand should do well enough to cycle the tank. No need to kill a fish.