going from freshwater to saltwater

[jjgina]

I have owned a 55-gal and 35 gal freshwater for about a year and a half. My oscars and pikes have out grown the tank. When I started looking at larger tanks I decided to change over to saltwater. All the people that I know with saltwater tanks say that it is easier than fresh but all the things that I have learned about saltwater sounds like it is a lot more complicated with protein skimmers taking some of the nutrients out of the water and watching calcium levels and salinity and how sensitive marine fish are to changes.
couple questions:
-how do you test for all the different things that you have to watch (with my salt water I tested for PH, ammonia, and nitrites once a month and they always came up good, probably thanks to the Fluval 304 I use)
-I went to a local store that strictly dealt with saltwater and I was asking about "Miracle Mud" because the ads said that a novice could easily keep reefs and marine fish, he told me that all you have to do is have about 4-6 inches of live sand, put some live rock in and use a sump under the tank w/ a protein skimmer and everything will be good

[ravenmore]

Well - I certainly WOULD NOT say salt is easier than fresh.

There's a whole bunch of ways to keep a reef tank. I personally subscribe to a modified "berlin method", which basically involves using live rock and live sand for filtration and using power heads to move the water around.

Light is critical. You need a lot more light for saltwater if you plan on keeping corals. A general rule that will get you in the ball park is 3 to 6 watts per gallon. Some people will argue that a bit but, like I said, it'll get you in the ball park. The light needs to also be a certain color (emit light in certain spectrums). This is measured in "color temperature". Base reference is that sunlight is ~5500 to 6000k (k=degrees kelvin - term used for measuring color temp). You really want light at least in that range - as you go to higher color temps the light gets bluer. There are a lot of pros & cons to what color temps you use that I won't go into here.

I like to keep my salinity at ~1.025 and wouldn't recommend going lower than 1.022. Get a good test kit. Don't put any livestock in the tank until the tank "cycles". Learn about livestock b4 you add it to your tank - this can save you a LOT of money and problems. It also helps to ask about equipment b4 you by it - more than likely someone here will be familiar with it and be able to recommend it or not.

I personally also don't like additives. Artificial salt mixes have and overabundance of elements in them already. I now when I started I spent a ton of $$$ on additives I didn't need. Just use a good calcium supplement and that's it. ( I like kalkwasser - it balances calcium levels and alkalinity levels in one fell swoop). Use filtered water - tap water in most places causes a ton of problems.

I'd recommend a 4" to 6" sand bed with as fine grained sand as you can get. I wouldn't recommend using the fluval filter - just live rock, live sand (sand will become "live" over time from your live rock, although it helps to add fauna kits) and a skimmer for filtration). Sorry kind of shotgunning recommendations - a lot of ground to cover in properly setting up a new tank. You're off to a majorly good start coming to Reefland (welcome, by the way!!!). As you have specific questions - throw 'em out here and we'll help you out.

Also you might consider running the 55 as your main tank and using the 35 as a sump.

Good luck!

-Mike

[rededteck]

My answer to you first is salt water is much more expensive. The initial start up is the most costly.

Secondly, decide what type of setup do you want? Do you want fish only? Do you want to re-create a coral reef? Do you want corals and fish?

There are several good publications, there are probably some very cool people who frequent stores in your area. These folks could tell you what worked and did not work for you.

Testing of salt water is similar, you add drops and watch for the color change to determine your water condition.

Some things to keep in mind going to salt water. You will need to purchase salt mix, you will need to purchase live rock and sand, a test kit, and most likely upgrade your lighting, and of course a protein skimmer.

My advice to you is to understand the basics, clean one of your tanks, and get started. I will start a thread asking people about their setups. You should get pummeled with ideas.

Good Luck

[mrok12]

I agree with the previous post, that indeed marine aquariums are the most costly to set up. I have set up one, a 65 galoon and estimate that we have around 2000 in it.
The key to success is to listen to all the suggestions you recieve, read a few good books, Find a reputable LFS, and hook up with local reefers. This way you have a broad base of knowledge and experience on which to form your conclusions. What works for me may not work for you.
It is important as well to know what you want from your tank: Fish, coral, Both. Existing vs growing and thriving. Husbandry is so important and information and dedication are vital to success!! I recommend the following references:
The New Marine Aquarium, By Michael Paletta and natural reef aquariums by John Tullock. If you plan on any corals then, Aquarium Corals, By Eric Boernman is a must. Good Luck and Happy Hollidays to you.

MROK12