Do I have the right equipment?

[robvia]

I am new at this, so forgive me if I sound stupid. I just got married and my wife's parents are giving us their fish tank. It is 6 feet long, 13 inches wide, and about 30 inches deep. It has always been a fresh water tank, but I would like to make it a salt water tank.

I'm trying to figure out what I will need to replace and what I will ba able to re-use. Also trying to get a budget on what it is going to cost me.

ROCKS. Currently it has smooth green (list glass) rocks. The ones you find at the stores for decorating. Those will have to go, correct? I think I will need the "living rocks." Any way to get a good deal on this? How deep do they need to be. The tank has 6 square feet on the bottom so if I need 2 inches of rock, that's one cubic foot of rocks. That's a pretty big and very heavy box of rocks. I would think it would need to be deeper than that, so that means even more.

Filters. The tank currently has a canister filter in the stand. I would think I could get a different type of filter and would be able to re-use the tubing and pump without any problems. I have seen some big square box filters at a local store, but they were very expensive. They, of course, are trying to tell me I have to spend lots of money to make this work. What is right?

Under gravel filter. The tank has an under gravel filter. Currently it draws water down through the rocks and pumps it out a pipe to the top of the tank. With the different rocks, I don't know if I can get rocks big enough that they will not get sucked into the filter. I read something about reversing the pump and sucking water from the top of the tank, and pumping it out under the rocks and letting it rise through the rocks. This would keep the filter from getting clogged, but can you do this? Do I even need this filter? Would I be better off to take this one out, and get another canister style filter or some other style?

Airator. This tank also has a long tube at the bottom that pumps air into the tank. You can adjust the amount of air. Do I need this for saltwater? Should I mount it in the gravel at the bottom so it is not seen?

Thanks for any advise that you can give me.
Rob

[Penguin]

Are you thinking about setting up a fish-only tank or a reef tank? This will really help determine which of your current equipment you will want to re-use as far as substrate, lighting, filtration.

I think that a 30-inch deep reef tank would be really difficult to light properly.

It sounds like you're describing a river-rock type substrate. You will definitely want to get rid of those, and get something that will at least look more natural for a marine tank, such as sand or crushed coral/shell. A deep sand bed (~6") is an option you might consider.

You definitely will not need the air pump/airstone. These are not normally used in marine setups.

Most people don't use UGF for saltwater anymore, but a few still do use them, mainly the reverse-flow type that you mentioned. Personally I wouldn't use it though.

Canister filter might still be useful if you were going to set up a fish-only tank.

[robvia]

I am thinking I will start with fish only. Sounds like the reef tank is more than I want to tackle. Besides, the kids will like the fish more.

Tank may not be 30 inches deep. May be a 90 gallon tank.

Will the canister filter be enough? Will I need to add more filtering? What type should I add?

I think I will need a protien skimmer. Is that correct?

I was hoping the reverse flow UGF, canister filter, and protien skimmer would cover my needs. That would help keep the cost down.

I am pretty sure I will have to change the lights. Don't much info on what is in there right now, so I don't know how I will change it. Any suggestions on what to look for in lighting?

Newbie looking for help,
Rob

[Penguin]

There are different ways you could go about it. But I would remove the UGF, invest in some live rock (rule of thumb is at least 1lb per gallon) and a decent skimmer. The live rock will take the place of the UGF as your biological filtration, and will add beauty and intrigue to your tank. You could still keep the cannister. This is all the filtration you'd need, you wouldn't have to buy an expensive wet/dry "box" type filter. This is what I would do.