How do I change a freshwater tank to a saltwater tank??

Question

I have a 55 gal freshwater tank. My red devil fish Lou who's occupied the tank for 8 years recently died and now I'm wondering what to replace him with. I've had most fresh water fish that I'm interested in and now am thinking about changing that tank into a salt water tank for a change. Is this expensive to do? What do I need to do? Are salt water tanks really that much more work than fresh??

Answer 1

A salt water fish only tank is no mare difficult to take care of then freshwater. Your filter needs to have mechanical, biological and chemical filtration and it needs to move at least 10 gallons of water per hour (15 is better). You can buy a new one that comes with a skimmer, but it isn't absolutely necessary. You will also need florescent lighting (replace the bulbs every six months) a heater, a test kit and a hydrometer. You start with the salt water and some live rock/sand (one pound/gallon of water) to cycle your tank. Take regular readings of the water and when all the spikes are finished, you can start adding a clan-up crew and fish. Do weekly water changes with pre-mixed salt water (never do this in the tank) and only use reverse-osmosis cleaned water as any other water will promote slime growth. Replace evaporated water with only water. Feed according to what type of fish you have

Answer 2

For a beginner in salt water I recommend the BIO CUBE from Oceanic, they now have a 29 gal size. And it makes it easy,

Other wise, you could get by with the following.

A hang on the side protein skimmer

A particle filter

A bio-filter like a penguin bio wheel

A dual bulb light one of which is 10K the other is Actinic

A good thermometer and heater

But the most important thing to have for any salt water tank is:

PATIENTS !!!

There is no need for some great elaborate wet dry system and all that happy non sense.

You need to take your time, set up the tanks with salt water live sand and rock and then leave it with the filters running for at least two weeks preferrable a month. This will allow the biological system to form. IT IS ESSENTIAL for the biological system to be able to handle the fish waste or your ammonia level will go up and kill the fish. GO SLOW.

Then after that month add one fish. I know there will be people that will say get a damsel because they are cheap. But they're also a pain in the A$$ to get out of the tank. You don't really want to keep it so that 3.99 fish gets the burial at sea.
(whole nother story)

and then very slowly add another fish.

The FRESHwater rule of one inch per gallon DOES NOT work here. Your local fish store guys should be able to help you but you can not be sure that they will have a brain in their head.

So good luck have fun and go slow...

Answer 3

Saltwater tanks are harder to manage than freshwater aquariums. Well, you might have to consider this:
(1)Make sure you're ready and you feel confident about it
(2)Clean out the whole tank if the water that you have now is the water your freshwater fish died in
(3)Go to a store nearest to you that is a pet store and buy supplies like salt, new medicine for diseases, and possibly some new decorations because your old ones may have a bad smell or can have fungus on it that can spread. You should check on the Internet to see what accessories you'll need before you go like, food for the fish
(4)Go back home and rinse the decorations and put them in the tank along with the salt and other things that you need for the fish
(5)Change the filter if you haven't already done it
(6)Make sure everything is just like you want it to be like and add the water
(7)If you already bought the fish from the pet store, then you're all set and you just need to float the bag, which the fish is in, for 10-15 minutes, so the fish can adjust to the temperature
(8)Take the fish out and let them enjoy their new home! (Since you just bought the fish, you don't need to feed it at all because most of the times, the people who sell you the fish would of feed the fish already.)

Good luck!!

However, you may need an excellent filtration system, a protein skimmer, a heater, appropriate substrate for marine tanks, marine salt, an air pump to aerate new water prior to using it for water changes, a hydrometer, a complete saltwater test kit, possibly specialized lighting if you want inverts, and possibly mineral, vitamin, or trace element supplements.

Answer 4

The best thing to do would be ask your local fish seller. You will need to replace most if not all of your fish with salt water fish.
And yes, I'm told that salt water tanks are so much more work than fresh water.

Answer 5

Yes, they are. Biggest problem is Saltwater tanks need more oxygen than freshwater, and the water holds less. You have to have an under gravel filter with a lot of aeration to start with. Obviously, you also need the salt. Saltwater tanks also use harder water than freshwater, you will need to change your gravel. And introduce the biomass SLOWLY. One fish at a time.

They are expensive, they are fragile, and you need to take your time learning about the ecosystem, or you will incur a lot of expense for nothing.

-Dio

Answer 6

salt water tanks are a lot of work. you have to constantly make sure the ph balance and temperature are consistent...which can be hard at first, but once established, you should be ok.
if you are up for a challenge, then yes! switch to salt.
first you will have to get some salt(petsmart, local store, etc.) and add the required amount for your tank size. make sure you have your heater set at the right temp.
let this run for a few weeks. add some black mollies(they can live in fresh and salt) to help establish life in the tank.
a few more weeks later, add one saltwater fish, preferably a hardy variety.
hope that helps some!

Answer 7

It's not more work than freshwater after the initial setup. It is, however, far more expensive than freshwater.

You'll have to get more equipment. You will need a protein skimmer, special lightbulbs, different filters, etc. You will have to get a hydrometer to measure the proper amounts of salt. You'll have to test not only ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH (like you would in a freshwater tank), but you'll also have to check your calcium, iron, phosphate, copper, etc. levels as well.

I'm sure raising saltwater fish is rewarding, but to me, it's just too much work and money. I'm happy with my little freshwater guys.

Answer 8

Salt water tanks are alot more work then fresh water tanks. But if you want to change it to a salt water tank its very easy. Just go buy aquarium salt at your local fish store and follow the directions. I would not add in any fish until you get everything normal.

Tetra-fish.com has free regestration you can ask them any questions you want they get back to you with in 24 hours.

Answer 9

You have to start from scratch. It's a completely different environment than fresh and salt is a lot of upkeep and quite expensive. I suggest you do some research on the internet and go to some local saltwater fish stores and talk with them. Good luck!

Answer 10

sw tanks are more maintenace & more expensive than fw but well worth it.

if you plan on fish only you probably won't need to upgrade your lighting. if a reef you'll need to get better lighting, plan according to which corals you want to keep (some require higher lighting than others).

first clean out your tank thoroughly and let sit dry for a few days. then add reverse osmosis/deionized water mixed with a good sea salt (i use instant ocean) to give your water a sg (specific gravity) of 1.025-1.027. sg can be measured with a quality refractometer. also add live sand (can be purchased at most fish stores) and live rock. well, live rock is a source of debate but i have it in all my tanks & can vouch for the fact that it's a good form of filtration.

your tank will need to be cycled completely before you add any livestock. most times this takes anywhere from 4-8 weeks. the way to know if your tank is cycled is to test the water at day 1 after adding a piece of raw table shrimp (this will start the culturing of amonia & bacteria). make note of the readings for nitrite, nitrate, amonia. keep testing until all readings are at 0.

once your tank is cycled, add some cleaner crew (shrimp, snails, hermit crabs) and leave in for another few weeks. keep testing to make sure your water quality stays high. then you can start adding fish, but only add 1 at first. leave all alone for another few weeks then you can add another. you don't want to overload your tank's bioload or it will crash.

some necessities: a good protein skimmer, a cover (many sw fish like to jump), ro/di water, good sea salt, testing kits, refractometer, heater, lighting and powerheads to create waves.

i suggest you read up on this amazing hobby before you start. try wetwebmedia.com. there are also some good forums for beginners like talkingreef.com and reefcentral.com. both will give you good advice.

good luck & remember that patience is key in maintaining sw tanks.