Converting 70 gallon tank from fw to sw

[Kathy Moon]

Hello!

I've kept an aquarium for years. I started with a ten gallon filled
with guppies. Blah, Blah, Blah.... I now have a 70 gallon with
Irridescents and believe it or not, goldfish. I had 2 "worms" that
decided to commit suicide... no matter how tightly I sealed the top,
they managed to find a way out...

At any rate, I'd like to know how to convert this tank (in plain
english please ie: step 1: step2: step3: )

I would like to wind up with one that is as self sustaining as
possible. I know thats a fantasy, but with as minimal amount of
maintenance as is possible.

The sw aquariums that I have seen in the past are absolutely beautiful
with wonderful fish and "rock" colors that just can not be duplicated
in a fw aquarium.

The specifics:
The aquarium is in my living room. It can be placed 2ft to the E side
of a South facing window, or 12ft to the N of the same south facing
window. The window has light filtering blinds, but are not black out
blinds. In either spot, indirect sun is almost all day, with first
location getting the minimal amount from the side rather than the
front.
The aquarium has a solid cover (two lamps versus one long that I
seldom ever turn on) with "holes" for filteration system in back
(currently using two whisper 60's) I use a submergible heater, that
for yr's now has been very accurate)
About once a month, I use a python to remove about 1/2 the water and
replace. Both filters (charcoal) are changed monthly. I use about 2
T's aquarium salt every couple months with water change and StartRight
with every water change.

Thanks for any help!

[Stephen]

Get this book and read it.
Then if you do not want it, sell it on Half.com

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1890087009/qid=1059366181/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_3/103-8375041-3187847?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

IMHO, I think it is the best book for newbies to marine/reef
aquariums......


--
Stephen
--------------------------------------------------
In-Dash MP3
http://www.highwaymp3.com/
--------------------------------------------------


"Kathy Moon" > wrote in message
om...
> Hello!
>
> I've kept an aquarium for years. I started with a ten gallon filled
> with guppies. Blah, Blah, Blah.... I now have a 70 gallon with
> Irridescents and believe it or not, goldfish. I had 2 "worms" that
> decided to commit suicide... no matter how tightly I sealed the top,
> they managed to find a way out...
>
> At any rate, I'd like to know how to convert this tank (in plain
> english please ie: step 1: step2: step3: )
>
> I would like to wind up with one that is as self sustaining as
> possible. I know thats a fantasy, but with as minimal amount of
> maintenance as is possible.
>
> The sw aquariums that I have seen in the past are absolutely beautiful
> with wonderful fish and "rock" colors that just can not be duplicated
> in a fw aquarium.
>
> The specifics:
> The aquarium is in my living room. It can be placed 2ft to the E side
> of a South facing window, or 12ft to the N of the same south facing
> window. The window has light filtering blinds, but are not black out
> blinds. In either spot, indirect sun is almost all day, with first
> location getting the minimal amount from the side rather than the
> front.
> The aquarium has a solid cover (two lamps versus one long that I
> seldom ever turn on) with "holes" for filteration system in back
> (currently using two whisper 60's) I use a submergible heater, that
> for yr's now has been very accurate)
> About once a month, I use a python to remove about 1/2 the water and
> replace. Both filters (charcoal) are changed monthly. I use about 2
> T's aquarium salt every couple months with water change and StartRight
> with every water change.
>
> Thanks for any help!
>

[Teeb]

http://www.melevsreef.com/overview.htm

Read that before you buy a book.. lots of books aren't all that great but I
do not know anything about the one mentioned in the other response. I have
just found that getting advice here.. well actually on the reefs group where
I hang out, but this one would work too.. is better than books. There is no
such thing as a self sustaining reef or marine tank.. I have kept freshwater
for more than 30 years, got into marine a year ago. Throw almost everything
you know out the window except cycling processes..
If you want all the *colorful rock* etc, if you mean more than just live
rock, which is very colorful if it's got corraline in the pinks reds and
purples, sometimes blue-ish.. it's very pretty.. but you are probably
thinking of reef tanks you have seen with all the gorgeous corals in every
color you can imagine. A new lighting system would be a must for that and on
a 70 gallon tank, you're looking at well over $500 for something adequate to
support most corals. Sun coming in through a window will do nothing but
promote algae growth.
You would not want to change out that much water (half) at one time in a
sal****er tank, even just once a month. It's really not needed at all unless
you need to bring a problem under control, such as ammonia. You could use
your whisper filters if you take out the pads and just use the whisper for
water circulation.. I use them but keep the pads out except about once every
couple weeks I stick them back in, stir up the substrate a bit (crushed
coral..) and let it filter out, then take the pads back out. It is a little
more complicated than just a 1 2 3 step kind of thing! You first need to
decide what you want to do.. if you just want fish and live rock (live rock
is a great filter..) or if you want a reef tank or a combination, in which
case you need to be sure your critters are reef safe and won't snack on a
coral in the tank that you just spent $50 on..
Anyway.. go read that link first.. it's a great overview written by someone
on the reef newsgroup after Finding Nemo came out...

Teeb


"Kathy Moon" > wrote in message
om...
> Hello!
>
> I've kept an aquarium for years. I started with a ten gallon filled
> with guppies. Blah, Blah, Blah.... I now have a 70 gallon with
> Irridescents and believe it or not, goldfish. I had 2 "worms" that
> decided to commit suicide... no matter how tightly I sealed the top,
> they managed to find a way out...
>
> At any rate, I'd like to know how to convert this tank (in plain
> english please ie: step 1: step2: step3: )
>
> I would like to wind up with one that is as self sustaining as
> possible. I know thats a fantasy, but with as minimal amount of
> maintenance as is possible.
>
> The sw aquariums that I have seen in the past are absolutely beautiful
> with wonderful fish and "rock" colors that just can not be duplicated
> in a fw aquarium.
>
> The specifics:
> The aquarium is in my living room. It can be placed 2ft to the E side
> of a South facing window, or 12ft to the N of the same south facing
> window. The window has light filtering blinds, but are not black out
> blinds. In either spot, indirect sun is almost all day, with first
> location getting the minimal amount from the side rather than the
> front.
> The aquarium has a solid cover (two lamps versus one long that I
> seldom ever turn on) with "holes" for filteration system in back
> (currently using two whisper 60's) I use a submergible heater, that
> for yr's now has been very accurate)
> About once a month, I use a python to remove about 1/2 the water and
> replace. Both filters (charcoal) are changed monthly. I use about 2
> T's aquarium salt every couple months with water change and StartRight
> with every water change.
>
> Thanks for any help!
>

[jcd]

I have a 70 gal tank, a fluval (505, I think --- I'm out of town now so I'll
have to look it up later if it matters), a powerhead, and heater. Plus I
have an automatic feeder that plugs into an air pump to keep the flakes dry.
The light is on a timer. The feeder is only really for when I travel, but I
gotten used to relying on it, and the fish know what that sound means twice
a day!

I currently have just 2 fish, a blenny and a clown + 2 hermit crabs. I'll be
getting another clown soon. I make sure there is pleny of rock and broken
shells for the blenny to hide in ( he sleeps between the heater and the
glass! ) I'll probably get another 1-3 more fish sometime. I had a 2nd
clown, but he caught some kind of disease and treatment did no good. (A word
of advice, go ahead and get a small 2nd tank for a hospital tank!)

I probably only change the water about every 6 weeks. I use Amquel to treat
the tap water. I use carbon in a bag in one fluval basket, some ammonia
soaking resin in another basket, and keep the 3rd basket for bio-filtering.
I use Coral Life salt in a 50lb bucket.

Anyway, it is about as "self-sufficient" as you can get, I suppose. I keep a
good watch on the ammonia and the salt level (with a Deep Six tester). I've
had very few problems --- the worst being when the first Fluval burned up on
me. I sent them the powerhead and they replaced it with no questions asked.
I made do with a small bio-wheel until I got the new Fluval.

The hermets take care of a lot of the janitorial duties. Every now and then
I provide them with bigger shells as they grow.

I initially bought a testing kit that tests just about everything you test
for. But about the only thing I still test frequently is for ammonia, and I
never have any problem with it.

I top off the water to bring the salt level down to normal now and then.
When I do change the water, I move all fish + crabs into a bucket so I don't
damage or stress them out. And I make sure to suck up the detrius when I
change the water, by stirring up the sand vigorously while I siphon the
water out.

I've been doing this for over 4 years now, and the tank has worked out just
fine. I've had the clown fish for the entire time. Worthy of notice is that
I don't have any live coral in the tank, and the hermits are about as hardy
as any tank critter gets ! A medium sized resin fake barnacle provides some
color and a comfortable hiding place for the blenny.

This is just my experience. If you add any other invertibrates like coral or
anything else, I'm sure maintenance and attention to water quality would be
more of an issue. But with just a few fish, lots of horizontal swimming
room, and a couple of hermit crabs, I have had very little trouble. The only
thing I really have to worry about is the power going out for more than a
day --- but you can get pumps that run on battery when AC goes off or even a
UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to take care of that.

Hope that helps!

P.S. I agree on reading the links mentioned in this thread!

[richard reynolds]

I am sorry because its late and I am tired but

> I top off the water to bring the salt level down to normal now and then.
> When I do change the water, I move all fish + crabs into a bucket so I don't
> damage or stress them out. And I make sure to suck up the detrius when I
> change the water, by stirring up the sand vigorously while I siphon the
> water out.

did you just say what it sounds like you just said ???

if your moving your fish into a bucket every time you do waterchanges its SOOOO much more
stressful on them than just being in the tank.


also you would be good to test for nitrates, instead of ammonia, if your tank is 4years
old amminia is less significant.

--
--
richard reynolds

[Marco Qualizza]

In article >,
says...
> I am sorry because its late and I am tired but
>
> > I top off the water to bring the salt level down to normal now and then.
> > When I do change the water, I move all fish + crabs into a bucket so I don't
> > damage or stress them out. And I make sure to suck up the detrius when I
> > change the water, by stirring up the sand vigorously while I siphon the
> > water out.
>
> did you just say what it sounds like you just said ???
>
> if your moving your fish into a bucket every time you do waterchanges its SOOOO much more
> stressful on them than just being in the tank.
>
>
> also you would be good to test for nitrates, instead of ammonia, if your tank is 4years
> old amminia is less significant.
>

Don't forget the "stirring up the sand vigorously", which makes me
cringe (thinking "hey, is that a DSB you're siphoning?")...


--
7y FW -- 33g & 55g
100 gallon reef-ready air tank. (Converting to reef)