Freshwater ---> Saltwater Wish me luck. some advice pleas

[Heineken]

Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum, but I know I'll be here quite often. Anyway, I've been living the FW life for a while now. I have a 90 gal. tank with 2 Red oscars and a clown knife. But I'm ready to go SW!!! I've done a bit of research on the internet and visited a few lfs, but nothing is more important than word of mouth advice and the opinions of experienced fish fanatics. I know that i need to upgrade to a wet/dry filter from my current hob, but does size matter? (lol that's not what i meant) I'm not sure how big/powerful/efficient a w/d filter needs to be for a 90g tank. Next, protein skimmers. Is there a minimum gph or some sort of rating that I need to get? And how much is too much for each of these. I have a reputation for getting ripped off a lot. I just don't know how much too spend. And btw, I'm planning on starting off with a fish-only tank, but maybe I'll upgrade to reef with more experience. Lighting doesn't need to be changed, does it(for fish-only)? Any recommendations for sand? starter fish to cycle my tank? strong-natured sw fish that won't die as easily as others?

Anyway, I'll be back often to do more of my homework. Thank you to those of you who took the time to read this, and a 1,000 thanks more to those who are willing to reply.

 

[nodoubt471]

well im a fan of lots of LR and lots of LS for the majority of filtration, and lots of circulation and skimming. when it comes to that, are you planning on having a sump? because that will be a deciding factor in what kind of equipment you are looking at.

i would go with a sand with a very small grain, as that increases area for biological filtratoin, which is very important

as for cycling the tank, i would definitly go with a fishless cycle. check out the article on this website about it. it is far more humane than subjecting damsels to that, and they can be VERY difficult to catch if you want to remove them (they can get to be nasty buggers!)

lighting can be NO for a FO tank, but i would get a saltwater spectrum lightbulb, maybe a 50/50 with actinic. this will improve the way your fish look, as saltwater has a complete different spectrum than fresh.

as for strong natured fish, did you have any ideas? agressive or community? tangs are nice, not too agressive as long as there is only one in the tank, and a lot are very hardy. royal grammas, ocellaris clowns, chromis damsels, most gobies, but those are small fish for such a large tank!! what i did when planning the livestock for my tank was picked the one fish i REALLY wanted to have, and absolutly couldnt do without, and then planned my livestock around that.

HTH, good to see ya doin your research

p.s. ask here before you buy anything, it will help keep you from getting ripped off!

 

[jaiden]

a cpr bakpak ($105) or remora skimmer ($165)will hang on the tank. if you are doing a sump, you should probably put your skimmer there though

for sand, you should use aragonite sand, not silica sand. smaller size is better. if you can find the right playsand you'll save a ton. I couldn't find any, myself this time of year

TAKE YOUR TIME before you buy anything. Buy the conscientious marine aquarist. it will save you money.

 

[indy]

Hehehe, I love that he says he has a reputation for getting ripped off and asks what size w/d he needs.

As nodoubt471 said, rock sand and circulation makes for a great filter at a fraction of the cost of a w/d. Fishless cycling is good, and you won't have to watch anything die during the cycle.

And of course read up while you plan your tank. This getting stated forum will answer most of your questions if you read most of the posts.