Please help me.

[Nemo6292]

Hey guys!

I have a 10 gallon aquarium that I am wanting to make a small reef tank. Can someone explain what I will have to do to make my freshwater aquarium a saltwater reef tank. Thanks!

 

[AquaRick]

Start reading up as much as you can. Here's a good place to start:
Saltwater

Also a great link on cycling your tank:
The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling

 

[Nemo6292]

What is this shrimp thing?? I've read alot about putting shrimp into the tank and letting it decay. Wouldn't that grow bacteria that would make one sick??

 

[Sniperhank]

The point is to grow bacteria. Many of us have done it and not become sick...I wouldn't recommend drinking the water from your tank though...more because of the salt. When you cycle a tank you are growing beneficial bacteria, one that consumes ammonia, which produces nitrites, and one that consumes nitrites, which produces nitrates. You then remove the nitrates via water changes and algae.

 

[Nemo6292]

I've got a 30 gallon fresh. I cycled it. It's not the cycling I am worried about. I just like to find the pros and cons of the saltwater side. I've read alot of new stuff about the saltwater and am just trying to check all my different options.

 

[AquaRick]

I've got a 30 gallon fresh. I cycled it. It's not the cycling I am worried about. I just like to find the pros and cons of the saltwater side. I've read alot of new stuff about the saltwater and am just trying to check all my different options.

I'm a bit confused. You want to change your 30g fresh into a salt water tank?

You can't make your cycled fresh by just adding salt. You need to redo the cycling process beginning with rock, sand, and saltwater. The BB in fresh is completely different from the BB in SW.

 

[Nemo6292]

No no no! Go over to the nano reef thread. Find me. Should be up top. Im sorta on two threads. Fresh is gonna stay fresh until I know I want to go bigger. Right now I'm strictly going salt in my 10 gallon. Lol. Sorry for confusion.

 

[AquaRick]

Ah got it. Just an fyi, you can ask a moderator to merge the threads or close one out.

 

[Nemo6292]

The moderator can feel free to close this one.