How to transform FW to SW

[Gonzo1683]

Hey guys jw how to transform FW to SW the cheapest way possible..
I have a tall 55gal tank I have a marineland bio wheel filter it's good for 70gal tanks.. I was wondering if I can drain the tank empty the gravel and decor and just fill it with SW, sand, and use my FW equipment (heater, air stone, filter, t5 lamp) I was thinking of doing a fish only aquarium. So how important is the skimmer n would I really need one? And am I missing anything else.. Thanks all


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[Gonzo1683]

Sorry If the topic is misleading I just realized that.. It should of said How can I transform FW to SW


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[Bectan01]

I wouldn't use an air stone and would recommend a skimmer on a 55 for sure. You will also need a couple of powerheads for flow


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[Bectan01]

Oh and rock, you can buy live rock or dry rock. You'll need around a pound per gallon. Make sure you put the rock in first, then sand, water then cycle...


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[Gonzo1683]

Oh ok sounds like I'm gonna have to spend some money lol


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[Gonzo1683]

I think I have a skimmer and an ultraviolet light but that's for my big tank that a friend gave me 155gal lol.. I didn't wanna go salt water anytime soon so that's a fresh water tank for now until I get bored of the fw


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[sedubius]

I just transformed my 35g FW to SW.

First off let me say that my tank was not running for about 5 months but still had all the gravel and everything else in it. I cleaned the tank and sold the gravel.

Locally Live rock runs $9 a pound but I found some on kijiji for $4 and bought the necessary 40lbs. I kept the tank alive while I biult up a fair bit of money for the equipment needed. I did so by mixing a salt water and running a bubbler on each end of the tank because the live rock needs water flow to stay alive as well as heating the water. I then purchased the sand and added that to the tank. After waiting a few days for the sand to settle I filled the tank and began placing the live rock. After that I added the HoB protein skimmer (buy a good one its the backbone of your tank) a better light (not necessary) and 2 powerheads. There is some debate as to how much water movement you need but I would go for a minimum of 10x flow. Buy 2 powerheads with different gph rates and point them at each other and at the surface. The surface agitation will oygenise the water and the direction till cause lots of water movement.

I then added 2 hermit crabs an made sure they lived for a few days before buying my first fish. Add them slowly about 1 every week or 2.

Make sure you have a good test kit and test at least every second day for salinity, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

Have fun.

Edit: Oh and dont use your current filter. It is not needed if you have enough live rock and flow as it could lead to high nitrates if not very well maintained.