rookie question

[fresh]

how do you setup a tank for saltwater that was freshwater.is all this fancy stuff i see on tanks like the sumps and overflow stuff nessecary.if it isnt how can it be avoided? could you jus use high quality filters and powerheads?basically all i want to pay for is live rock and fish an a new filter or 2. is this possible?

 

[jackdp]

How you set up your tank depends on what you want to keep in it. Is this going to be a fish only tank or do you plan on trying your hand at corals? Depending on the the type of tank a sump is not necessary, it increases the total water volume of your system and provides an out of sight place to put heaters, skimmers, LR etc. You only need an overflow if your tank is not drilled and you need to get water flow to a sump or refugium. If you plan on having enough live rock, a sand bed and good water flow then the only other items you would want are a skimmer and heater. Oh, and lights....don't forget the lights, fish are afraid of the dark HTH

 

[fresh]

thanks alot that really clears things up for me.i am hoping to start a fish only tank with lots of live rock in it as well.i have the heaters i need new filters and a skimmer but do you need special lighting for live rock and fish?btw i have a 55 gallon tank.

 

[jackdp]

IMO If you only plan on keeping FOWLR then you don't need to go all out on the lighting. Bacteria will colonize the rock in the dark for what its worth. If you want to see good coralline algae growth then you may want to shoot for around 3 or 4 watts per gallon and maintain calcium and alkalinity levels. What kind of lighting set up do you have now?

 

[BTA]

Yes you do need the overflow because in a SW tank, the DOC are attracted to air and gather at the top of the water which needs to be taken into the overflow for the skimmer to skim the water properly.

I just want to add that if you think SW tanks are a piece of cake, well they're NOT. It's a lot more work and $$$ to have it than FW. If you're not prepared to spend sweet dollars for the "fancy stuff", you might as well save yourself a lot of headaches and money. Now I am not saying it can't be done BUT you're gonna have to pay for a lot more than just "live rock and fish". BTW, you don't need a filter for SW.

 

[fresh]

i know that i need more but i am finding out how i can start it and get it goin.then eventually keep adding things to it as money comes around.i cant jus go out an spend all my money in one heap.