Harlequin
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Hello, found this board last night thought I would ask some questions. After having done marine reef tanks, I have decided to switch my 65 tank over to fresh for cost reasons. I have some set up questions as my father has had fresh tanks for years and alot of what he has done successfully conflicts greatly with what I have read here.
1. Substrate- Right now I have a deep aragonite sand bed in my 65. This is probably the best method for bio-filtration for saltwater. How will this work for fresh and if greatly rinsed out can it be used in my new tank?
2. Filtration- What works the best for this? Currently I have a wet/dry sitting in my closet, are these good for fresh or should I go with a powerfilter with a biowheel, or something else I dont know of?
3. Lighting- Currently I have two 55watt 50/50 PC lights above the tank along with a 175w metal halide. I would prefer not to use the halide since it adds 10 bucks to my monthly electric bill. How much light do freshwater plants need?
4. Since when does freshwater cycle? Been wondering about this since I have never seen my dad cycle his tank after cleaning and adding new water. He just puts in the fish and they do just fine.
This is all I can think of so far, but I am sure I will have more questions in the near future, the closer I come to switching over. Thanks
1. Substrate- Right now I have a deep aragonite sand bed in my 65. This is probably the best method for bio-filtration for saltwater. How will this work for fresh and if greatly rinsed out can it be used in my new tank?
2. Filtration- What works the best for this? Currently I have a wet/dry sitting in my closet, are these good for fresh or should I go with a powerfilter with a biowheel, or something else I dont know of?
3. Lighting- Currently I have two 55watt 50/50 PC lights above the tank along with a 175w metal halide. I would prefer not to use the halide since it adds 10 bucks to my monthly electric bill. How much light do freshwater plants need?
4. Since when does freshwater cycle? Been wondering about this since I have never seen my dad cycle his tank after cleaning and adding new water. He just puts in the fish and they do just fine.
This is all I can think of so far, but I am sure I will have more questions in the near future, the closer I come to switching over. Thanks