Conversion Help/Thoughts/Advice

[killianaquarium]

Hi,

I am Kyle from NC. I have pretty much decided to covert my 55 gal fw into sw. Here is a list of my current equipment:

ProClear SlimLine 60 Wet/Dry w/ CAP 1800 PH
2 - Aquaclear 402 PH
All Glass 48" Compact flourescent light

My next steps will bee to find a good home for my current fw fish:
1 - Syodontis(upsidedown cat)
3 - misc cichlids
2 - Silverdollar
1 - Bala shark

Then order and stock my tank with live rock to let it cycle. I am also considering buying a RO/DI 5 stage system as well from Bulk Aquarium Supplies.

I currently have a hydrometer and salt left over from years ago when I dibbled in the hobby. The reason I got out of the hobby years ago was due to losing everything when my town had a multi-day power outage from an ice storm one winter.

Another consideration I have is, due to the lack of a credible lfs, I will have to purchase most/all of my rock and livestock on the internet. Is this a bad thing? I went to the most credible lfs in my town yesterday and was very disappointed to see a brown film in all of their sw aquariums and very low quality live rock that I didn't even bother asking how much they charged... They made PetCo look like a Cadilac.

Any thoughts, advice, and questions will be greatly appreciated.

Kyle

[killianaquarium]

I bought a Marineland 37 Gallon Eclipse Kit w/ Mirror Back to house my current FW fish. Placed it in my childrens room. My wife actually says now she wished we would have put it in our room.

Next step, order RO/DI 5 Stage Plus from BRS...

[Kio707]

Buying from the internet isn't a bad thing. Just remember to let your tank cycle before you put in livestock. Liveaquaria.com, reefcleaners.org, and sponsered vendors on this site are some good choices to start with.

[carey]

Hello. Welcome to the forum!

You can order base rock real cheap from here ReefCleaners.org | Clean Up Crews and Macro Algae. A good site to order other live rock but a little pricey is Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums

Just something to get you looking!'
And a must read article on cycling your tank

Cycle your salt tank

Good luck, keep us posted!

[huma-huma]

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewi...d=230393088138
Great refractometer for a decent price...hydrometers can be hit or miss with accuracy

[killianaquarium]

My tank is currently about 80% full of saltwater and I have my two powerheads running, waiting on the rock. RO/DI 5 Stage Plus from BRS up and running excellent. My dry live rock will be here from BRS tomorrow. I ordered 52lbs. of the Pukani because it looks the best. I also bought a 20 gallon long from Petco (currently $1 per gallon) for my quarantine tank along w/ heater and sponge filter. I know I let my tank cycle after placing the live rock in, but what should I expect since this is dry live rock and not wet?

[killianaquarium]

Alright. I got my rock in yesterday from BRS. I ordered 52lbs of Pukani. It is really nice rock. I have attached a few pics. I also included a pic of the 37 gal I transfered m FW fish to.

http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z480/killianphotobucket/?action=view&current=2011-09-30_07-13-04_441.jpg

http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z480/killianphotobucket/?action=view&current=2011-09-29_22-06-17_185.jpg

http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z480/killianphotobucket/?action=view&current=2011-09-29_19-09-03_936.jpg

http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z480/killianphotobucket/?action=view&current=2011-09-29_23-29-49_772.jpg

[Retired_AF]

I have that exact 37g tank for my FW fish. Do you plan to use that filter in the canopy or will you be going to something else?

I put a Fluval 305 canister filter on mine and am waiting for the bacteria to start growing. The filter in the canopy makes a great mechanical filter but it clogs quickly. Mine overflowed and leaked a little over a gallon of water on the floor. I'm not sure why it did that because it should have gone over the notch to the biowheel, but it leaked anyway.

The pump works great and I am thinking of using it separately to pump water just for the current.