Changing from salt to fresh

[spence0416]

I was wondering if I leave the sand in my tank and just change the water would this pose any problems. Would the die off start a new cycle for freshwater? Has anybody else done this?

Also a small amount of saltwater left behind wouldn't hurt correct?

 

[TankGirl]

If you leave the sand in and run a fishless cycle it could work. The die off can produce the ammonia required, but you will have to monitor that and once it is exhausted you will have to add your own, or use a prawn or something to provide ammonia for the cycle.

This kind of buffering sand would be appropriate for many African cichlids, as would the rockwork if you have that, too.

 

[spence0416]

I'm going to sell all the live rock and corals to the LFS so I won't have all the rock work.

I want to try getting firemouths to breed, but I'm not sure what the ph will be with fresh water.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

Wouldn't the sand have a ton of salt in it still?

 

[spence0416]

With all the freshwater being added I would expect that the salt left in the sand would be fairly diluted. But I'm just guessing and that is why I started this post.

 

[TankGirl]

Okay, so you are not going to scoop out the sand and rinse it? In that case, I would fill the tank, stir the sand, drain the tank, fill the tank, etc. until you have removed as much salt as possible. I have no idea how much salt will remain in the sand. Some is not a problem, but unless you are starting a brackish setup (not a bad idea....) you will want to try to get the majority of it out.