New tank questions and converting to sw questions

[asraiangel]

Hi everyone!

I am fixing to aquire a 56 gallong octagon aquarium from a neighbor. I have had many FW tanks in the past and have a good working knowledge of how they run and how to maintain them. BUT, my goal/hope is to convert this tank over to saltwater. I know little/nothing about saltwater so im going to do my research before i do anything. I need to know everything from filters to lighting. Im thinking about using a half live sand and half regular sand mixture as the substrate but i dont know how much to use because of the shape of the tank. i would like to have aninamae (probably just slaughtered that word) and fish in the aquarium.

Thanks a ton!
Beth

[Zagz]

Welcome to AA! Browse through our SW getting started forums. There is a wealth of good info there.

[roka64]

Welcome to the site! Skip the "live" sand, I have my doubts that it is truly live after shipping and storage. Hop on over to the SW section and we'll be more than happy to help you. Check my sig block for some article that will help explain how everything works.

[MCluett]

Welcome to the site, this is definatly the best place you could have come

[asraiangel]

this is probably a dumb question, but i live about 5 miles away from the pacific ocean, can i get real live sand from there?

[MCluett]

i would suggest buying since you have no way of knowing what chemicals and other pest could be in the sand. also it is technically illegal to take sand or rocks from the beach i believe. but i would say mainly there are to many unknowns with actaul beach sand. i am sure one of the more experienced members will jump in with a better explanation soon though

[cmor1701d]

Even if you went out 10 miles to get clean sand you don't know what pest organisms you mihgt introduce to yor tank. It's best to get plain dry sand and Live Rock (LR). The hitchikers on the LR will help the sand become live. Also, getting a cup or two of sand from an established reef tank is all that is needed. Read the articles that Roka pointed too as well as the others in the SW article section. Then post the questions that are bound to arise in the SW forums.