freshwater to 75 gallon saltwater reef with fish evolution.

[coffeetwitch]

this will be my first ever saltwater attempt. i started another tread for a 55 gallon build but sweety pie and i where so up in the air about which of our tanks to use or even if we should have just bought a new to us tank from cl.

the final decision was for the 75 gallon that previously housed our cichlids. im going to try to keep up on pictures along the way. here are the first two. even as i write this i am draining it and going to catch the feeder goldfish we borrowed from the lfs to keep our filters cycled. in the mean time i am going to add the filters to our 125 gallon cichlid tank.

 

[coffeetwitch]

if you read my other thread i am reusing as much of my equipment as i can until i get the typical pieces for saltwater. on this tank we have 2 fluval 405's, 2 200 watt heaters, and a 48" coral life 2 bulb t5 light with a 10k and an actinic. oh and i may be using my bubble stick for a bit too.

for now we are taking the fish back to the lfs and then im painting the glass black.


hopefully an update tomorrow.

 

[carey]

Make sure we get some pictures when you finish painting!

You also will not need the bubble wands for the sw, just causes a ton of salt creep.

 

[coffeetwitch]

It will be a month or two before i get a sump up and running. I was under the impression that was where most of the o2 exchange happened.

Not doubting you just making sure we where on the same page.

The more we talk, the more it sounds like we are doing a fish only for now. Our now 55 gallon ram tank will be cleared out and as we collect rock will be put in it. I have to do some research on live rock.

We just went to petland. Got some info i would like opinions on. Also bought some stuff for the build. As soon as we get back from dinner ill share and try to make sence while i ask for some advise

 

[coffeetwitch]

long dinner....

no fish and almost all the water out... its sad to see an empty tank but good to know whats its going to turn into.

this is what i have bought 2 bags of the aragonite only one power head.

this is what happened when we moved the tank to the garage to be cleaned and painted... by the way i had good luck on my 125 using krylon fusion spray paint for the back ground. we used latex for the 55 and its already got a nick out of the paint job and that was after putting 3-4 coats on...

anyway pics of the tank...

 

[coffeetwitch]

now i have to reseal it... fine by me, i wanted to use black silicone to update the look of the tank. but is the frame reusable?

while we where at the lfs returning the feeder goldfish they loaned us. (returned fat and happy fyi) gave us some conflicting info on the tank...

1) we need live rock to cycle the tank... i was going to use my canister filters that are well established with bb. like i said before the 55 is going to get cleaned out after we find happy homes for the rams... and will be our live rock curing and holding tank...

2)still need to find out what all live rock is and what it is to cure it or find out when i can use it in my dt.

3)freshwater bb is the not the same as saltwater bb? the whole reason for keeping my 405's under a bio load was to use them on the saltwater until we accumulate all our lr.

4)we cannot put fish in our tank until we have lr. we wanted to put black and white clowns in so its not just sitting there waiting on lr.

5)he talked us into buying (if you ask me) a horrible specimen of live rock. good deal per lb but still. we went to a another lfs and bought a nice piece. water flows through it not off it or pools. just in case what i thought was wrong.

6)both pieces are sitting in a bucket of saltwater from the store. got 3? gallons for free... big deal but one of the pieces is partially out of the water with a paper towel wicking the water up to the topside. is that going to be ok until i can reseal the tank?

7)no fish for a month because of lr cycling the tank. canister filters?

8)base rock (puckani or figi base rock from one of the online stores like reefcleaners or bulkreefsupply) cannot be used in addition to live rock because it will take upwards of 5 years to make it live. made it sound like we could only use live rock... ie buy it from the store or someone...

i know some are asked twice and many are contingent on others...

carey you used base in your 125 build... i cant remember if huma-huma used it in his... no he used all the live rock that came with the tank... his sand was in question.

ok aa lay it on me...

 

[coffeetwitch]

one more of the frame off we where setting it down onto the stand and one end just pulled up and off..when i tried easing the rest of it, it just popped. there is a chip in the inside top corner that started the the seal to pull away. the frame pulling off so easily would also explain why there was always a mineral build up on the outside of the tank when we put too much water in... we bought the tank used from craigslist...

yeah the garage is a mess... i tinker alot and on alot of different stuff. crazy thing is i hate clutter... couldnt tell from the pic though right?

 

[coffeetwitch]

oh and i forgot to ask everyone if the wrought iron stand is going to be able to support the wieght of all the rock and sand and then the all of the sump.

 

[Fischerman45]

Live rock is where the BB lives (also somewhat in the sand somewhat.) I would go ahead and buy live rock you like and not worry on the price as much, I know it's
Expensive but you'll have the rock forever so get what you like! Shape wise not color color will change. Try aquatic connection or liveaquaria.
No fish in the tank while curing and the curing time changes on many factors temp, salinity, amount of water changes ect. Water changes will speed it up but don't do too large of water changes. Some people out ammonia/ or a raw
Shrimp in the water for the curing process. Personally I just clean the LR and put it in and let it cure.

 

[coffeetwitch]

thats where our 55 gallon tank will come in handy. we where thinking we can collect all the lr or base rock and cycle it in there. what about the bb in the canister filters? is freshwater bb the same as saltwater?

 

[Fischerman45]

Why dont you just put the LR in the 75? If you want it to be more stable I suggest rock first and then put the sand on top.
And I'm not sure if it is I highly doubt it though. And yeah BB will be in a canister filter. I recommend a sump though, if at all possible.

 

[coffeetwitch]

yes i wholeheartedly agree with the sump. i think end goal for sump maybe a berlin style sump with a separate refugium. but this slow progression from just a saltwater fish tank to fowlr to reef with fish is how we have to do it now. unless anyone wants to paypal to the cause... i joke on that last sentence...

i spent the last 3+ hours removing all the old seals... i dont recommend it unless you where the kid in school that always drug your nails across the blackboard just for kicks. i still have to do some cleaning to remove the last bits of silicone shavings. i was expecting to have it painted tonight. oh well.

so tomorrow its to the hardware store to buy some caulk. any body know if the frame is reusable with that crack in it?

i like how people add links to what they are talking about so imma try to do the same thing...

anyway i found a replacement at glasscages. down at the bottom the 48x18 should be what i need... 30 some odd dollars latter i can have a new one but that would mean more waiting.... i want some immediate gratification if possible.
Glasscages.com - Tank Frames
and here is one for the caulk
Shop for Silicone II 9.8 Oz. Window and Door Black-GE5030 12C at The Home Depot

 

[coffeetwitch]

Converting a Freshwater Aquarium into a Saltwater Tank - Algone.com

so who knows...

im also wondering about my circulation pump... its only a 75 gallon tank, are 2 koralia evolution 750's going to be two much flow?

 

[slitherbomb]

Converting a Freshwater Aquarium into a Saltwater Tank - Algone.com

so who knows...

im also wondering about my circulation pump... its only a 75 gallon tank, are 2 koralia evolution 750's going to be two much flow?

I have a 1300gph ph and a 750gph ph in my 75g.

 

[coffeetwitch]

ha. thanks slitherbomb, i retract my concern.

 

[carey]

I run 2 750's in my 55g as well, so you should be fine

 

[coffeetwitch]

kk so its seconded. any input on the frame? what about the lr? or the bb in the canisters being good to go for saltwater?

speaking of lr i was really liking the puckani
Pukani Shelf Rock
or
Pukani and Fiji Reef Saver Live Rock For Aquariums - bannerads - English

 

[carey]

What you can do is get a small amount of live rock and the rest "dead" or base rock from a place like this

ReefCleaners.org | Clean Up Crews and Macro Algae - Rock

I've purchased from from them quite a few times and have always been satisfied.

The dead rock will become live over a couple weeks and after a month or two you wont be able to tell the difference. AND its soo much cheaper.

 

[coffeetwitch]

i have a folder in my bookmarks of all the good links given or found. they are one of them. i remember you using reefcleaners for you 125 build. puckani looks interesting. and we where going to get some live rock. one of the lfs actually has puckani. it looks interesting enough and size to weight is good. bigger rock weighs less. that same store also has a fairly good price on the figi. with in a dollar and some change of some of the online prices for lr with no weight restrictions. one store would sell it for 5.50 if we bought 25lbs or more. how much lr to base would i need to do"

 

[carey]

I would aim for at least a total of 100lb of more in a 75. So even a 15% live rock with the rest being base would be a good start. I believe it's recommended to have 1.5lb -2 lbs a gallon.

Nice porous rock will be great too as there is more surface area for the bacteria and critters to hide in.

The lfs's near me charge anywhere from 5.99 to 7.99 a lb for fiji around here so 5.50 sounds good. Plus you can get some of the cooler shapes which is what you seem to want. Me, I just went with regular rock, theodd shapes made my head spin abit. LOL