Going SW

[ORayRay]

I got a tank 2 weeks ago, planned on going fresh water, got a HOB aqua-clear, and started the fish-less cycle, and I'm about a week away from getting fish, but know i have fallen in love with SW fish and don't want to go FW anymore. I have a 30 gallon Hex, its all i can fit right now. I have been reading a lot on here and i know im going to need about 40lbs of LR, as for lighting in kinda clueless, corals are cool but im sure it would be hard for them to get good lighting in a hex so im just going fish and LR, im pretty handy so I can DIY one if some good advice is givin, now i know i should take out my river rock, and replace it with sand, but what about mixing the salt, can i mix the salt with the water that is already in the tank?

 

[HN1]

You do understand that the beneficial bacteria is different between fresh and salt right? Also, the marine cycle will not actually begin until you add the LR. It will need time to mature from that point and will not be safe for fish.

I'm DIY challenged so hopefully folks will chime in on that topic.

 

[ORayRay]

yea i figured the bacteria was different, and i know the cycle wouldnt start w/o the LR

 

[HN1]

Cool. Just making sure.

 

[melosu58]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f14/stock-list-and-tips-for-maintaining-your-sw-tank-73477.html

A good place to start. After this read our SW articles in the articles section.

 

[Justin1989]

Lighting for a hex isnt necessarily to hard. I'm sure they have lights for them. Or you could even use hanging lights from the ceiling.

You can mix the salt with the water currently in the tank, if the salt has no where to just sit and no dissolve. So if the tank is completely empty with only water it would be best. Make sure you have a pump or power head of some sort giving the water flow.