FW conversion to SW, new to this, please help!

[subvet]

Hello everybody,

I have a 90 gallon (48x18x24) aquarium that I am going to attempt changing to a marine/reef aquarium. I just got rid of my last FW fish. I currently have a Fluval 404 and Emperor 400 for filtration (approx. 740 gph filtering). I have been doing some research and learning what I can, but am having difficulty finding a place to start. I would like to eventually have a reef aquarium. A few questions:

1. Is my current filtration setup adequate? I was considering putting in a sump type filter for addition of a protein skimmer. If not adequate, please recommend a remedy.

2. What chemicals, supplements, testing kits should I buy?

3. Any recommendations for a RO/DI unit?

4. I currently have somewhat small pebbles for substrate (old FW setup). I would like to go for a soft sandy bottom. Any recommendations?

5. How should I go about cycling my new aquarium?

6. My current lighting setup is (2) 48" GE Aqua-Rays fluorescents model F40T12-AR-FS. They are 40W each. Recommendations?

If I think of anything more, I will be sure to post. Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I am very excited to start. Thanks again

 

[pr0teus]

just thought i'd share this link with you. it's got tons of great info..

http://www.reefs.org/library/newbieguide.htm

i'll try to answer some of the questions based on stuff i've learned from this forum, but i'll try to keep everything basic so someone more experienced can chime in... just trying to be helpful...

1) you'll probably need a protein skimmer of some type
2) testing kits: salinity, ph, nitrate, probably some others depending on what type of critters you want to keep
3) i have a kent marine maxxima ro/di and it's great. if you want to save money, there's a guy selling ro units off ebay that are good n cheap.
4) you will probably want aragonite, which is a fine grained sand
5) you'll end up buying liverock at some point or another. liverock are rocks that come from the ocean that have algae, bacteria, and all sorts of other things growing on them. check out that link i sent, look under curing...
6) you will probably want to upgrade your lighting. look at the different types of lighting in the same link...

 

[fishfanatic2]

The equipment you geet all depends on the type of setup you want. Just fish, fish and live rock w/ some inverts or a reef tank with lots of corals?

 

[subvet]

I am looking to eventually have fish, with some coral, live rock, and inverts.

 

[jsbradbury]

Subvet- here's some of the best advise I can give you..

http://www.reefs.org/library/reading/be ... inner.html

Buy a few (or all) of these books and read, read, read....

Then, when you have 8 million more questions, come back and everybody here will be glad to help you.

Scott

 

[Anonymous]

Hello everybody,

I have a 90 gallon (48x18x24) aquarium that I am going to attempt changing to a marine/reef aquarium. I just got rid of my last FW fish. I currently have a Fluval 404 and Emperor 400 for filtration (approx. 740 gph filtering). I have been doing some research and learning what I can, but am having difficulty finding a place to start. I would like to eventually have a reef aquarium. A few questions:

1. Is my current filtration setup adequate? I was considering putting in a sump type filter for addition of a protein skimmer. If not adequate, please recommend a remedy.

Yup, sump is good. Big protein skimmer (euroreef is good. I run a red sea berlin and am pleased with it). Ditch the fluval and emperor. They're not needed if you run a sump and lots of live rock.

2. What chemicals, supplements, testing kits should I buy?

salt. Start out testing ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH. You won't need any additional additives.

3. Any recommendations for a RO/DI unit?

I've got a 3-stage that I snagged from Premium Aquatics. It works great

4. I currently have somewhat small pebbles for substrate (old FW setup). I would like to go for a soft sandy bottom. Any recommendations?

You can find several different grades of marine substrate, from sugar sand to fairly large chunks of crushed coral.

5. How should I go about cycling my new aquarium?

Best way is to get the substrate in, get the tank filled with water and stuff, get the live rock in there, and let it run with the rock for a few months.

6. My current lighting setup is (2) 48" GE Aqua-Rays fluorescents model F40T12-AR-FS. They are 40W each. Recommendations?

Depends on what you want to do long-term. I run VHOs on my 125 setup and am pleased, but I know I could never do acros with it. I'm happy with my soft corals and stuff, though.

If I think of anything more, I will be sure to post. Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I am very excited to start. Thanks again

The beginners guide that's already been linked is a GREAT help, as are several of the books mentioned. I'd specifically recommend Martin Moe's book. It's a tad dated, but still one of the best introduction books out there.