Freshwater convert to Saltwater

[reefnoob019]

So I have a 55 Gallon Long Aquarium that Im looking to convert into a Saltwater tank over the years. I have a 250 Watt Heater, A Marineland 3500 biowheel filter (350 gallons per hr) and a Top Fin (300 gallons per hr) that cycles the tanks right now, I have a standard flourescent light fixture on there.

I would like to create a sump to help control everything that goes into the saltwater tank and to control the water level, but i have no idea where to start in building the sump lol

Any ideas on where to start/what to begin on? Any information would be great im a noob!

 

[buddyro]

Hall County Stand Up!!!
You can use your current tank with the option of an OVERFLOW BOX. I prefer reef-ready set-ups. Keep checking the drygoods page,might find a complete set-up for little or nothing... Good Luck

 

[sree]

ReefNoob019;664672 wrote: So I have a 55 Gallon Long Aquarium that Im looking to convert into a Saltwater tank over the years. I have a 250 Watt Heater, A Marineland 3500 biowheel filter (350 gallons per hr) and a Top Fin (300 gallons per hr) that cycles the tanks right now, I have a standard flourescent light fixture on there.

I would like to create a sump to help control everything that goes into the saltwater tank and to control the water level, but i have no idea where to start in building the sump lol

Any ideas on where to start/what to begin on? Any information would be great im a noob!

I went through the same process and learned very valuable lessons. Here are some of my thoughts.

1) Get a sump that can hose a big skimmer. Something that is rated for 200g. The more the better. You can never overskim the water.

2) Get about 100lbs of liverock.. This makes a big difference on the success.


3) Start very light on the marinefish.. Not more than 3 fish for the first one year on that tank.

4) If possible, see if you can get a bigger tank. say 120g.. On a 55g, you cannot place the popular fish like the tangs.

--

Good luck.

 

[reefnoob019]

Thanks for all the Info Basically what I want to do is have this as my preliminary tank where I get all the basics down and then once I feel like I can get a bigger tank and upgrade it to be more popular and more of a show tank then I will do that!

Barbara thanks for all the sump help, where did you purchase your overflow box? Also I ahve a spare 20 gallon long and a 10 gallon that I will use for my sump I just need to find the correct glass to use with it, and I dont know how to do all the pipe work... Is it hard? I would like to set up the compartment for a refugium but I will not put it to use for a while.

BuddyRo how is your tank? We seem pretty close maybe we can get in touch and you can show me a few things?

 

[dawgface]

Before you take the plunge read, read and read some more! Then visit one of our wonderful sponsor and ask as many questions as you can. This isn't like fresh water were you can basically throw gravel and tap water in a tank and add fish. In and by it's self it is an extremely dedicated and expensive hobby that can become twice the initial cost from lack of info on the start up.
If you have anything specific pm me, I'll do my best to help anyway I can

Edit: oh and if you wanna swing by you can check out my setup and I'll give you a good book that I read cover to cover a few times when I first started..... granted I can find the thing.

 

[reefnoob019]

Yeah Im trying to get as much information as possible I wanna do things right and thats what is keeping me from not just going straight into it, that and the money haha Thanks Dawgface for the help I will pm you!

 

[reefnoob019]

Barbara: Thank you so much for this information it really helps alot and yeah I have been looking at his pages for a while lol They are all extreme designs and I would probably go with a basic one at first, Im really just worried about the plumbing bc my tank is upstairs and if it leaks then it will cause hardship lol Where did you get your acrylic from? Was it cheap? How did you hold it together with just aquarium silicone or is there this special welding liquid? Thanks again!!

 

[reefnoob019]

Ok i will defiantly give you a call! When is a good time to? Also I need to keep things cheap is there a way to do that lol Im trying to save for college...

Edit: Would it be easier and cheaper for me to buy a small biocube just to get the mechanics down and that could suffice me through college?

 

[gnashty]

ReefNoob019;665009 wrote: if it leaks then it will cause hardship lol

Plan on it leaking....then if it doesnt, your in good shape!

ReefNoob019;665167 wrote: Would it be easier and cheaper for me to buy a small biocube just to get the mechanics down and that could suffice me through college?

Cheap and Easy - 2 words we never get to say much in this hobby! Not sure about cheaper but it would probably be easier to learn the chemistry before you take the plunge. Smaller tanks are less forgiving of mistakes though...

Barbara gives great advice! Just make sure your ready

 

[siavashv]

my suggestion to you is to visit peoples' tanks. It's one thing to visit fish stores where people are taking care of the tanks all day every day. It's another to visit peoples' homes where they have things setup like you will be. That gives you better ideas how tanks and setups look in real homes. Another thing is be very picky and selective when you are getting fish and coral. Things in this hobby tend to be very interesting and so the cool things you see you want them right away... Refrain from doing so. Do tons of research and try to have foresight. Talk to people all the time. Get the good and bad about everything before you take the plunge.. Especially livestock. Buy good stuff the first time. Give yourself a very strict budget over the course of time or you will be BROKE! seriously, its very addictive and quite expensive. Most of all have fun.

 

[tjyoung]

Well here are my .02 i was just like heck i still am some what i have a 55 gallon that i converted to Saltwater I used alot of DIY methods which saved me money starting of and taught me alot I had a basic setup with live rock and live sand to start my cycling which i have to thank the ARC members on here that helped me piece together everything to basically make my own starter kit. I then decide i wanted to add a sump to add volume and to place a skimmer which then gave me the idea i wanted a frag tank so i now have a volume of about 95 in three sections. When it comes to the overflow i saw the overflow box method and decided on another DIY thread i saw on here for the PVC overflow which has been running perfect for about 4months. I am now getting into corals and this is where all the fun has started for me. Good luck but you will enjoy