33g from Fresh to Salt?

[Adanac00]

Hello

I am a long time member who has read for years (joined 2007) and this is my first post!

I have a 33gal Tank that I had keept freshwater Angel fish in for almost 8 years. Just Lost the last fish in that tank and am now looking to move to Saltwater!

I know that bigger is better and already plan on building atleast a 100gal Tank in the Future but my wife is Worried about all the extra hassels of a Saltwater tank and worried about Paying out the big bucks for a Large tank and then having it not work out!


Anyways Can some of you folks give me an Idea of what i need to buy to switch from this Starter Tank over to Saltwater FOLWR setup on a budget.

It has a large HOB Filter that if i remeber right is rated for 75g and Heater and a 2 bulb Flourecnt light.

I understand everything freshwater is coming out and a good Cleaning but were do i go form there?


Thank you so much for your time and I am sorry for this very long post..
Adanac00

PS mods i hope this is the right place!

 

[Lionfish666]

The lights will be fine for FOWLR. You would probably want liverock, some sand for a deep sand bed and a skimmer. Also you will probably need another powerhead, the ebay ones are fine if you are on a budget, may not last but mine did. Think at least x20 flow, so 600G/hr min.
Skimmer I wouldn't skimp on, a lot of poor ones out there, you can save for this while the tank cycles (approx 1 month) with the rock and the sand and the powerhead.

 

[tagraham]

Befor jumping in to salt water you should read through the stickies on the beginner forum. Resurch resurch resurch. You don't want to skimp on things now because it will cost you more in the long run. Trust me.

 

[leveldrummer]

you can go with a hang on the back skimmer, it would be better for you to run a small sump, with even a hang on the back over flow box, some live rock as mentioned, and your good to go. have you ever dosed the freshwater tanks with any meds that contain copper?

 

[thegrun]

What type of a tank are you planning on having, a fish only tank or a reef tank? You can get by with less equipment if you only plan on keeping fish, but corals are more demanding of water quality and light so you need more and better equipment to keep corals. I will assume you are starting with a fish only tank. You will want at least 350 GPH of total flow, but closer to 600 would be best. Your present lighting will be adequate if the fixture is salt water tank rated, fresh water lighting will usually not hold up to the salt spray that it will be subjected to. You will need around 35-45 pounds of live rock, 20-30 pounds of aragonite sand. Read the stickies at the top of this forum, they contain a wealth of information.

 

[pleuralplexus]

I can offer some insight that may be helpful from my own experience:

Quite a few years ago, I had a 30 gallon aquarium stocked with discus and live plants. It flourished for several years, but I eventually decided to convert it to saltwater. What I didn't realize (and nobody told me then) was that not all aquariums are built to handle the weight of a saltwater aquarium.

When I first filled my 30 gallon tank with saltwater, I noticed that the front glass seemed to be bowing slightly. This bothered me, so I built some cross braces at the top of the frame just in case. Nevertheless, in a few weeks' time, the silicon glue that held the glass together began to delaminate and water started leaking everywhere. I finally ended up buying a new reef-ready tank in a mad, embarrassing dash to the local fish store and tossing everything into tupperware jugs and coolers while I frantically switched to the new tank.:headwallblue: Trust me, you don't want to do that.

Unless you know for a fact that your current tank will hold up under the heavier density of saltwater and live sand and liverock, I would strongly advise you to get started with a reef-ready aquarium right from the start. You need a tank with cross braces built into the frame at the top of the tank, and the glass should be nice and thick. And while you're at it, I can tell you that the one thing I later regretted was not buying a pre-drilled aquarium with a built-in overflow. For years after the above incident I wrestled with hang-on-back overflow boxes to get the water to the sump. Also, your stand needs to be sturdy to hold all that extra weight, and set up in such a way that you can easily build a sump underneath the display tank. If you know the brand of your current tank, you can check online to be sure that their website says somewhere that the exact one you have will withstand the stresses of a reef system. You don't necessarily have to buy a brand new aquarium to get a great reef-ready tank either. There's always somebody getting out of the hobby, or upgrading or downsizing that is willing to unload their tank for a decent price. I see them on Craigslist all the time around here, and I'm in a relatively small town.

 

[pleuralplexus]

you can go with a hang on the back skimmer, it would be better for you to run a small sump, with even a hang on the back over flow box, some live rock as mentioned, and your good to go. have you ever dosed the freshwater tanks with any meds that contain copper?

Good point about the copper! If you've medicated your freswater tank with copper-containing chemicals ever, then frankly I would definitely start over with a new tank.

 

[stlcard]

Befor jumping in to salt water you should read through the stickies on the beginner forum. Resurch resurch resurch. You don't want to skimp on things now because it will cost you more in the long run. Trust me.

i fully second this.. I have a 33 fresh to salt tank that has been up and running for about 8 months now. It has just finally settled in and looking great.

But not after alot of heartache from rushing things and not doing them the right way first! I lost an entire stock of fish due to new tank syndrome aka (nitrite buildup)

YOU MUST RESEARCH! I spend hours upon hours reading up on techniques and what works and doest work. If you read the newbie forum and stickies, youll get a good idea of the concept involved in setup, timeline, stock list, items you can reuse from fresh setup, and items you need for salt setup.

of all the things i did wrong the worst the top 2 biggest mistakes:
1. Rushing and stocking my tank before it completely cycled. (resulted in a loss of about $200 worth of fish and coral frags)
2. was trying to run my reef on a canister filter

The best thing i ever did to get where i am now which is thriving...

1. reread the newbie forum top to bottom
2. went to a 10gal sump with refugium and protein skimmer (coralife 65)
3. restocked SLOWLY
4. good husbandry but not over doing it! (your trying to establish an ecosystem, so constantly fiddling and adding things only creates issues. You gotta let the tank dictate your timeline of events. Testing water params will tell you when your ready for the next big stage of setup)
5. adjusting my lighting and setup to allow good air flow (prevent heat swings) also improved coral
6. i dose only 2 part (when needed, if at all. WC will bring your levels back to check, additives are generally ill advised) and adding Seachem stability (bacteria) to the tank with each WC.


-Some will advise against skimming in a 33. I tried going without for a long time, but found much improved water quality and coral and fish response once i started skimming. I would recommend you look into a sump setup and skimmer. The pros far outweigh the cons. Also, a sump and skimmer setup is really not that expensive, and will save you on any potential percentage of tank failure.

- This hobby is expensive. the more you get into it, the more you want. Alot of people eventually convert to reef tanks after being FOWLR. My advice is be slow and pace yourself. Learn the FOWLR techniques and success before reefing. I did not do this, and PAID for it.. big time.

 

[Adanac00]

THanks

I was thinking mostly FOWLR but mostly fish to start and see how things go!

I Understand that i need atleast 30-50pounds of Rock was thinking going about 30 Base rock and 10-20 Live depending on how the tank looks..

Was planning on spending quite awhile working on the cycle and just trying to keep the water were it needs to be.. I am in no rush to add fish .

My question.. Other then adding some power heads to get about 600gph flow.
Do i need a Skimmer as the way i want to set this tank up there will be no room for a Sump so everything is HOB so!

What Lighting do i need to buy if the tank is 36"long will a 2 bulb T5 thats 24" long work or do you need to get up to like a 4 bulb T5 thats 36" long?

 

[Adanac00]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to point a newbie in the right direction! as I have said i have been reading alot on here for months on end!

I am going to start reading about HOB overflows and the Idea of putting in a Sump if I can Get ahold of a 10g or somthing.. Then i have to figure out how to build one!


Thanks again!! any more advice would be Great!

 

[stlcard]

I believe petco still has the $1 per gallon deal going on for fish tanks... At least some of the stores near me are. Thats always the best deal to find a tank for a sump.

Honestly, moving from a canister -> HOB power filter-> Sump.

Moving to the sump was one of the best decisions ive made. I was skeptical it would make much of a difference but i was definitely very wrong. My tank is rocking now.

Eschops makes a good HOB overflow box. look it up on drfostersmith.com thats where i got mine. I bought the nano version = 200gph.

 

[sponger0]

A skimmer isnt required but it is highly recommended. It will make your life easier.

And for lights, if your tank is 36 inches long, get a 36 inch light.

 

[Lionfish666]

Wow $1 sump that's amazing. Depending on what you want you don't necessarily need to build a sump, I've found if you use a length of pool hose for the skimmer exit (wrapped around the skimmer and shooting water out at water level) it removes the micro bubbles so baffles aren't needed.
If you do sump it, which we all agree is a good idea, put most of your sand down there, then you can change it out once it needs replacing without taking everything out of your tank.
On my first tank I eventually had to remove my sand from my display tank and it sucked, lesson learnt, don't buy second hand sand, put sand in sump (when possible)