Converting my fresh to reef

T

tigga

New member
hey

After researching a whole lot about reef tanks and then ending up setting up a freshwater tank for 5 months now, I have finally decided to come back to reef and convert my fresh to a reef.

The tank right now is a 29g AGA with a Aquaclear 70 filter, 100W Visitherm stealth heater, and 2x24W t5ho w/ 10000K & actinic.

I was wondering how I can get started with converting the fresh to FOWLR for now.

here are things I'll be planning to buy:

salt
RO/DI unit
40lbs live rock
bomix sand
Auto topoff system

It seems that nano tanks equipment doesn't need to be as hardcore, therefore I was planning on ditching the protein skimmer and using my AQ 70 w/ some salt tank recommended media. Not planning for a sump. I know i might have missed some stuff so please feel free to say what ever you want:)
 
Well you pretty much got everything on your list to make it a reef to begin with :) The only real difference between FOWLR and reef is the lighting, but you've already got a decent amount of light for at least a softy tank which will get you lots of corals..

Whats the bomix sand?

using my AQ 70 w/ some salt tank recommended media.
Click to expand...

This is the only thing i see could be changed. In a reef, there's not really any recommended filtering media (unless you count stuff like carbon), because stuff like biomax that does the biological filtration will only build up nitrates, thus killing stuff. Live rock and lots of flow is all the filtration you'll need. Skimmers help, but in a 29...not needed IMO. Keep up w/water changes and it will be fine, even for a reef. I dont run one on my 40g reef for a year now and its been fine.
 
Live rock and lots of flow is all the filtration you'll need. Skimmers help, but in a 29...not needed IMO. Keep up w/water changes and it will be fine, even for a reef. I dont run one on my 40g reef for a year now and its been fine
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I wanted to hear. People will say Protein skimmers will really help and I agree that it can be a difference maker but for a simple 29g i just feel forgetting it. The less equipment you have, the less problems and complexity you have.

Bomix sand is a type of white play sand that many use instead of agronite from LFS. It is alot cheaper per lbs and can be found at rona.
 
If you go with the play sand be sure to rinse it really good. But aragonite would be a better choice in my opinion.

Good luck,
 
You can get the regular reef sand pretty cheap on drsfostersmith.com I'm thinkin like 30 bucks for a 40 pound bag of dry sand??? Or if you want to get the oolitic stuff (i like it a lot and have like 4 inches in my 16g bowfront) its like 18 bucks for a 20lb bag...shipping is pretty cheap from them, like 10 bucks tops or something.
 
I did pretty much the same thing with my old cichlid tank.
Added saltwater, live rock, upgraded the lighting with a PC retro kit, kept the filtration as it was and voila, 25 gal reef.

The only thing different was the amount of patience it took to let everything achieve the required state of balance before chucking in the livestock. Having such a small water mass means being very vigilant with water testing and cycling for the first month or so, watching the params and learning to make adjustments slowly, unlike in the freshwater world.
It has been 9 months now, and all is going swimmingly :)
 
Was copper ever used in the tank? Something to think about if you decide to go reef eventually....
 
I would turn that AQ 70 into a refugium. There's a thread about it on the DIY forum, I believe.
 
Forget refugiums. I hate those and I know a lot think they are great but I don't want that. no questions asked!
 
Now I just want to ask these questions:

Is it worth converting from Fresh to Reef? Will I even enjoy as much I as do with Fresh? Will I get bored easily as I do sometimes with Fresh?
 
Hey

I was wondering if I'm going to add a sump with a refugium, will the AQ 70 filter be useless. Should I have to sell the AQ 70 filter that I bought couple of months ago?
 
you won't have to sell it just use it for extra volume and filtering..

as for enjoyment..i dont know how anyone could enjoy a yellow fresh tank when there is sooooo very much to see in the deep blue ocean..
 
I have a 29 gallon reef with a 10 gallon refugium. The fuge helps keep a nice balance. I do use a skimmer. I believe they help even in a tank that small. I dose alk, calcium, and mag every week, and do a water change once a month. Since I keep mostly LPS's I went with a 14k 150w MH lighting set-up. Also, my livestock is kept to a minimum. Only a clownfish and a psudeochromis to keep the waste down.
 
So I could still use my AQ 70 for my reef tank? What is the best option to make the power filter most useful?

I do keep thinking about adding a sump but I'm worried that I'll crack the back glass when I drill it. I don't want to take it to the LFS because I rather do it myself.

It's basically 50/50 with the skimmer for 29g tanks. I'd prefer to skip it so that I can save money on a ATO system, RO/DI system, etc. I think 60lbs of live rock is the best and only filtration for me(30lbs live rock & 30lbs base rock).
 
Stick with the 30 lbs live rock, 60 lbs in a 29 gallon tank will be too much unless it's really really dense (which isn't good).

As a lot of people have said, once you see what the skimmer pulls out of the water you really don't want to be without one. The Tunze Reefpack 200 would fit your tank just fine, but you could always get it later on, regular water changes will go a long way.

Which leads me to the thing you should get right away, the RO/DI kit. Especially if you're not getting a skimmer right away. You don't want to keep adding nutrients to your system while trying to get them out with water changes.

Automatic top-off is nice, but I'd really place that below the RO/DI and the skimmer. You only really need it if you have a skimmer that needs a stable water level, otherwise you can just refill manually every once in a while.
 
Okay thanks. So chris your saying stick with 30lbs live rock max. I could live with that. And nanoreef the AQ 70 has no biowheel. I think your referring to the marineland units. I guess i could go for a skimmer but I was wondering is I should drill for a sump. I know all its benefits but is it going to make a whole lot of differences seeing that it can hide equipment and provide extra volume.
 
It depends on the rocks you can get and of course the look you're going for, but adding too much rock will just make it look cluttered and create dead spots where the water doesn't circulate and detritus will build up.

Adding a sump and thereby extra water volume is always nice, the more water the more of a buffer you have in case something goes wrong. Getting the equipment out of the way is another bonus.
It does add an extra level of complexity though, and you could retrofit a weir later on if you decide you want a sump.
 
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