Converting tank to salt

[danenelsen]

Hello everyone! I’ve recently been wanting to try converting one of my freshwater aquariums to another salt. It’s only a three gallon, and only has freshwater equipment (basic filter, heater, etc.). I want to try converting guppies over, but I didn’t know if this tank would work. Any advice or suggestions?

 

[ryanjohn1]

Hello everyone! I’ve recently been wanting to try converting one of my freshwater aquariums to another salt. It’s only a three gallon, and only has freshwater equipment (basic filter, heater, etc.). I want to try converting guppies over, but I didn’t know if this tank would work. Any advice or suggestions?

You can do it.

 

[danenelsen]

You can do it.

Okay, I was thinking just slowly adding salt water to replace that evap. Would this work or would type do it differently?

 

[ryanjohn1]

Okay, I was thinking just slowly adding salt water to replace that evap. Would this work or would type do it differently?

I don’t have any experience in converting guppies to saltwater. Sorry.

 

[danenelsen]

I don’t have any experience in converting guppies to saltwater. Sorry.

No problem! Thanks for your help!

 

[The_Paradox]

Okay, I was thinking just slowly adding salt water to replace that evap. Would this work or would type do it differently?

That’s how I have done it in the past with mollies. Best option is to make a makeshift auto top off.

As for your equipment I would pull the form/floss out and replace it with ruble or beads.

As an FYI: Not sure about guppies but mollies had no clue what anemones were… until they did.

 

[PotatoPig]

Okay, I was thinking just slowly adding salt water to replace that evap. Would this work or would type do it differently?

For acclimating mollies in a similar volume temporary tank I take a couple cups out every few hours and replace them with tank water. Gets them acclimated in a few days.

Note that a 3 gallon saltwater tank is either very limiting or very challenging due to space requirements ruling out a huge number of livestock options, and the small volume makes it difficult to maintain sufficient stability if you plan to grow corals in it.

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

3 gallon is super easy. If this is a bowl, all you need is light and an air pump with stone. Do one hundred percent water changes once a week and youll have no issues. Keep stocking light. You can pack with coral. Small inverts you can add but very few fish will work and only a couple max but with mollies you can add a few depending on size. Converting get a hydrometer and just bring it up from 0 to .001 each day slowly till .027 or desired salinity. The slower the better. Make sure you have a lid that is sealed pretty good ontop for evap. May need to drill holes for tubing and a bit of gas exchange.

 

[GARRIGA]

One issue is FW bacteria won’t survive in salt and likely going to go through a cycle unless adding bacteria in a bottle. I believe around 9 ppt where the cutoff begins.

I transitioned mollies to salt by increasing salinity by 3 ppt every couple of hours. First day was stress free but second day they did show stress yet recovered quickly and had them at 35 ppt. Have read where others just dropped them in and they acclimated quickly.

No experience with guppies but have read those convert as well and using my approach one can see when stress sets in and just wait until the next day before continuing to be on the safe side.

I took tank water and added 2x the salt needed for volume taken then shook until mostly dissolved and returned it to the tank.

If corals or inverts not sought then 24 ppt or 1.018 specific gravity should be sufficient. Although not sure why one goes salt with guppies unless corals or inverts desired.

Consider carbon dosing to avoid constant WC. Although with 3 gallons to contend with then one gallon easy enough to perform as often as needed. Just get distilled at Walmart or grocery store. No sense getting an RODI plus doubt guppies would even notice.

 

[twentyleagues]

In the past year I have done this with guppies and mollies. My experimenting I learned if you want the fish to survive go slow. Figure out your sg you want and take a couple weeks or more to get there. You will have bacteria issues like you will kill off all the fw bacteria. Get a good, bottled product or once you get above 1.016 get a piece of live rock. Depending on volume and fish load you may need to do water changes until with whatever sg water you are at to help combat ammonia. Mine that worked were about .02 sg change every 2 days. Mollies you can drop them in full sg and they will live for a couple days and then usually die, guppies last a couple hours maybe. I did this for feeding a angler. I have a lot of guppies so that wasnt an issue, mollies I have never had a lot of luck getting them to grow up. Guppy parents are better parents.

 

[danenelsen]

One issue is FW bacteria won’t survive in salt and likely going to go through a cycle unless adding bacteria in a bottle. I believe around 9 ppt where the cutoff begins.

I transitioned mollies to salt by increasing salinity by 3 ppt every couple of hours. First day was stress free but second day they did show stress yet recovered quickly and had then to 35 ppt. Have read where others just dropped them in and they acclimated quickly.

No experience with guppies but have read those convert as well and using my approach one can see when stress sets in and just wait until the next day before continuing to be on the safe side.

I took tank water and added 2x the salt needed for volume taken then shook until mostly dissolved and returned it to the tank.

If corals or inverts not sought then 24 ppt or 1.018 specific gravity should be sufficient. Although not sure why one goes salt with guppies unless corals or inverts desired.

Consider carbon dosing to avoid constant WC. Although with 3 gallons to contend with then one gallon easy enough to perform as often as needed. Just get distilled at Walmart or grocery store. No sense getting an RODI plus doubt guppies would even notice.

Thank you for the information and sharing your experience! I already have a saltwater tank (55 gallons), this would just be an experiment, and to try a pico.

 

[danenelsen]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences! I will share any updates if I do decide to convert it!

 

[GARRIGA]

Thank you for the information and sharing your experience! I already have a saltwater tank (55 gallons), this would just be an experiment, and to try a pico.

One nice part about having a SW livebearer setup being babies could be fed. Place some Pom Pom or chaeto and not only will it filter that tank but can provide shelter for the babies. Throw pods in there and they might feed off that. Pico lights are cheap. I’VE actually been considering that and why originally started with mollies. Just thinking bigger than 3g. Grow shrimp too

 

[Fish Fan]

As an FYI: Not sure about guppies but mollies had no clue what anemones were… until they did.

Lol! I have a small tank with a Florida Gulf mantis, and mantids can be quite hostile to fish and other livestock. In my research, I read about people trying to keep mollies or guppies with their mantis. Turns out, these fish that are typically kept in freshwater had no understanding of the marine predator that is the mantis. I read that these fish would literally "bumble" right into the mantis, and well..... bye bye Mr. guppy, we hardly knew you.

That said, I doubt the OP will be keeping either anemones or a mantis in a 3 gallon, but worth noting.