Fresh water convert help
- Thread starter Jl330
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Nah, your live sand just implies it has living bacteria already in the sand itself. You still need to supply the tank a food supply (ammonia) so the bacteria can grow, colonize and develop a strong population in your system to handle the bio load from your fish and other nutrients. All that live sand really is, is a little boost to help you get your bacteria started. You can also look into adding a bottle of bacteria manually; this can also help expedite the cycling process, but by no means should you rush it. Test and be patient.
GoPitt88
Pitt Basketball is BACK!
I converted my 55 gallon from fresh water to saltwater about 22 months ago, still using a Fluval 305 canister and Fluval HOB 70. I clean my filters weekly, but no big deal for me. I just got myself into the habit of weekly water changes and filter cleanings. I now have a mixed reef tank, and my 1-1/2 year old snowflake clowns spawned for the first time last week! [emoji16]
Big G
captain dunsel
Hey, welcome to R2R. I had to build a new stand when I switched from fresh to salt. The cabinet was not tall enough to place a sump and the plumbing parts etc. If you build make it plenty tall enough to get under there do maintenance. Lots of experience here. Ask lots of questions. Consider starting a build thread so we can follow along and lend a hand when needed. Cheers!
Big G
captain dunsel
Check out the video on BRS tv showing how to drill a tank. The actual drilling is pretty easy. It's the planning on where to drill so it will fit your overflow is what takes some thinking and measuring.
Goes without saying, but check for tempered glass prior to drilling...
I have a 29 gallon reef tank with a fluval 305 and a aqua clear 50. I also have a 50 gallon cube with a sump. In my opinion they are both great ways to run tanks. Sumps definitely make it easy to maintain and hide equipment. I do clean my canister every week with water changes. You will want a powerhead in your 55 to give you some more flow. I still have two freshwater tanks I keep but going the saltwater route takes a lot of patience. It is also a lot more demanding as far as care and husbandry. The information to read is endless. Enjoy the switch to saltwater!
Would it hurt anything to add a couple more small chunks of live rock at this point? Been up and running for 5 days now.
I was going to the store today anyway to grab RO water to top off. Thought I might grab a couple rocks.
I was going to the store today anyway to grab RO water to top off. Thought I might grab a couple rocks.
Should be fine in regards to the cycle and chemistry. I personally never add live rock to my systems, many people do, but it's almost guaranteed you'll end up with some unwanted hitch hiker you're going to have to deal with later. Even if the supplier can vogue that the rock is clean, it's extremely hard to guarantee. You might be better off to just add dry rock since you're so early into the process. I've added dry rock to my system after 2 years of running time, just rinse it thoroughly.
It will help, but probably won't make that much of a difference in the total time it takes to cycle. IMO I would add dry rock, but to each their own. You can add a bottle of bacteria to help speed it up some, but you still need to let it do its thing. Learn patience now because you'll need it more as time goes on. Take things slow, patience is a must!
+1, you'll want to see a lot more... Patience! 
