from fresh water to salt tank

wonson3 · Nov 24, 2015

Hello.

I would like to introduce myself to new world of fish keeping. I had a 125 gallon pre drilled used for fresh water. I had a colony of Tropheus Ikolas that used to live in my 125 gal.

Like what the title stated, I would like to shift a little from fresh water to salt water mainly for corals and few fishes.

Few days ago, I sold the colony of Tropheus. I have few that's left just to keep the tank running for a while before I start salt water.

My question is; Do I need to begin with cleaning my tank from the start with soap then rinse and air dry then start to cycle? Or can I get away with bacteria that are currently living in the tank and filters?

I do have a canister with UV light built in and Oceanic trickle filter 150 that is currently running.

pondman · Nov 25, 2015

Do not use soap at all you can clean with vinegar to get old scum off and hard water spots just make sure you rinse very good

Dtackett · Nov 25, 2015

ok so each persons advice on this may differ in some aspects but here is my advice.

drain the tank, pull everything out of the tank. there is a lot more to running a saltwater tank than just adding salt. but first lets get some info from you.
how much research have you done on running a saltwater tank?
do you have a budget in mind for making the switch?
what is your current equipment? lights, filter, powerheads etc...

now here my advice on what you need to start.
sell the canister filter. its not what you want for a reef.
build a sump out of a 29 gallon or larger, preferably a 55 gallon.
get the following equipment:

refractometer
return pump (I suggest a jabeo dc9000 or dc 12000, both are bigger than you need but they are adjustable.)
rodi unit (@AZDesertRat you got that link handy for the one you suggested?)
wavemaker such as 2 jabeo rw8 or 2 rw15 (both are adjustable)
protein skimmer. normally I recommend sca skimmers, however once you get past 100 gallons you can get better skimmers for the same price. research will pay off on this subject.
depending on what lights you currently have you may need a new fixture. if youre already running t5 or t5ho you can just swap the tubes out for better ones for coral.
reliable test kit such as red sea or salifert.

it may sound like a lot but you will love this hobby. and love has no price.