I could use some help and direction please.

[Pennnteller]

I have had fish tanks all my life. Always freshwater. I have always wanted a salt water tank but had been told you really dont want a 50ga tank as a saltwater because of water evap. I understand that so I havent done one yet. I have a 5ga a 40 gal and a 60 gal. On top of those I just got a 160ga for 100 bucks... I couldnt pass it up. Now looking and learning Im seeing that drilling a tank for filtration is the way to go. I am a little nervous about doing that because what if salt water just doesnt work for me and I want to go back to freshwater?
Ive learned of over the top siphon systems as well. Does anyone have any experience with this? Pros and Cons?
I need some direction and instead of paying someone to come in my home and set it up without having a clue, I need to be educated and have some sort of direction to go.
Any advice and help would be appreciated, THANKS!

 

[virtual reality]

BRS videos on youtube will help you a lot.

 

[Ippyroy]

Drill the tank! You can always switch it up to a killer planted tank with a sump later if you don't like the salty side. I'd use the 60 as the sump and the 40 as a Fuge if you have the room. I have s Shadow Overflow box laying around I'll sell you if you'd like. It'd work perfectly for you tank. THe most important thing is to make sure the glass is not tempered before you drill.

 

[GillMeister]

There are no rules stating you can't have plumbed filtration for a freshwater tank if you decide to go back. One word of caution, though. Saltwater does take a lot more effort than freshwater and if your really not committed to it you might want to reconsider.

 

[flyfisher2]

It's a hobby and as such requires time to learn how to do it properly. As an experienced aquarist you understand that fresh water requires attention. I would venture to say that you would triple or more the amount of time invested in upkeep and research when you jump into reef keeping. Some may say that's not so but when you have fresh water and it evaporates you could let that water drop until the filter starts to slurp with no major problem. Not so with a reef. Lots more parameters to monitor and stay on top of. You know yourself, Will you do it and stick to it? Thats an answer you have to determine. I will tell you that the rewards are awesome. Enjoy the process. Good luck

 

[slojim]

I've had plenty of both. You don't indicate what you've kept or what you plan on, but in my experience, there isn't a huge difficulty difference in keeping SW fish or FW fish. There are hardy species and finicky species in both. My first SW tank was a 55g FW tank that developed a lean - so when I drained it to fix the stand, I started over with SW. I used the existing marineland biowheel power filter, marineland cannister, and reverse flow UG filter, although I replaced the substrate from river gravel to crushed coral, and added a dead coral skeleton as the only decoration - our collective view on these things has changed. I added some blue damsels to cycle it, then 2 lionfish, a blue angel, and a purple tang. they thrived for about 2 years, when I had to break it down and sold them all back to the lfs.
I drilled my current tank - I'm glad I did. If your intent is a more reef oriented than fish oriented, then a sump is almost mandatory, and a drilled overflow is more reliable, at least once the drilling is completed successfully. If your intent is more fish oriented, I still think that there is equipment in the SW world like ATS and skimmers that can reduce your water change requirements and eventually pay for themselves - meaning a sump is a good idea, but you can succeed without it.

by the way, when I drilled my tank - I practiced on a small 12 gallon tank I wasn't using anymore - I felt a lot better about drilling my 110 when it wasn't my first time doing it.

 

[Reef.]

There are no rules stating you can't have plumbed filtration for a freshwater tank if you decide to go back. One word of caution, though. Saltwater does take a lot more effort than freshwater and if your really not committed to it you might want to reconsider.

I agree with this, seawater can have a lot of set backs, consider if it’s really for you as it can be expensive and if you go into this only halfhearted then you may not give it a fair go.

But as said drilling the tank is the way to go IMO and doesn’t stop the tank going back to fresh water.