New aquarium

hotrodseth · Mar 23, 2015

Hi guys, here's the story. I won a marine land 55 gallon led aquarium kit from a bowling alley. I hadn't been bowling for about ten years but yhey called my name and now it'a home! I want to convert it to a saltwater tank! It's got the penguin wheel and all the freshwater stuff, but that doesn't really wet my whistle. What's the best and most cost effective way to do it. I'd like to have live rock, so I know lighting will be an issue, and what's the better, not most expensive, filtration things I should be looking at.

Cheers
Seth

jman9331 · Mar 23, 2015

Depends on what you want to do. Do you want a coral tank or a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) the different equipment for each.

jman9331 · Mar 23, 2015

Also check this out if will guide you the best way. https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/ne...guide-setting-up-saltwater-reef-aquarium.html

hotrodseth · Mar 23, 2015

Probably a fowlr

hotrodseth · Mar 23, 2015

Thanks for the link!

jman9331 · Mar 23, 2015

I wanted to do a FOWLR now I'm in the process of converting it to a reef tank. Coral are to beautiful to not have.

glb · Mar 23, 2015

hotrodseth said:
Probably a fowlr

That's how I started. I actually had fowlr for 3 years before I started with coral and the system was so mature the coral did fine right away. Imo you don't need expensive lights yet if you're only having fish. You'll need live rock and live sand to act as a natural biofilter. Eventually you'll need a protein skimmer to keep the water quality in check. With saltwater you also need good test kits for Ca, Mg, pH, Alkalinity and Salinity, in addition to nitrates. If you're planning on coral in the future, you can save up and get good lights and a skimmer. Purigen and Phosguard keep nitrates and phosphates under control as long as you do water changes. Good luck!

SeahorseKeeper · Mar 23, 2015

I have a 55 and I regret not having a sump. Here is a link to my thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member-tanks/89592-journey-my-55-reef-4.html It works for me right now, but I am going to be breaking it down in the not so distant future to get right. My advice to you to save money is to do it right the first time. Good luck with the journey.

joekool · Mar 23, 2015

Look for any labeling that states tempered glass. If yes do not drill. Most production 55gallon tanks that aren't reef ready are tempered. Just a tip. So if you want a sump I suggest an non drilled overflow. Or hang on overflow.

A fish only tank is easy to care for. Still cycling and patience is necessary even if your only doing a fowlr