Thinking About Converting to Saltwater?

BudStew · Apr 10, 2012

Hello Mates,

Iâ€™ve maintained a Freshwater Fish Aquarium for many years. For the past few years, Iâ€™ve had the urge to take the dive into the exciting world of Marine. I must admit to being a little apprehensive.

Iâ€™ve come here to learn as much as I can before I enter into the challenging, and hopefully rewarding, new world of the Marine Aquarist.

Bud

revsgirl · Apr 10, 2012

Hey there, Bud! Welcome to R2R! You will definitely find a home here amongst some of the most generous and helpful folk in the hobby! Hope R2R can help you on your way to becoming a part of this wonderful world of reefing! :bigsmile:

BudStew · Apr 10, 2012

Thanks for the kind welcome Tonya.

I currently have a 56g “cube” (30" x 18" x 24") that I’m contemplating converting. I know I have much to learn, so as a start I’ve purchased a few books:

The Conscientious Marine Aquarist ~ Robert M. Fenner
The New Marine Aquarium ~ Michael S. Paletta
The New Encyclopedia of the Saltwater Aquarium ~ Greg Jennings
Marine Fishes ~ Scott W. Michael

As I said, I’m quite intimated. Before I begin, I know I first must decide if I have enough time and resources to devote to this wonderful new world.

huuta · Apr 10, 2012

i went salt 2 years ago when a guy on CL want to trade a 30g saltwater tank for fresh water fish.i trade him a flowerhorn and needless to say i upgraded 4 times since.IMO saltwater is much easier to maintain once the tank has mature.one thing to remember is take everything slow cause nothing good happen fast in this hobby.one question i have for u is the tank u have,has it ever been treated with some form of ich medication that has copper in it?if it has then you can only do a fish only tank cause the med will kill all the corals if u are planning on doing a reef.welcome to R2R

BudStew · Apr 10, 2012

huuta said:
...one question i have for u is the tank u have,has it ever been treated with some form of ich medication that has copper in it?if it has then you can only do a fish only tank cause the med will kill all the corals if u are planning on doing a reef...

Thanks for the advise.

No, fortunately, Iâ€™ve never had to use medications of any type in this tank. Iâ€™ve been running this aquarium as a freshwater setup since January of 2004 and never experience a single problem.

Also, in anticipation of a changeover to salt, I havenâ€™t added any new stock in over 2-years. Currently it only has one large freshwater Angel. I am very close to a decision point on what to do with this tank.

Mike&Terry · Apr 10, 2012

Welcome to R2R, Bud! :bigsmile:

revhtree · Apr 10, 2012

Welcome to R2R! Thanks for joining and please make sure and post often!

Russellaqua · Apr 10, 2012

Welcome to the site! What part of Phila are you from? I spent a couple years living in the Fairmount neighborhood while attending Temple U. Like has been said above, take it slow. Also, get the best equipment you can as it will save you a lot of headaches (and money) in the long run.

REEFKEEPER10 · Apr 10, 2012

Welcome. You are all ready off to a great start. 1. By joining R2R. 2. By researching before jumping in. One piece of advise I can give that will make it a lot easier on you is get a quarantine tank before even putting water in so you have it and don't put it off.

mallorieGgator · Apr 10, 2012

Welcome to Reef2Reef! Good job on researching before diving into salt water. A few things you might want to consider are equipment costs ( it's good to have a protein skimmer, and great lighting), costs of upkeep such as salt and RO/DI unit upkeep, as well as costs of livestock. There is quite a bit more involved in salt water but it's so awesome to see corals thriving and everything coming together to form your own miniature reef. Good luck and look forward to hearing more from you!

Zeither18 · Apr 10, 2012

welcome bud, i jumped right in from freshwater and this is by far way more amazing and entertaining ..i cant remember the last time i walked by the tank and didnt stop for more then a minute to just see what is going on. good luck to you on your new adventure.

BudStew · Apr 16, 2012

Thanks everyone for your kind & welcoming words. I don’t have much to share, but I think this site is great. One day I hope to be a regular contributor, but I don’t have enough knowledge to helpful yet. As I’ve said, I’ve much to learn, and I’m enjoying my education.

To answer your question Mark; I live in Port Richmond. The nearest store specializing in Marine is at least 45-minutes from my house.

BarbH · Apr 16, 2012

Hello Bud and welcome to r2r, agree there is so much to learn in this hobby, I am right there with you on that aspect. This site is full of information and the people here are more than willing to share their experience and knowledge. Don't worry one day you will be at a point to share your knowledge with someone entering the hobby.