fresh water tank to salt water?

vvhoisjohngalt · 12/22/2006, 12:48 AM

im thinking about turning my 29 gal fresh into a saltwater system. and moving my 55 gal salt stuff into the smaller tank. only fish is a yellow tail damsel and a lawnmower blenny. anyone know the best way to clean the tank out?

and if i was turning a saltwater into a freshwater what type of cleaning needs to happen for that? 55 gallon saltwater into a cichlid tank...could i keep the same crushed coral sand in there for the base? or would the bacteria die in freshwater? just wondering if the base rock could still be used in a freshwater tank or would i have to scrub the base rock to get coraline off? i would move liverock to the 29 gallon.

thanks

samuels · 12/22/2006, 01:14 AM

i think saltwater bacteria's diff. from freshwater.. need a skimmer for salt water tank.

popimp06 · 12/22/2006, 02:43 AM

they got stuff at lfs for it or use vinegar

aquarius77 · 12/22/2006, 04:23 AM

Those cichlids would most likely love to have your salty substrate and rock. Id say a rinse in fresh water and you would be good to go on the substrate. The coraline will die in the freshwater but im not sure if it would cause a problem when it did.

If you are wanting to use bacteria from one tank to another just get some filter floss in the filter now and let it establish, then use the filter on the other tank you want to switch to.

vvhoisjohngalt · 12/22/2006, 06:02 PM

so do you think that if i just lowered the tank water in the 55gal to top of the crushed coral and slowly added fresh water that there wouldnt be a bacteria die off or some other ammonia spike? or that the cichlids would be fine in that water?

BurntOutReefer · 12/22/2006, 08:36 PM

the SW bacteria would slowly die off and get replaced by FW....
(slowly over months). You will have a brackish tank then? Lake Tanganika (sp?) cichlids....? Cool......

aquarius77 · 12/22/2006, 09:38 PM

I think that you should remove all saltwater and fill with fresh.
I have never seen anyone provide proof or even solid reasoning as to why the bacteria in fresh and salt are different. They have the same names and do the same exact job in both enviroments.

The reason i said to wash the crushed coral first is to avoid a possible ammonia spike from the dieoff of leftover marnie life that lives in it like brittle stars and pods.

vvhoisjohngalt · 12/23/2006, 09:15 AM

sounds like i should just wash out the crushed coral then. but i wonder if i was to leave it and just keep a very close eye on the ammonia checking twice a day and if any spikes occur to just do a huge water change?

im not trying to be lazy here im just thinking that keeping all that bacteria in the sand bed would prevent the "new" tank from going through a cycle.

anyone have any experience with this?

Jojoyojimbi · 12/23/2006, 10:12 AM

If you want to do an 'instant cycle' on a fw tank there's much easier ways, set up the filter on the other fw tank you've got running, then after a few days take the old filter media out of the older filter and squeeze it into the tank, stir the substrate and wa-lah

JokerGirl · 12/23/2006, 10:23 AM

I've been keeping Lake Tang cichlids for about 15 years now. My best advice to you is that if you are going to keep the sandbed to leave the tank fishless for about a month while it cycles through. The anaerobic bacteria found in fresh/saltwater are completely different from each other so the bacteria in your coral substrate isn't going to stay alive when you switch over the fresh. You're going to have a considerable amount of dieoff.

Any of the cichlids should do very well in the salty water but moreso the cichlids from Lake Tanganyika. They are relatively hard to find in most LFS, and can be rather expensive. I paid $20 a piece from a private breeder for my Mpimbwe Frontosa that I have (they were about 1/2" long), and will probably be spending $200 soon here for a wild caught male as soon as I can sex the ones that I have.

vvhoisjohngalt · 12/23/2006, 11:26 AM

thanks guys. i think ill probably just remove the crushed coral then and put in sand substrate for the cichlids and bring over the other filters. adding a couple fish a week to the "new" freshwater tank may be the safest route.

12/22/2006, 12:48 AM	#1
vvhoisjohngalt Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: wisconsin Posts: 17	fresh water tank to salt water? im thinking about turning my 29 gal fresh into a saltwater system. and moving my 55 gal salt stuff into the smaller tank. only fish is a yellow tail damsel and a lawnmower blenny. anyone know the best way to clean the tank out? and if i was turning a saltwater into a freshwater what type of cleaning needs to happen for that? 55 gallon saltwater into a cichlid tank...could i keep the same crushed coral sand in there for the base? or would the bacteria die in freshwater? just wondering if the base rock could still be used in a freshwater tank or would i have to scrub the base rock to get coraline off? i would move liverock to the 29 gallon. thanks __________________ 29 gal, 2x65W orbit PC, 65 CSS, tidepool overflow and sump Current Tank Info: 29 gal salt, 125 gal cichlid

12/22/2006, 02:43 AM	#3
popimp06 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: the hood Posts: 386	they got stuff at lfs for it or use vinegar __________________ what it do Current Tank Info: 75 aga. 80lbs fiji live rock 45lbs live sand 3 t5s.

12/22/2006, 06:02 PM	#5
vvhoisjohngalt Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: wisconsin Posts: 17	so do you think that if i just lowered the tank water in the 55gal to top of the crushed coral and slowly added fresh water that there wouldnt be a bacteria die off or some other ammonia spike? or that the cichlids would be fine in that water? __________________ 29 gal, 2x65W orbit PC, 65 CSS, tidepool overflow and sump Current Tank Info: 29 gal salt, 125 gal cichlid

12/23/2006, 09:15 AM	#8
vvhoisjohngalt Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: wisconsin Posts: 17	sounds like i should just wash out the crushed coral then. but i wonder if i was to leave it and just keep a very close eye on the ammonia checking twice a day and if any spikes occur to just do a huge water change? im not trying to be lazy here im just thinking that keeping all that bacteria in the sand bed would prevent the "new" tank from going through a cycle. anyone have any experience with this? __________________ 29 gal, 2x65W orbit PC, 65 CSS, tidepool overflow and sump Current Tank Info: 29 gal salt, 125 gal cichlid

12/23/2006, 10:12 AM	#9
Jojoyojimbi Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Boynton Beach Posts: 597	If you want to do an 'instant cycle' on a fw tank there's much easier ways, set up the filter on the other fw tank you've got running, then after a few days take the old filter media out of the older filter and squeeze it into the tank, stir the substrate and wa-lah __________________ My tank was electrocuted when the lights fell in, I'm only keeping Freshwater now Current Tank Info: Electrocuted my saltwater when lights broke, only fresh now

12/22/2006, 01:14 AM	#2
samuels Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 68	i think saltwater bacteria's diff. from freshwater.. need a skimmer for salt water tank.

12/22/2006, 04:23 AM	#4
aquarius77 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Highland, Il Posts: 2,198	Those cichlids would most likely love to have your salty substrate and rock. Id say a rinse in fresh water and you would be good to go on the substrate. The coraline will die in the freshwater but im not sure if it would cause a problem when it did. If you are wanting to use bacteria from one tank to another just get some filter floss in the filter now and let it establish, then use the filter on the other tank you want to switch to.

12/22/2006, 08:36 PM	#6
BurntOutReefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Granada Hills Posts: 4,376	the SW bacteria would slowly die off and get replaced by FW.... (slowly over months). You will have a brackish tank then? Lake Tanganika (sp?) cichlids....? Cool......

12/22/2006, 09:38 PM	#7
aquarius77 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Highland, Il Posts: 2,198	I think that you should remove all saltwater and fill with fresh. I have never seen anyone provide proof or even solid reasoning as to why the bacteria in fresh and salt are different. They have the same names and do the same exact job in both enviroments. The reason i said to wash the crushed coral first is to avoid a possible ammonia spike from the dieoff of leftover marnie life that lives in it like brittle stars and pods.

12/23/2006, 10:23 AM	#10
JokerGirl Whistler's Mother Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: That place Posts: 1,345	I've been keeping Lake Tang cichlids for about 15 years now. My best advice to you is that if you are going to keep the sandbed to leave the tank fishless for about a month while it cycles through. The anaerobic bacteria found in fresh/saltwater are completely different from each other so the bacteria in your coral substrate isn't going to stay alive when you switch over the fresh. You're going to have a considerable amount of dieoff. Any of the cichlids should do very well in the salty water but moreso the cichlids from Lake Tanganyika. They are relatively hard to find in most LFS, and can be rather expensive. I paid $20 a piece from a private breeder for my Mpimbwe Frontosa that I have (they were about 1/2" long), and will probably be spending $200 soon here for a wild caught male as soon as I can sex the ones that I have. __________________ 01000001 01101110 01111001 01101111 01101110 01100101 00111111 Current Tank Info: 120g Reef Tank, 60g Cube Mantis/Reef Tank, Want more info, ask me.

12/23/2006, 11:26 AM	#11
vvhoisjohngalt Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: wisconsin Posts: 17	thanks guys. i think ill probably just remove the crushed coral then and put in sand substrate for the cichlids and bring over the other filters. adding a couple fish a week to the "new" freshwater tank may be the safest route. __________________ 29 gal, 2x65W orbit PC, 65 CSS, tidepool overflow and sump Current Tank Info: 29 gal salt, 125 gal cichlid