salt water conversion

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

you CAN run a small salt water tank... but it's not always very successful. we have a 12 gallon tank which runs... but unfortunately without the proper lighting... it isn't doing great :(

it's quite simple to run a salt water tank with all the advancements in technology with them... if you get good equipment that is. it just takes more time if you have critters in it you have to hand feed etc... but it can be simple to run one if you keep to easy to keep stuff... like mushrooms, tube worms etc.

wow emilio... sounds like you have heaps of knowledge... hope to pick your brain when needed!

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Larger tanks are definitely a lot easier to start with, unless you are willing to watch your tank like a hawk. I started with a 10g tank, so I took the watch hawk approach.

Good equipment is definitely key. Buy the best you can afford, or save up for the best, because you keep from having to upgrade in the long run of things.

Starting with soft corals is not a bad idea, but some soft corals can be quite nasty, specifically leathers, they like to cause trouble with chemical warfare so a skimmer is definitely a must. Mushrooms and zoanthids are a good way to start, but many LPS (large polyp stony) corals are quite hardy, as well as a few select SPS (small polyp stony) such as the genus montipora.

Glad I could help with my PM.

Jason

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Originally Posted by JBallPython

Larger tanks are definitely a lot easier to start with, unless you are willing to watch your tank like a hawk. I started with a 10g tank, so I took the watch hawk approach.

Good equipment is definitely key. Buy the best you can afford, or save up for the best, because you keep from having to upgrade in the long run of things.

Starting with soft corals is not a bad idea, but some soft corals can be quite nasty, specifically leathers, they like to cause trouble with chemical warfare so a skimmer is definitely a must. Mushrooms and zoanthids are a good way to start, but many LPS (large polyp stony) corals are quite hardy, as well as a few select SPS (small polyp stony) such as the genus montipora.

Glad I could help with my PM.

Jason

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SPS and LPS demand bright lighting and calcium and magnesium levels to be optinum. Without a calcium reactor this is hard to achieve. Liquid calcium or kalkwasser dosing is like a second full time job to dose correctly. Anyways, make sure you get a good protien skimmer and alot of live rock and sand to get that biological filtration started. I just parted out my 90 gallon reef after 5 years of the hobby. It just became to demanding for me anymore.

yup we got all three :)

I completely agree with lurch , to get a little specific I had a 75g reef. I must of had 120pds of live rock some branch some base, I had rock from everywhere.I had most readily available mushroom's polyp's and most other soft corals.I was very successfull with my system the cheapest way possible,I never bought a uv sterilizer I did have my skimmer and appropriately sized wet dry filter.Very proud to say some of my corals reproduced in my reef . Now to fish I had my Blue tang for 3 years it got sick only once they are very sensitive fish, tang's and lionfish by far are my favorite fish .

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Originally Posted by lurch

SPS and LPS demand bright lighting and calcium and magnesium levels to be optinum. Without a calcium reactor this is hard to achieve. Liquid calcium or kalkwasser dosing is like a second full time job to dose correctly. Anyways, make sure you get a good protien skimmer and alot of live rock and sand to get that biological filtration started. I just parted out my 90 gallon reef after 5 years of the hobby. It just became to demanding for me anymore.

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I've got quite a few SPS in my tank without a calcium reactor, but I agree it does make the levels of calcium and pH a lot more stable (however reactors are spendy, and with their use you have to worry about CO2 export). All it takes though is a bit of testing for a while, and then a regular dosing schedule, a lot easier for me. Also with all of the other trace minerals, those are replenished through regular water changes, you should never have to dose magnesium or iodine, etc.

As far as LPS being light demanding I would have to say that I disagree because, that's a big generalization. Quite a few specie of LPS corals actually do not get their main source of food from the light, they do best with regular spot feedings for example; acans, favia, echinos, candys, suns, wellsophyllia...and the list goes on. I have, as well as others kept them successfully under PC, VHO and T5. One of the nicest SPS/LPS tanks that I have ever seen was illuminated with HO T5 lights with manual dosage of liquid calcium. "Bright Light" really means nothing, its all about PAR ratings.

Also, I agree with the use of a good protein skimmer and liverock, but sand is not a necessity its just one type of filtration, on most reef forums bare bottom tanks are becoming more and more popular becuase of lower nutrients loads w/o the sand. (Berlin Method- relies on Liverock, livesand, and heavy skimming) There's more than one way to skin a cat.;)

Everyone in the SW hobby has their own beliefs and experiences, so I respect what you say. To each his/her own.

i'm fortunate to have a really great salt water fish store... and i know most of the people who work there... so they give you the 'honest' goods on stuff before you buy! which is nice. they are very very very well educated when it comes to salt water systems as every single one of them has a minimum of one tank at home... some of numerous.

;) a definite benefit for us ;)

but i sure do appreciate reading all of your information too... so keep it coming!