# fresh water to salt



## bud091 (Dec 25, 2012)

i have a 35 gallon bow front tank I want to make into a marine tank can it be done or will it kill the fish? also would a sump be need for that tank or would a skimmer and filter do the job?


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Your fish would most likely die if they're freshwater... Unless they're a brackish species then if you slowly acclimated them to full salt it'd work.


Best bet would be to remove all from the tank and get rid of them. Clean the tank using vinegar and hot water then re set it as a marine.

In regards to the sump, I don't use one because i have fish with live rock only. a lot of people recommend them, but I have no space. Besides, a canister filter could work in a very similar fashion, only with less space for additives and to hide your equipment. 

Protein Skimmers are very useful, I just added one to my tank and have found the water quality and clarity to be improved. As well as the algae levels more so under control.

If you wanted a reef, a sump would be the best bet. You'll need live sand, some base rock and some live rock to seed with. Then comes the cycling process which will be fun lol.

Best of luck, SW's a fun hobby, but expensive to a degree. It requires time, patience and diligence. So make sure you're willing to pay attention to the tank or you may wind up wasting a butt load of money


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

bud091 said:


> i have a 35 gallon bow front tank I want to make into a marine tank can it be done or will it kill the fish? also would a sump be need for that tank or would a skimmer and filter do the job?


I don't understand your question. Are you asking if the fishes that currently live in your freshwater tank can still live if you turn the tank into saltwater?


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

I believe that's what he asked. But I was unclear as well so I covered most bases.


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## bud091 (Dec 25, 2012)

no I know they cant I wanted to know if I have used a tank for fresh if I can empty it and use it for salt also im trying to find somewhere to get cheap live sand


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## dc_addict (Mar 14, 2013)

You dont need live sand your normal sand will become live sand with enough time. Or you can seed your normal sand with live sand from someone else's tank and speed that along.

Your fresh tank once cleaned out will support marine no problem.


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## bud091 (Dec 25, 2012)

Ok sorry for so many qustions ppl but what do you. Mean by normal sand??


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## dc_addict (Mar 14, 2013)

Sorry by normal I meant not live. So CaribSea Aquarium sand or Aragonite for example. Just the normal stuff you will find in all of the fish stores.


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## bud091 (Dec 25, 2012)

Ok and I'm taking it that it is way cheaper then live sand then cause I'm setting up a 35 gallon bow front and big als said I need 40 pounds of sand that sounds like a lot to me


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## dc_addict (Mar 14, 2013)

your tank is about 30x15 so 40lbs of sand would give you about 2" of sand, sounds right to me.


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## bud091 (Dec 25, 2012)

Okay I'm just ry to get a little info some ppl have been saying only half a inch but if 2 inches sounds right then that's what ill do


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## dc_addict (Mar 14, 2013)

I believe it is all personal preference, I personal like a varied depth bed of 1/2-3, but I have seen people with only 1/2 all around. Others can chime in here as they will know more then me, but I dont see an issue with either setup.


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## bud091 (Dec 25, 2012)

ok well im not in a big rush to set it up so I keep reading what ppl have to see and see what I acan learn from it all thanks again for all the info


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

I believe big als sells a 50lbs bag for like $70?

If not the 20lbs are $30ea.
That's kinda cheap lol. If you really want to get a cheaper method for sand, get the no living sands, and a 5lbs bag of live sand to seed with.


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## bud091 (Dec 25, 2012)

ok ill have a look at that and see what happens I guess so I can go with a 20lb none live and a 5lb live and it will make the rest live?


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Pretty much. Seeds the sand, same as adding lots of base rock and a couple pounds of live rock seeds the rocks.


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

you're talking about Aragonite right? Most salt water systems use Aragonite as the substrate.


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Argonite, crushed coral, live sand it's all the same sh*t


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## bud091 (Dec 25, 2012)

I want to go with the sand route looks much nicer in the end and with the crushed coral you risk scrathching the glass when cleaning it


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## bud091 (Dec 25, 2012)

Thanks sig will check it out


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