couple marine set up questions

[rachy]

am completely new 2 marine, n tbh it looks confusing lol! but really wanna try a marine tank am i better off stripping 1 of my freshwater tanks down, n starting from fresh...or is it easier 2 leave it running, n change it 2 saltwater like that?? n does it have 2 be a hang on filter, or could i use the little fluval 1 i already have running in there atm?

[Brent]

Well first off, you don't use a filter on a marine tank. They just add nitrates to the water. You're live rock is your filter, alongside your protein skimmer. You might want to consider a sump here as well. A sump adds water volume and hides all the equipment that you don't want to see in your display. As a side note, you could keep the filter you have now and just take the cartridges out of it and use it as a fuge.

As for changing to marine, I haven't any experience. On one hand, you have a pre-cycled tank that will take a rather long time to switch over, whereas on the other hand starting at the proper salinity will make the switch go faster but you will spend more on salt. Ultimately your decision- go with what will be best for you.

^And that is pretty much where my knowledge of marine ends. Hope it was helpful though!

[Brandon8521]

Not meaning to steal the thread but when useing HOB filters as a fug would you only be able to put rubble rock in there. I cant see trying to put macroalgea in there or has anyone done this?

[Mek0ng]

Spot on Brent.

Fuges should be at least %10 of the size of the display if used for nutrient reduction, so most HOB filters would not be big enough for anything but a nano. It has been done, but ineffectively.

If being just used for pod growth, then sure LR rubble would be fine.

(oh and it really helps to type in full words rather than using '2' and 'n', so please if you want people to respond, at least make it easier to read your question)

am i better off stripping 1 of my freshwater tanks down, n starting from fresh...

Yes. Clean the tank out, buy a skimmer, fill the tank with saltwater, add live rock and let cycle. That is the best way.

[rachy]

lmao mekong...i dont even realise im typing like that half the time!! anyways, thanks for the help only thing is, its dwarf seahorses im looking to set the tank up for, by all accounts that ive read so far, live rock etc should be avoided for them, incase of any unwated hitchhikers or anything else that is likely to hurt the tiny seahorses. how else could i go about setting stuff up without using live rock + sand?

[jdak]

(oh and it really helps to type in full words rather than using '2' and 'n', so please if you want people to respond, at least make it easier to read your question)

I will admit, i skipped the post because i couldn't read the first line.

I have no experience with seahorses but i know they belong in a specialty tank. It will be different than your average marine setup. They require a low flow of water as they can't hold on or swim in heavy currents. They just seem to fall over dead a lot. They are also tough to feed so you will probably need to look into how to grow live brine and live rotifers. Those will take constant monitoring too. They are even extremely difficult for experienced SW hobbyist so that would make it even more difficult for a noob.

[Pufferpunk]

Actually, sump/fuge should be at least 1/3 the size of the tank.

Seahorses need small quarters, so they can find their food, very low flow & cooler temps.

[Brent]

Also avoid corals for seahorses... unless they are symbiotic with them.

You need to make sure that no bubbles are in reach of the seahorse, as if ingested it is impossible for them to release the O2.

Live rock shouldn't be a problem so long as you cure it and rid it of any nasties.

The biggest two problems I foresee are:

Trying to feed the seahorse. As Jdak said, BBS (baby brine shrimp) is a must, along with other very small food.

Controlling algae. With little flow you are going to have problems with detritus settling and forming algae in your tank.

PS: A 12g should be good for a few dwarfs. I wouldn't go much bigger in size than that though.


-x-


All of that info is from distant memory of a thread I read about them on NR (nano-reef.com) a few months ago.

[Pufferpunk]

Trying to feed the seahorse. As Jdak said, BBS (baby brine shrimp) is a mus

This means constantly hatching your own.

[Brent]

Aha, yes. I forgot to mention that. Thanks PP. ;]

[Mek0ng]

Reefkeeping Magazine has great articles, always check there first:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/hcs3/index.php

If you do get some, make sure to get captive bred.

Actually, sump/fuge should be at least 1/3 the size of the tank.

The %10 rules was in reef invertebrates by Calfo, and only for fuge size, not trying to argue, but just citing my info. Bigger is almost always better, I had a 55g RDSB/macro fuge on my 90g...

[Miller535]

A few things. You should use live rock. There are lots of things you can do to make sure the live rock has no bad hitch hikers. One that ive heard is buy put it in a bucket of water for I think two days with a lid and no light. And I would recommend starting from scratch as the bacteria that makes a tank "cycled" is completley different in fresh then salt. Fresh, brak, and salt all have diferent bacteria. So your cycled tank means nothing for switching over.

[Pufferpunk]

I take less of what Calfo has to say than some know it alls here. I've had some personal run-ins with him. He's a jerk & copies others.

[Miller535]

Are you talking about me pp?

[Brent]

Actually, sump/fuge should be at least 1/3 the size of the tank.

The %10 rules was in reef invertebrates by Calfo, and only for fuge size, not trying to argue, but just citing my info. Bigger is almost always better, I had a 55g RDSB/macro fuge on my 90g...

She was talking about the name mentioned in Mekong's post above yours.