turning brakish tank 2 marine, advice please

[Chillyfish]

hi all,
i need some help+ideas about turnin my 55g (uk) gsp tank into marine,
as u can see in the pic i have some ocean rock,bog wood ,java fern, sand base,
the sg is at 1.018 at min, can i start addin live rock in? my ocean rock has a yellow/green/brown alge on it?is this ok, will the live rock seed it, is this normal?
also i no that bogwood will rott quicker in marine, but is it still possible 2 keep in 4 a while? or should i take it out? and will the java fern be best out? (its holdin its own pritty well at the min.
iv got a external canister goin, but i cant afford a skimmer just yet, is this a prob? do i need a skimmer 4 marine sg?
im just guessin but can i add corals etc when im a bit further on? im goin 2 raise 2 about 1.020sg.

i no uv probably all heard this all before, but i would love any help+useful tips from other peoples experiance,
as i want 2 do it properly+well,
any links would b good, but i cant get them on my phone. im new 2 marines but i realy want 2 learn,
i hope someone can help me, thanks 4 readin this

[bigfatfish]

As you know Chillyfish, I am following in your footsteps & using you as my guinea pig! I do know though, that you should not run the external cannister on a marine tank - it just holds a whole lot of nitrates that you don't need. Some people put live rock rubble in the filter in place of the normal media, or just use it as a way of getting extra water movement.

[SammyDee]

Yes your gonna want a sump. It's better but it not impossible to use the filter you have. It just be a tad more work when it comes to maintanence. Yes you will need a skimmer. And it's advised to get an argonite based substrate to help buffer your ph to marine levels (8.2) I would get rid of the wood and probably half that rock in exchange for live rock. Use the old rocks as your base rock and add the new live rock on top. Yes it will seed the dead rock over time. Java fern will definetly die. I'm surprised it hasent yet. Mine went at 1.010. You'll probably want one or two powerheads aswell for movement. It is possible to add live rock at 1.018 but I wouldn't. Wait till your an established 1.020/1.022. Add a few pieces at a time. Not all at once. This can cause ammonia issues. If I were you Id also swap out your backround for a blue/marine backround. It'll make things pop. You don't want ppl to think it's FW after putting all that hard work into it being SW. Tank looks good thou as is. Just don't look marine yet. But you'll get there. Oh yea. You may want to consider a better lighting system too. Even with fowlr tanks it's best to get a decent light to encourage coraline algae growth ( that bright pretty purple algae) then after all that maybe try a soft coral or two. As long as all WP are in check. Others can help you more as I am still a SW noob just grasping the basics. Keep asking ?s too. Many ppl here to help you. I must say I trust their advice more than the LFS so trust them too. Good luck.

[Chillyfish]

Thanks 4 the advice, it seems I need to get a bit more cash 2gether, 2 feed my marine 2 be habit!!
It seems alot of work, and I don't want 2 rush it. Just I might 2 offered some live rock next weekend in return 4 some work, and just woundered if I could put it in?
As 4 the java fern I'm suprised 2!! Alot has died but iv got a couple great plants!!
Thanks again

[JoseDepacos]

A sump is not a must.

[SammyDee]

I would sump anything 50g and up but he's right not absolute just better and really the same price if you bargain shop on CL. If you were to raise the SG .002 a week before then do it. Although Id check it for nuisance algaes so you dont bring that in. Id also consider an aragonite substrate if you dont have one yet. It help buffer your PH higher to marine levels(8.2). IMO I would do a sump just for the fact of having the skimmer and heater etc. down below and hidden plus many other reasons too. It just gives a clean professional look when you look at a tank and you cant see pipes everywhere. IMO i wouldnt try to cut corners with marine doing it right off the get will make life maintaining it that much easier...

[Pufferpunk]

I agree with Gary. I did not run a sump or use live rock in my 1st attempt to bring my BW tank up to marine for my 2 GSPs. I did have a HOB skimmer. Unfortunately, this meant continued 50% weekly water changes, until I did break down & buy live rock for that tank.

[Chillyfish]

I'm not sure about a sump at the min,but I no what u mean about hiddin the equipment.
Wat I want 2 no is can I put some live rock in at 1.018/19 to seed the ocean rock, and just keep my external filter goin?
Will this damage each other? Or is this feasible until I get the cash for a skimmer?
Would live rock +external filter work together?
How can I tell wat sand I have? Is this nessesary 2?
I do love my tank as it is, I don't want 2 strip it all down, just slowly change it with the rock ect.
Also if I put good live rock in with my rock with slight alge on, could the alge kill the live rock? It's green/brown alge.

[JoseDepacos]

I wouldnt add live rock till your salinity is at least 1.020+. The algae currently on your rocks has a good chance of dieing off at higher salinity. So I wouldnt be too concerned. You can absolutely keep using your filter till you have plenty of live rock and a skimmer added. Just be extra cautious if you use filter media because some arent safe for marine tanks. Add the live rock slowly and make sure it is cured first. If its not cured it can cause large ammonia spikes which will likely kill your puffers. Buy a good test kit and amongst other things, check your ph levels. Do not buy test strips. Almost anyone with any knowledge of aquarium keeping knows they are near worthless. There are several ways to buffer ph if its not high enough. Adding aragonite based sands, crushed coral or large chunks of dead coral will all do the trick. READ A LOT! There is tons of good info here and many other places on the internet. Soak it up and take your time, dont rush any of the processes or you may regret it.

[bigfatfish]

I wouldnt add live rock till your salinity is at least 1.020+. The algae currently on your rocks has a good chance of dieing off at higher salinity. So I wouldnt be too concerned. You can absolutely keep using your filter till you have plenty of live rock and a skimmer added. Just be extra cautious if you use filter media because some arent safe for marine tanks. Add the live rock slowly and make sure it is cured first. If its not cured it can cause large ammonia spikes which will likely kill your puffers. Buy a good test kit and amongst other things, check your ph levels. Do not buy test strips. Almost anyone with any knowledge of aquarium keeping knows they are near worthless. There are several ways to buffer ph if its not high enough. Adding aragonite based sands, crushed coral or large chunks of dead coral will all do the trick. READ A LOT! There is tons of good info here and many other places on the internet. Soak it up and take your time, dont rush any of the processes or you may regret it.

What filter media (in an external cannister) should be used whilst doing the change-over?

[JoseDepacos]

You really shouldnt use any. Just your actual filter material and maybe a bit of carbon, but you dont need it. If its already in there, you can leave it. After enough live rock is added and a skimmer, a filter wont be needed at all.

[Chillyfish]

How can u tell it's cured rock? wat does that mean? It's comein from a tank that's been set up around 12 months,
iv got a very good test kit, nutrafin master test kit, way causes the amonia spikes? My filter is all good with some carbon in so il keep that the same, can I just add some crushed coral 2 hold the ph? Thanks for this I'm gettin to no wat it's all about now.

[purplecandle]

How can u tell it's cured rock? wat does that mean? It's comein from a tank that's been set up around 12 months,
iv got a very good test kit, nutrafin master test kit, way causes the amonia spikes? My filter is all good with some carbon in so il keep that the same, can I just add some crushed coral 2 hold the ph? Thanks for this I'm gettin to no wat it's all about now.

Filters do not magically remove ammonia-nothing does.

The bacteria in a filter coverts ammonia into less harmful things-but doing so takes time..and if you have a large ammonia spike the established bacteria may not be enough to convert ammonia quickly enough for puffers since they are extra sensitive to ammonia.

If you are asking what causes ammonia spikes-well everything does but the main causes are left over food, poo and pee, dead animals (left over food).

[purplecandle]

definition of cured live rock..from my understanding

Cured live rock is rock that has experienced some die off, and the resulting ammonia spikes have completed/finished.

[JoseDepacos]

definition of cured live rock..from my understanding

Cured live rock is rock that has experienced some die off, and the resulting ammonia spikes have completed/finished.

Yep. If your live rock is coming from an established tank and has been in there a while, this shouldnt be an issue. At least not to my knowledge.