tony

i had a 55g sw tank and i have taken it down and started to change it to a fw tank. i was wondering if i will have to let the tank cycle again. the same tank decor will be used as well as the same filter and bio-wheel. but the decor may be dry for a few days... will that kill the bacteria will this cause me to have to cycle the tank again

Earthling84

if it dries of course most if not all the bacteria will die. Also, changing SG over .002 at a time can cause the bacteria to die, so yes, you will need to cycle.

tony

ok thank you. grr i didnt want to have to re-cycle the tank. oh well. i saved the bio-wheel and the filter. i kept them in the water so the bacteria on them should survive

Earthling84

as long as you kept them in TANK water and not for a huge amount of time(not like over a few weeks). Tap water will kill the bacteria.

tony

yes they are being kept in a five gallon bucket full of the old aquarium water. and is the bacteria the same for fw and sw?? and what is SG

Earthling84

SG = specific gravity

Charmaine

I could be wrong but as far as i know the bacteria in sw is different to that of fw.

tony

darn. well it looks like i'm going to have to completely cycle my tank again

Charmaine

I think that ould be the sfest thing to do. Rather be safe than sorry.
You can also use the TETRA SAFE START,whch is supposed to cycle your tank almost instantly. I have used it. I set up my tank with all the decor and water, ect... I let the tank run for 24hrs and then added my fish and they did very well and are still going strong, I have had them for over a year now.

J J Indy

You can also use Bio Spira for fresh water it will cycle the tank almost over night but after you put it in you need to add your bio load (fish) the next day because it is live bacteria from cycled tanks Marineland Labs makes it you can order it on line or buy it at the LFS its not cheap but it works and you dont have to wait to add fish.

fishrule101

Why would you change?? SW is awesome.

tzqng8

BIO-Spira was re-formulated here in the U.S. to become Tetra SafeStart. It is the same thing, except that the bacteria are kept in a spore state so that they do not need refrigeration to survive.

tony

i agree!!! i would much rather have sw but its too much work, the fish are too sensitive and hard to keep healthy, and it is also more expensive than fw. and there are neat fish that you can get for fw. i have looked at some online that i can order for only $8-10 and they are really neat fish. but yes, i would rather have sw

J J Indy

I hadn't heard it was reformulated I just used it in my newest 55gal and my LFS still carries it. Is the Tetra Safestart any cheaper because the Bio Spira is not cheap.

tzqng8

You can find more info here.

As far as cost, depends on what you consider expensive. I think, with shipping, I paid about $15 for 100ml.

It didn't do me much good. Hope you have better luck.