here_fishy_fishy24

I have a 33 gallon setup, cycled with everything I need. My question is, what do I need to convert it to a saltwater tank? I want to add live rock and start off with some Clown fish. I have the Aqua Clear 70 filter, will that work for saltwater? And how much are reverse osmosis systems? TIA

travie

You say you have it cycled? What do you mean by cycled? Is there only freshwater in the tank? You will want to get at least 33 pounds of live rock for your tank. You will not need the AC70 if you have at least 33 pound so of LR. You will want a powerhead for water circulation. I recommend Koralia's. Look at www.drsfostersmith.com for prices on RO units. You need to start reading books and researching online before you get this tank running. SW tanks require a lot of research and patience.

here_fishy_fishy24

It is a fresh water tank with fish in it, I just got to decide what to do with them. So that much live rock will replace a filter altogether? And what about lighting?

travie

You will have to recycle the tank once you get SW in the tank. Yes that much LR will replace a filter, but you will want to get a protein skimmer. Lighting depends on coral. If you are going fish only with LR, lighting doesn't matter.

here_fishy_fishy24

Or if I want to do a FO tank, do I NEED live sand? Or will gravel do? Live rock is to much $, so I'm just going to stick with the filter for now. How many Clowns (the Finding Nemo kind) should I start off with? Compatible mates for them?

hkirchen

There is a lot more equipment that you will need to purchase in order to convert that tank into a saltwater one. I would check out the article for saltwater beginners on the home page of this site. http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterBeginners.htm

Before you start this project, I strongly suggest that you read a lot more material to arm yourself with knowledge. Saltwater is not cheap at all even if you do not use live rock.

Good luck!

here_fishy_fishy24

So what's the best way to recycle my tank? Do they sell something that will speed up the process? I don't want to use fish because that's cruel. Should I use the same filter media or get new ones? Thanks.

Angela_96

Basicly the same way you would cycle a FW tank if you aren't using live rock, use some live sand, seed it w/ fish food once a day. Watch it cycle.
No don't use the fw media for sw, the bacteria are different.

travie

You can check www.craigslist.com or www.kijiji.com for great deals on whole SW setups.

cerianthus

It's ok. Dead F/W bacteria arefree source of NH3, just like adding NH3/Foods. Orgainc matters are organic matter which will eventually give off NH3.