Possible SW tank?

[ChrisRSG]

Ok all my question are from me wanting a SW tank as cheap as possible.

I know it isn't the hobby to get into for those with a tight budget. I have money every week to spend but I dont have a huge amount up front to start one.

Currently I have a 29 GAL FW tank. It is 30" Long, 18" Tall and 12" Wide. Is it possible to convert this into a SW tank?

I dont know if you can do it with a tank this size. I would like to have sand and some live rock along with 2 or 3 mid sized fish.

I dont think having corals in a tank this size would work at all but if you think it is possible, let me know.

The tank is not drilled. I am welcoming all suggestions to what I need to convert this tank. Thank you for your time.

[Jimmer]

Although that is bit of a small tank you can still successfully convert it to a SW FOWLR tank. You'll need to drain, clean, replace substrate, replace lighting (only if you plan to get some coral)

Generally if you have enough LR and have enough LS/CC you should be ok. It gets more difficult when you add corals to the mix.

Anyone else wanna weigh in?

[_ReefFer_]

IT IS POSSIBLE TO CONVERT IT TO SW. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I DID.. I HADE 55 GAL FW AND CONVERTED TO SW ALSO WITH A TIGHT BUDGET.. ALL GLASS TANK NOT DRILLED EITHER. I USED A PLENUM SYSTEM... MY ONLY SOURCE OF FILTRATION IS MY PROTEIN SKIMMER, LR, AND LS..
I DONT SEE WHY IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO HAVE CORALS IN THAT SIZE TANK.. OTHERS ARE ABLE TO HAVE CORALS IN A NANO REEF (MINI REEF 20 GALLON TANK)
READ MORE ABOUT PLENUM SYSTEMS AND OR DEEP SAND BED..
WAIT FOR OTHER TRT MEMEBERS THEY COULD GIVE YOU MORE AND BETTER TIPS.

[foobuddha]

You can certainly have a successful 29G sw, but the standard mantra is "bigger is better". It's much easier to keep water quality in line with a larger volume.

LS, LR and a protein skimmer should be sufficient for filtration, so you're looking at a few hundred to get that started. Get the biggest, best skimmer you can afford, it will keep you from needing to upgrade later. Getting the right equipment the first time will save you $$$ in the long run.

As far as corals go, you can certainly do softies without spending mucho dinero on lights. However, if you have previously dosed copper in the tank, it's not suitable for LR, LS or inverts.

Reefing on a budget isn't easy, but it can be done. Get you equipment piece-meal, join your local reef club and make a "Will work for frags" sign.

[Xwhite]

Yes, it's not only possible to have a reef aquarium in a 29 gallon tank, it' also quite common among us nano-reefers. Check out...

www.nano-reef.com

A place where even 2.5 gallon reef aquariums are a beautiful and successful endeavor. Personally, I'm keeping an 18 gallon reef aquarium.

John

[Prismaco]

I run a 16gall show tank and have about 25lbs of Fiji LR and 10lbs of some type of LR with maided hair, 1.5" of fine LS. I have about 6 Damsels, 2 clows, and a scooter (I think thats what they are). Also some shrooms and a rose anenome. Had some Polyps but got to stressed out on shipping and may be able to recover. As far as lights I got a 1x96 50/50watts from: www.hellolights.com. Great prices for lights. Also got a nice Berlin skimmer. If you decide to goto SW, be very patient...cant rush....Also ask alot of questions...I learn more every day from here...$0.02


-Paul

[thefatman]

yup, my tank was jsut converted from fw as well, after my last oscar died (i have 7 fw tanks)

however. if yo uhave EVER, i mean EVER, and i do mean EVER used ich meds in the tank in the past to treat ich, then you should not use that tank. unless you only plan to have fish only.

ich meds for fw have copper in them. copper kills corals and inverts. even if it was two years ago, teh copper is still there, in the silicone and will leach out.

if not, go for it. i did and my tank is coming along nicely.

there are a number of poeple here at trt, that have converted from fw as well.

[ChrisRSG]

Wow thanks for all your help.

I am pretty new to the game but I have read a couple books about SW tanks.

I will probably go fish only for now untill i know I can hold that down, then maybe do a few soft corals. I dont think I have ever used ICH treatment in my tank but just to make sure, should I cover the existing silicone with some new silicone?

I know the changes happen a lot quicker in smaller tanks but I plan on getting a larger tank down the road, I am just anxious to get started!

I am not familiar with all the abbreviations you use here so bear with me.

Ok, I have the tank cleaned out. Now, what filter do I need to put water in a tank. RI/DO? I would like to have some live sand and a horseshoe crab or 2 just to get started. Perhaps a small piece of live rock as well.

[Prismaco]

If you are going to go with LR (live rock) and LS (live sand). Put it all in at once. Everytime you add a new piece of LR or somemore sand, your tank will go through another cycle...

Add:

30-45lbs of LR
1.5"-3" of LS (my preferance)

and a very good skimmer. Go all out on that. Anyways, get some good some salt and a test kit (hydrometet for salinity). I personaly got the 2 in 1, its a hydrometer with a thermometer. Some local <>< shops will test your water for free. Also what I did on mine was get some LS and some water from my works tank just to kick start it the cycleing. You will aslo need a powerhead or 2. Get some good water flow going...$0.02


-Paul

[thefatman]

close.. ro/di (reverse osmosis de-ionization)

that's gonna run ya about 200 for an ro/di or 125 for an ro and up from there.

you CAN use straight tap water if funds are limited, but it's not recommended. at the very least run the water through a tube filled with carbon.. or better yet check with your lfs or grocery store for ro/di water..

i couldn't find a single lfs in town that had any. but my grocery store did have it from a machine. 35 cents a gallon with your own container, and 80 cents with thier container.

you'll need to lug it all home, but at least you'll be using good clean water.

skip the crabs for now, and get the rock. you shouldn't put anything live in the tank for at least 4-8 weeks until all the water parameters are stabilized. coming from fw, i assume you know what a tank cycle is (ammonia to nitrite to nitrate). same thing in sw. so hold off on the crabs for now.

[thefatman]

hehe everyone post at once

yeah what paul said too!

[NewReefer]

The only down fall to a 30g is you will need to do more frequent water changes. I had mine up about a year then went for the 100g. Water changes to a smaller tank is key. I had a 3" SB, skimmer and 40lbs of LR.

[Prismaco]

Buy some tap water drops....


-Paul

[Mrs Smith]

I have a 29g reef. It's sort of my Frankenstein reef, but it's a solid setup. I run 2x55W PCs, just to throw out other lighting options, and a CPR Bakpack with Maxijet mod skimmer.

Have fun planning, and amen to the copper warning. Copper is bad, bad news. What you could do to be sure you won't leach copper it fill it with water, wait a week, and then test for copper.

Good luck,
Danielle

[NewReefer]

If your worried about the copper then yes let it sit there a while, week or two then test. It will only cost you time.