Moving my small saltwater tank into former freshwater 75G

rostervandross

Active Member
Hi everybody,

Wanted to see if anyone has had experience or insight into with these things when converting a freshwater tank to salt and moving an existing tank into it.

I have had a salt water 20 gallon long for about a year or so along with two freshwater tanks. I decided to combine the two fresh tanks and make my 75 gallon the saltwater tank. I've cleaned it out, added new crushed coral, salt water and new live rock. Using bio spira and waiting to transfer in the rock currently in my 20 gallon.

Now I am wondering what my next steps are (how and when to add things from the existing salt tank in to the new tank (rock, small bits of coral and organisms, pitch the old sand and?). The rock in my saltwater 20 gallon are pretty covered with algae that I don't necessarily want to transplant but I am thinking it may be inevitable. Should I take the ones out that don't have corals growing on them and brush off all the algae?


As well as two specific concerns:

One is whether my freshwater 75 gallon's cannister filter's years of bacteria colonies on the ceramic pieces will still benefit filtration in salt water? Is it advisable to use the same ceramic media?

My other concern is with the rocks that were in the freshwater tank. Will they be able to be "reinvigorated" back into live rock? I somewhat wastefully bought some live rock several months back to use in the freshwater tank and I assume most of the marine life within them that made them "live" died off. Now that I've rinsed them and they are back in salt water amongst new live rock... is it just a matter of time until they become colonized with life again? What do you guys think?



Thank you and happy fish keeping!
 

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
Hi Roster :wave:
:rbwwelc:WELCOME to Reef Sanctuary :crowd:
I'm glad to notice that DaveK is on this thread because he always catches the little stuff that can make a big difference in tank set up.
I hope you will heed his advice & post up some pictures of your set up. Start a tank chronicle here, it's the best help step by step. :thumber2:

Very BEST WISHES....:cruiser:
 

rostervandross

Active Member
I sure will post a few current pictures of the old and the new tanks! Just waiting on the water to clear up after I added another small bag of sand.:snow:

I have been spending the afternoon cleaning tanks so they should be looking tip top shape. Bear with me until I figure out the picture posting format.

Thanks for the welcome.:adoration:


Edit:

Should I make a new thread to chronicle my tank evolution? A better titled and purposed thread where my questions come secondary?

Also Diana I am living in Oklahoma as well! South Central Tulsa

Lastly , fantastic selection of smileys !
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
The best thing to do here is treat the larger tank as if it were a new installation. Set it up, cycle it, and then slowly move your livestock from the smaller tank to it. You can leave some room in the larger tank to hold existing live rock and that sort of thing. I would use all new substrata in the larger tank and seed it with a handfull of substrata from the old tank.
 

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
About using your LR from your currant tank, that might be good UNLESS the algae on it is worse than GHA. If it looks to be Bryopsis, then I would not add it to the new 75gal set up.
I'm sure there are ways to scrub off GHA but not dreaded Bryopsis.
I've been dealing with Bryopsis for over a year now & it's the pits....ZERO FUN :rocket:

Honestly, if I were starting over doing a new tank....I would use DRY rock and make a beautiful rockscape. Just to reduce the chances of bad stuff. My tank still looks good @2.7 years but I am having to work on it now more than I ever have. :pityparty:

Not sure how well a canister filter will work with SW, most say they cause higher nitrates. Might get more opinions on it. :ponder2:
Your LR will build up bacteria needed to keep your tank stable. Just use lots of patience & don't overload it's ability by adding too many fish too soon or too fast.

Keep in touch here, ask all the :fishy:questions :fishy: you have concerns with. Lots of nice members here who are glad to chime in.

I'm closer to NWArkansas than Tulsa. I imagine Tulsa has some decent places to shop for the SW hobby. :)

 

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
welcomefish.gif

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

Start a tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along, we love pics
 

rostervandross

Active Member
Man I am getting pretty thrilled after seeing it all cleared up again this morning.

Here it is lying in wait:

uYwJu7q.jpg



I had a nice well worded post started and lost it logging back in, here's the gist:

Thank you Dave and Nano. That is an interesting bit about adding some substrata from my 20g into my new bed of crushed coral sand. I do have a bit of an issue with what seems to be some sort of algae clumping the top of my substrate.. that's OK?

Here is a couple pictures of my stuff in the 20g where you can see the algae I am working with.

ez6TBKG.jpg



Basically my concerns now lie in trying to minimize transfer of algae into the new tank. My LFS owner suggested I just start completely over and don't transfer in any of my rock so I'd like a second or third opinion.

Luckily I have only had corals in number for a couple months so they are still confined to their individual plugs and I don't have to move them on rocks with algae.

But my oldest and largest coral , a Kenya tree is there established on a rock loaded with algae. Would carefully/quickly scrubbing the algae off around it be a worthwhile endeavor? What I am trying to determine is basically Even if I scrub the rocks off will any amount of algae be just as much of a threat to contamination? I assume any amount left will grow again, but I am wondering if getting it scrubbed down will stunt it enough to let my crabs and critters keep it down and manageable.

I am basically trying to balance the benefits of introducing established live rock and the risk of algae spreading into my fresh new tank. What would you do?

I know I could let them dry out an clean them completely free of algae, but then they lose their benefit to the tank. But I could then reintroduce them and let them get recolonized... but I am thinking it may be a good idea to add more rather than less live things from my current tank into the new?


Another thought is adding a protein skimmer. I am looking for a quality hang on back one.. they seem to be pretty similar in form and function but I am drawn to quality / good components and ease of maintenance/cleaning. Maybe one of these will help keep my algae in check if I do decide to add existing live rocks.

Thanks all! Hope you and your aquariums are having a nice day.
 
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Stephane Cote

Active Member
My advice is make SURE your nitrates and phosphates are at 0 before you transfer ANY of that algea over. if you have nitrates and phosphate you will have a worst algea porblem a couple days (if not hours) after the transfer. TRUST me on this one. that was my problem from the 30gal to 75gal transfer.

all in all from your picture.. nice tank setup!
 

rostervandross

Active Member
Thank you Stephane. I am going to test my water this evening.

I am still undecided about what to do with the 20g's rock.

The new tank also needs another light fixture in addition to a protein skimmer. Anybody have any good info on either of those categories?
 

Stephane Cote

Active Member
I am still undecided about what to do with the 20g's rock.

if it were just me, i wouldnt transfer it over. i would wait until everything else is moved, then keep the 20gal with the LR in there and kill as much algea as possible (reduce phos/nitrate etc. then 100% water change and keep the LR in the tank for 30 days. after which THEN id transfer.

else i have a feeling you would carry over the algea and the rock probably has so much phosphate absorbed it probably feed it right back into the tank.

see below. the rocks that came form my 30 are the ones on the right.. my damsel is in front. the rocks with the zoa's are from the 75 gal. my tank got COVERED in algea because i didnt do it right. took me 3 months to get it under control :( then another year before it was all gone. that being said i still have brown sand...

IMG_1239_zpsff0866bb.jpg
 

rostervandross

Active Member
i would wait until everything else is moved, then keep the 20gal with the LR in there and kill as much algea as possible (reduce phos/nitrate etc. then 100% water change and keep the LR in the tank for 30 days. after which THEN id transfer.

Thanks man that sounds like a good way to go, best of both options, thanks for the idea.

Great looking structure in your tank . I really like the zenia (correct? pulsing stuff on left) I am trying to get the same stuff to spread like that on one of my rocks.. but it has some algae on its rock. I will probably do exactly like you said and maybe run some phosguard on the tank once just the remaining rocks are alone.

Do you have a protein skimmer? Do you like your light?

I have a smallish LED fixture that went well above my 20 gallon, but I think I will have to put it over just half of my75g and look for another fixture for the other side..
 
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Stephane Cote

Active Member
Thank you! the tank has changes since (see the pic below).

They are indeed pulsing xenias. my recommendation is to separate them from the main section of your tank. they spread REALLY quickly. just yesterday i was repositioning my LR (got hew wavemaker pumps) and found sprouts from the main colony. I had to 'wipe' them out. else they would take over.

I do have a protein skimmer. it's HOB (hang on back) since i dont have a sump.
(http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-octopus-bh2000-hang-on-the-back-protein-skimmer-1.html)

my light? i love my light.. problem is.. it's extremely expensive lol i have the Vertex Illumina SR260. I currently have it on normal / day cycle with random clouds and Thunderstorms (lightning effects) I disabled the moon effect as it was to bright. i may turn it back on soon though and tinker with it to have just a small blue glow. However, i just found out these lights are discontinue :(

This is my tank now (as of 3 months ago. updated pic coming soon):
unnamed_zpsf1u29fbb.jpg
 

Dracko

Well-Known Member
About using your LR from your currant tank, that might be good UNLESS the algae on it is worse than GHA. If it looks to be Bryopsis, then I would not add it to the new 75gal set up.
I'm sure there are ways to scrub off GHA but not dreaded Bryopsis.
I've been dealing with Bryopsis for over a year now & it's the pits....ZERO FUN :rocket:

Honestly, if I were starting over doing a new tank....I would use DRY rock and make a beautiful rockscape. Just to reduce the chances of bad stuff. My tank still looks good @2.7 years but I am having to work on it now more than I ever have. :pityparty:

Not sure how well a canister filter will work with SW, most say they cause higher nitrates. Might get more opinions on it. :ponder2:
Your LR will build up bacteria needed to keep your tank stable. Just use lots of patience & don't overload it's ability by adding too many fish too soon or too fast.

Keep in touch here, ask all the :fishy:questions :fishy: you have concerns with. Lots of nice members here who are glad to chime in.

I'm closer to NWArkansas than Tulsa. I imagine Tulsa has some decent places to shop for the SW hobby. :)
:rbwwelc: I have not used a canister filter, but have used a hang on with filter pads. I believe that either one CAN be used, opposed to no filter, but with great caution (learned the hard way by me). First of all, NO filter while cycling. Then I would ASAP add a skimmer. If you don't have a refugium, add a hang on. I have a lee's hang on for my 55g and it works well and does not co
st a lot. But I should have gotten one (any one) right from the start. This gets what the other filter misses. But here is the caution I mentioned. CLEAN THIS TYPE OF FILTER EVERY 2 WEEKS MAX. Every week is better. These filters trap the contaminates, but do nothing to eliminate them and can cause sudden and drastic changes in your parameters. Personally, knowing what I know now, I would have opted for more live rock (3# per gal) and a larger (or 2) skimmers, and will be saving up toward that for the future. Tank placement for mine makes a refuge tank impossible or I would do that.
 
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