give me some ideas

[dafunk5446]

Hello I have a 42 gallon hex aquarium that I would like to make into a saltwater tank. I have had a few tanks before, freshwater community and a couple cichlid tanks so i have a good general understanding of how things work. I have a under gravel in it, as well as a biowheel filter and canister filter that pumps around 300 gph. Is any of this useful? I was wondering what your opinions would be for this tank with current equipment is, a what would you do scenario. I am a college student so please keep in mind I am poor. I just need to know what I can do with it and how much cost is involved, its ok if its real bare bones, I can build it up slowly which is preferable.

[sasquatch]

Hi Dafunk and welcome to RS. first question is, has the tank ever been medicated? some meds bond to the glass and get into the silicone later releasing and creating havoc.For a fish only the UG and Bio would get you by, loads of good advice is sure to follow all the best Steve

[dafunk5446]

To the best of my knowledge it hasnt, I dont think the previous owner ever had problems in that tank. If it has would I need to strip it and reseal it?

[sasquatch]

Good question for the chemistry class, I think copper bonds to glass, if its fish only no biggies, but would be bad for inverts and corals.Steve

[dafunk5446]

k I dont think im going to get into inverts or corals just yet, I think im just going to go fish only for now. What would you say I should get? Live rock, live sand? or just some argonite or crushed coral and some fake rocks? What would be some good fish for this tank?

[sasquatch]

Welllll, if we be sticking to the "golden rules" First, research, find out what you want , this will dictate the rest of your equipment list. Live rock always good, fine grained sand will become live from the rock.Steve

[lcstorc]

Avoid the crushed coral. It will just traqp detrius and increae your nitrates. Stick with fine grain sand. It is a much better option.

[BoomerD]

Undergravel filters might be OK for freshwater use, but are HORRIBLE for saltwater. The very process turns the substrate into a detritus sink, which in turn becomes a nitrate producing factory. As mentioned, you COULD get by with this for "Fish Only", but if down the road, you decide you want to turn the tank into a reef, you'll have to rip the entire thing out and start over...
Sugar-fine aragonite sand is considered to be the best option for saltwater tanks, and unfortunately, it's not readily available in many places, except thru your LFS. SOME folks are lucky enough to be able to buy it at their local Home Depot or other home improvement stores for ~$5/50 lb bag, where the rest of us have to pay $1/ lb at the LFS...
Your bio-wheel filter and canister filter also will become major nitrate producers, and are not recommended for saltwater use. MOST reefers use a mix of 1-1/2 to 2 lbs of live rock per gallon, and an efficient protein skimmer as their ONLY source of filtration. (yes, as you advance, you can add things like micron filter socks, calcium and kalk reactors, etc, but for basic filtration, a nice Deep Sand Bed (over 4" deep) lots of nice porus live rock, and a good skimmer is the main thing you'll need...