scubafreak Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Hello Austin Reef Club. I'm new to the saltwater aquarium game. I've always had freshwater but always disappointed by how non-colorful they typically are. A little while back I lost all the fish in my tank due to a heater that died so I figured it would be a good time to finally do that salt water I had always wanted. I've cleaned the tank got substrate and reef mix and am about to begin. I do have a quick question: should I even bother with trying to convert this ol 55g or cruise the for sale in the forums and craigslist and try and find a complete setup? Sincerely, Scubafreak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 within 6wks or so youll wish u had a reef ready tank and it was bigger than a 55. JMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzobob Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Lots of people run very nice reefs in 55s and smaller. Lots of people also run them in non-reef ready tanks. 55s a good size to get your feet wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Welcome. I would be hesitant to use any previous FW tank for saltwater even if the size is appropriate. FW keepers often medicate their tank which very often includes copper, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals. These can leach into the silicon and later leach back out into the tank. It takes an absurd amount of cleaning usually with muratic acid to completely remove copper from a tank. Corals and many inverts are very sensitive to copper, and even very small amounts can cause problems. Unless you have never medicated the tank, ever, or know 100% that you never used a copper medication, I would buy a new tank. In any case, to me it's simply not worth the risk to save $50 to lose several hundred or even several thousand dollars in coral later on and have to start over anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Razor Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 I converted my 29 gallon freshwater tank into my first salt back in July 09. I had it running great, but by October 09, I had purchased a used 90 gallon tank that was reef ready. I say get started with it until you have a good plan nailed out. The down fall to having the 30 gallon was only the rock and fish converted over so I had to buy all my equipment for the larger tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 Welcome to the addiction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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