55 GAL Freshwater to Saltwater

[tskinner]

I'm a sort of a Newb to the Saltwater Tanks.  I'm currently thinking of changing my 55Gal to saltwater.  Any Ideas on a price that I could be looking to spend and also if someone could tell me some equipment that I should be buying.  I don't want to spend too too much on the tank, so any suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks

[sniggir]

all depends on what you wanted to keep. If you wanted a fish only set up your costs will be much cheaper..as for your general equipment you will need a protien skimmer, salt, LR a calcium based substrate, and pumps for circulation.. if you wanted corals ou would need to get a good lighting system which you could build your self... if you are patient you can build your Live Rock aswell... but takes about 6 months...other wise it is generaly about 5$ a lbs to 14$ depending on where you get it and you will need about 1 to 1.5 lbs per gal

hope this helps

[xenon]

First question to ask yourself is how much are you willing to spend.

After you have a set budget we could help you choose everything you need.

[tskinner]

Well I'd like to be able to spend the least amount possible but not totally cheap out.  Maybe 500 - 750 on equipment or maybe thats not nearly enough and I'm totally out to lunch.

[xenon]

Well I'd like to be able to spend the least amount possible but not totally cheap out.  Maybe 500 - 750 on equipment or maybe thats not nearly enough and I'm totally out to lunch.

Definately a fish only with live rock system then.

You don't need to spend much on lighting. Depeding on the bioload you should get yourself a good skimmer. The EuroReef RS80 comes to mind.

Powerheads are also required to maintain good oxygen levels. A couple maxijet 1200's should do the trick in a 55g.

You will need a minimum of 55lb of live rock and maybe 50lb of aragonite sand. At $5/lb your looking at $275 just for live rock.

Do you plan to drill the tank for a sump? If so you will need a return pump from the sump. If not there are some really good HOB overflows that maintain siphon during power outage.

Then you need to buy some fish and a cleanup crew!

[kennyman]

Like Snigger said is all in what you want to keep.

If you avoid the corals and stick to a couple of cheaper fish you can have a 55 setup for the cost of a bucket of salt. Liverock removes nitrate from your system as it houses anaerobic bacteria but you can even work around that with conventional filters and use water changes and limited stocking to maintain low nitrate levels.

And if you are good at this kind of thing and know your stuff you can use an external filter for anerobic activities 

[tskinner]

How about if I converted my 30 GAL instead of the 55GAL. Could I be able to do it for 750 ish give or take acouple hundred

[Alchemist]

But your 55g is 4ft right which is a more common (ie cheaper) size for light tubes?

The live rock is what will jack up the price so if you are patient do half and half with live/base rock (I've seen base rock for $1 lb online).  Get as much as you can used and you might be OK with that budget.  Look for tank tear downs and see if you can get it for $4 lb or less.  You also don't have to buy all the live rock at once if you don't want to.

Honestly..if I had the choice I would have chosen a larger tank despite the cost, I'm reaching the point where I don't have much space for any new stuff now and I'm looking to get a bigger tank.

It's like crack..it's addictive.

[tskinner]

I'm not really worried about the price to fill it(ie rock, sand, fish, corals).  I just want to be able to get my tank ready to go(equipment wise) for 750 ish.  I was thinking of getting t5 lighting strips, a fluval 403 or maybe alittle bigger, acouple maxijet powerheads.  I was talking to the owner at the lfs and he said i shouldn't really need a protein skimmer right away if i just went with 50 lbs LR, corals, a tang and a pair of clowns for now.  I could always upgrade stuff and add any extra later.  He said with that bioload i shouldn't need protein skimmer.  Any more suggestions from anyone...

[sniggir]

my question is what LFS told you that yes you can go with out a skimmer but your load has to be very low and you would be limited to the type of coral's also the fluval's are pointless because of the LR, also for the price of a fluval you can get a used skimmer no problem.. T5's are great and would recomend them if you are going with a 30 gal for sure... but again it all depends on what you want to keep in your tank, SPS for example need alot of light. Where as most softies and mushrooms do not.   

did ya get the pm I sent ya?

[xenon]

Depending on the reflectors, you can keep SPS and clams with 6x54w T5's.

Ditch the filter.. that's what liverock is for. You will NEED a protein skimmer for sure. Some ppl run without but they need larger water changes and in the long run you spend more money on salt so the skimmer will pay for itself in the long run.

You should stick with thre 55g if you plan to get a tang. They need 4ft of swimming room minimum.

You can get some pretty decent lightning and skimmer for $750 

[Alchemist]

I have a Fluval and live rock and put carbon and phosphate remover in it, polish the water and use the outflow as additional water movement.  Things seem very happy.

[sniggir]

sry there Alchemist I didn't mean it in a bad way thet are great to though carbon and such into I am just saying that if you are going to buy a new one instesd of a skimmer that you would be better of buys the skimmer... I have a magnum 350 that I just put on that is full of carbon cause I had something going on in my tank... but I don't use it all the time

[Alchemist]

...should have said that I have a skimmer too!

[Faerin]

I'm going to play devil's advocate here. For a fish only tank, you really don't need a skimmer. It will certainly help keep your water quality up, but fish will be fine in unskimmed water (it's the corals that require prestine water quality). If you're working on a budget, I see no problem holding off on a skimmer untill you can afford one later on.

You really shouldn't need the mechanical filter either way though, the liverock will take care of all your filtration.

[Severum]

I started up my 33 gallon fish and coral tank about 3 months ago and I've spent about $600 on it so far. Most of the cost came from my coralife lights, which I bought from BA's for way too much. If I had done it properly and knew more about what I was doing at the time I think it could have been done for less than $500.

I'd recommend going for the bigger tank and paying the extra money. In the end you will start running out of room and want to upgrade anyways. It will save you the headaches that I will soon face. Also the light tubes are cheaper...

[murgus]

I'd just to throw out that you do not NEED a skimmer - even in a reef setup.  I have seen several that run without that were simply amazing.  A lot of us have seen rockgarden's reefs that were run without skimming and no waterchanges and they were great (at least they were before the power hiccup/GCFI problem at his house ).

So, all I'm trying to say here is that you do not have to skim and/or do lots of water changes.  While it might be the general rule of thumb, it is by no means the only one

Thx/Andrew

[Severum]

You can get a used skimmer for $50 bucks. I did and its working decent. The skimmer will not be a big expenditure. One becomes available every couple weeks in the classifieds.

[xenon]

I'd just to throw out that you do not NEED a skimmer - even in a reef setup.  I have seen several that run without that were simply amazing.  A lot of us have seen rockgarden's reefs that were run without skimming and no waterchanges and they were great (at least they were before the power hiccup/GCFI problem at his house ).

So, all I'm trying to say here is that you do not have to skim and/or do lots of water changes.  While it might be the general rule of thumb, it is by no means the only one

Thx/Andrew

Yes your are correct.

Skimmers are not required but it will definately cost more in salt due to the larger water changes. In the end your wasting money on salt that you could have invested into a skimmer.

[cn]

I don't run a skimmer and do 15% water change monthly on my 20g tank. I also have a HOB fuge with chaeto macro algea in it and run a low fish load ( two small fish ). I keep only lps and softies in this tank as these corals don't require pristine water conditions like stoney corals.
It's been going strong for two years with no casualty. IMO skimmer is good but not a  must have.