Help from step one

your confusing me. lol. That sump from that link is for saltwater. and other research I've done says the same for saltwater. I don't necessarily feed too much that it hits the bottom but there will always be that little bit that does hit the bottom. And as far as I'm understanding I just need live rock and a clean up crew with my normal 2 week water changes and it will be just fine. BUT if i get a sump/refugium wet dry then water changes aren't necessary?
 
That link is to a cichlid forum, definitely freshwater. Bioballs are fine for freshwater, bad for saltwater.

And no, you can never eliminate doing regular water changes. People have done it, but not to benefit of their creatures. What things like a fuge and skimmer do help keep the water cleaner, so you dont have to do as frequent or do smaller water changes.

But you are are correct about only needing enough rock and doing regular water changes.
 
Ya ok, didn't see the originating sight. oops. ok...So what I have figured so far is that live rock and sand will keep the tank clean enough with regular water changes. and for beginning that is fine. as I develop my tank getting the sump/refugium plus wet/dry filter plus skimmer will benefit everything alot. but taking each expensive step one at a time is fine and can survive without them. So literally I can tank my freshwater tank now...take the fish out...put live rock and sand in...add the saltwater...and it will be fine as is???????
 
Oh. Different terminology. water developement to me. Ya I know about cycling. I was gonna "cycle" it for like 4 weeks with live rock and sand.
 
Welcome to the site. Believe me, saltwater is a different animal than fresh water. It took me a long time to break those habits from fresh that caused salt to be more difficult. My tank has sand on the bottom about 1-2" deep and live rock. Then a sumptuous that holds my heater and return pump made from a 10 gallon tank. I also have a fuge with live rock rubble and cheato. I also have a skimmer. That is all I have and my tank has been stable for years. The biggest change is the lack of canister or HOB filter. I used to run one but had constant water problems. The reason you don't need one to catch the left over food and :pooh: is because the liverock contains a multitude of bacteria, pods, and worms that eat it and break it down. These guys can work so fast that if you have a fish that dies, chances are you wont find a body. Any questions just ask. The folks here are a great source of info.
 
I think he meant "sump that," not "sumptous". :lol:

Fuge = refugium. It's a section of a sump, or a stand alone container attached to the tank, that contains macroalgae such as chaetomorpha. The chaeto naturally reduces nitrates and phosphates, which are the causes of nuisance algae in your tank and can be detrimental to your animals.
 
+1 bj


The sump is a good place to hide equipment, i.e. heater, skimmer.

Just remember that other then the natural cycle of the tank SW it completely different then FW.

(SW- Saltwater, FW- Freshwater)
 
Alright so I have officially decided to turn the 55 gallon into the saltwater. Everything is on sale on craigslist so once it's sold I am converting. I'm getting a large live rock and then a bunch of dead rock with some live sand too. Planning on setting that up and then just letting it run for like a month. But let me get this straight...I DO NOT need the biowheel filtration??? All I need is a powerhead??? for now at least
 
You're going to need more than one powerhead.
Do you have an accurate high-range thermometer, a reliable heater that can maintain a solid temperate of 76-80 degrees? You'll also need a reliable test kit. A lot of people get the API ones, but the Salifert ones are the best liquid kits (but pricey!).

You don't need to buy live sand. It's a waste of money and while it can help to get your cycle going, you're likely not going to need it if you're planning on 4 weeks. That's a good amount of time. Just buy regular aragonite sand and it will become live well before the 4 weeks.
Also, people here don't really like them, but I really like the liquid bacteria populations like Microbacter7 which you can buy. They contain all sorts of nitrifying bacteria and good stuff for the tank. Most people say they're not necessary, which they aren't, but I like the fact that they provide a large variety of types of bacteria. I figure, the more variety the better.

Protein Skimmer:
I highly recommend the AquaC Remora skimmer (with the maxijet 1200). I bought mine used (spent $40) and it's great after a good cleaning.
You don't need a skimmer though for awhile. Cycle the tank without one for sure and look into getting one when it's finished. :-)
 
Then dont do it, no one is forcing you to take up saltwater fish keeping. We are just here trying to help you do it right, saving you time, money and a lot of heartache.
 
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