Big Change In Plans

[Aquascaper]

Got some great news today, the wife has given her consent for me to turn the Juwel Trigon 190 which was going to house cichlids into a reef

Pros: Already filled with dead LR, got crushed coral substrate, external filter, powerheads and have a 150w MH which can be retro fitted into a new hood as well as a Prizm skimmer lying around.

Cons: Can't fit a decent sump in the cabinet so going to have to get a 2nd external and maybe look to get an alternative skimmer.

Any suggestions on the best way to go about this as I've never tried converting from fresh to salt, I've only set up a reef from scratch?

Also has anyone any suggestions for a small skimmer (if needed) or any comments on the Juwel one?

 

[Donya]

Sounds like you're set. The externals obviously won't get you the same mileage bioload-wise as a sump, but they make a great place to put chemical media and sump-less tanks are totally doable. I've got two canisters on my sump-less 55gal, one for chemical media and the other for small bits of rock.

A fresh to salt conversion shouldn't be any big deal aside from cleaning stuff really, really well before use if it was used on a freshwater tank, since you've got all of the important bits covered already (rock, light, etc.). You could even be lazy like I've been on occasion and just do an extended cycle time if you don't want to scrub everything until it squeaks lol. You'd be looking at an extended time anyway since the rock is dead and would need to be re-colonized, which is a lengthy process.

No idea on the skimmer unfortunately. What's the problem with the prizm? Not a hang-on or too big to fit?

 

[Aquascaper]

Problem is sorted now as I've designed a new interior for the cabinet so I can fit a small sump which will house the prizm skimmer and a small refugium and the external will be filled with LR rubble.

Going out tomorrow to get pipework, sump tank and stuff for the custom hood so I can get started stripping the whole thing down and start again. Hopefully next week I'll be getting 10kgs of cured LR that will be dumped into the tank to cycle and I'll be on my way.

 

[Aquascaper]

Tank all stripped, DIY durso made (not tested yet) and started to place equipment & run pipework/cables.

Got new vinyl coming tomorrow to re-cover the stand and tank then I can fit the sump and do a 'wet' run.