Newbie - Tap Water In Marine Tank

beeste · Jul 26, 2006

I started to setup a freshwater tank and filled it with treated tap water but my wife said she wanted a marine tank. The aquarium shop said that I had to remove all the water and gravel and start again with RO water which I have bought. I haven't managed to completely drain the tank (there's about 1/2" water and some gravel left). Is it OK to leave this in and just add the RO water or do I need to completely drain it and get rid of the handful of gravel that's left?

I have a Fluval 304 external filter - do I need to buy another external filter too? I've seen posts regarding this and have heard that 2 pumps are enough. My tank is a Juwel 180.

Are there any pics of people's hardware setups etc? I can't seem to find any here.

Thanks
Brian

StingrayKid · Jul 26, 2006

You should try posting in the Marine forums. They'll start you off right on a marine tank. Theres a lot of precautions to consider before setting up a Marine tank. Good luck.

Waterloo Kid · Jul 28, 2006

If you're a complete beginner do not go the way of marines right off. Just coz they're pretty doesn't mean it's the right choice. Marine fish are generally far more hastle to look after. If you are going to go marines then read up on them LOADS first.

WK

andywg · Jul 28, 2006

Certainly read up on marine fish before getting too much into it, but I cannot agree with Waterloo Kid. My marine tanks take exactly the same amount of my time as my FW tanks for maintenance.

I would not worry about the water left in the tank, but would worry about the gravel. You want a buffering substrate (aragoite sand or crushed coral are favorites). Try and get all the old gravel out.

Most importantly you will need Live Rock. this is where the expense tends to come in, but with it you don't need any other filter. Just some Live Rock and some water flow will do you fine.

I would keep the 304 as you have it, it can be used for placing carbon and other chemical filtration in (or, as I have done with a 204, it can be used to house a remote Deep Sand Bed) and will provide some flow. Rather than another filter, you will want another powerhead to ensure there are no dead spots in the tank for detritus to settle.