Thinking Of Converting To Sw? Virgin

[rl1oyd]

Hi everyone. Iv been reading through alot of other peoples posts trying to get clued up!
This is my tank iv just bought
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/200x60x60-akvastabil...uarium_W0QQitem Z170034931363QQihZ007QQcategoryZ20755QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I have Malawi cichlids iv been keeping them for a few year now there really easy to look after.
But whenever i go to my LFS im just magnatised to the marine fish. What i am thinking is i have ocean rock crushed coral & coral sand 4 Lights 2 marine blue 2 marine white. A eheim professional with a kind of protein skimmer on it, i guess its like a protein skimmer i dont really know what one does? This one has a tube that goes to the top of the water has a whirlpool effect going on and keeps the surface really clear. I have another one at the other side(without the skimmer add on) this puts a strong current to either side of the tank. Now i appreciate that cannister filters are not really needed due to nitrates, i was thinking if i kept these but put in different media as other people have suggested then this would help the flow of the currents in the tank. I have my tank really well decorated with the ocean rock built up like a wall with caves and room for retreating at the back. Really i want to just add some pieces of live rock then im presuming the bacteria will grow on to the rest of my rock (i cant see why it would not?) So really im after some suggestions im a little nervous about wether to do it or not How would i go about getting started obviously take out the fish clean out the filters and add salt. I read about people using RO water cant i just use tap water? I am wanting a fish and clean up crew only not bothered about corals at the moment while im just getting started. Tank is 720 litres how much salt would i need how much live rock would i need to get started? Fish i like are Triggers, Angels, Lion/Scorpion Fish, Clowns (of course) not really sure about anything else. Anyway hope you guys can help me achive what i hope i can
Sorry for the long post Many Thanks Richard.

 

[SkiFletch]

Ok Richard, 720L (190G) is a BIG tank so you've got TONS of options for stocking. Triggers can be a pain imo since they are very aggressive and limit your cleanup crew (they eat most snails/crabs). Some people love them anyway, just not me. Angels are GORGEOUS fish and in a tank that big you could fit a couple fullsize angels. I've always wanted a tank your size to put a queen angelfish in it. That would be awesome. The only drawback to angels is that they will limit your ability to stock corals if you so choose in the future as most like to nip at stony corals. Anthias, psuedoanthias, Tangs, and wrasses would be awesome for a tank like that especially since its so long. I'd love to put like a Naso Tang in there with a school of big psuedoanthias and some fancy male wrasses

As for water, you're gonna want to invest in an RO unit. Tapwater should not be used because it has high nutrients for nuisance algae (nitrates, phosphates, silicates) and it can contain hazardous heavy metals like Copper. Longterm success with reefs is usually not achieved with tapwater. And since your tank is so big, you're gonna want your own RO filter. The good news is that the things last for a long time

When you say Ocean rock do you mean like solid limestone, or porous dead live rock? You're going to want a LOT of LR longterm (1lb/gal) which will be about 190-200lbs for you. Because your tank is so big, you dont need to drop it all in right away, but you should defeinitely get started with addint some. I'd start snooping around classifieds and local clubs to find some for sale from people breaking down their tanks. Save a lot of cash that way.

Salt, you're gonna need a LOT. Usually 40lbs mixes about 150gallons of saltwater so you'll probably want to start with two 40lb buckets. Have the salinity and temperature correct along with all your filtration and pumps setup and in place before you start adding live rock.

 

[rl1oyd]

Thanks for the reply. When i say ocean rock i mean real dead pourous ocean rock. So will live rock colonise my ocean rock? Any feedback on my filters i mentioned