Tropical to Marine

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Raptor52

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Hi I'm thinking of changing from tropical to marine and apart from completely emptying and cleaning the tank I wanted to know should I remove the internal back landscape panels from the tank, they are stuck on with silicone, I'm assuming I should start afresh any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Cheers Richard
 
Are you going for fish only or corals/Inverts as well?

If you are going for corals/Inverts have you ever used any medications in the tank? If so definitely remove it, a lot of FW fish medications will kill SW corals and inverts and there is a good chance that the panels may have absorbed it and will leech it back into the tank.

If your going fish only or have never used any medications you can probably leave it if you want to.
 
Thanks for the information never thought about medication and additives so will clean tank completely and start afresh. Just need to get additional equipment skimmer etc.
 
No worries. What size tank is it and what are your plans for it?

I would strongly advise looking at setting it up with a sump tank if you haven't already. That lets you get the skimmer and any other kit out of the way.

I would also recommend looking at refugium's and macro algae growing areas or turf scrubbers. Growing macro algae like Chaetomorph or setting up a turf scrubber is amazing for nutrient export and really helps with keeping the Nitrate and Phosphate down. This helps stops algae growth in the main tank and gives better water conditions for corals. I tried a bunch of Phosphate removal methods with my reef tank and just growing a ton of Cheato was by far the most effective, a turf scrubber of a decent size would probably have been even better.

Its been awhile since I had a marine tank running but any questions just ask and I'm sure someone on here can help. Also make sure to post up a journal. I don't have space for marine tanks at the moment so having to live vicariously through everyone else's journal on here now :)
 
My tank is 300lt no sump but two external filters. I'm thinking of coral and fish I just want a change of the same fish but seems like an expensive way to go so may even look into something else my friend keeps cichlids but don't fancy them.
 
They are still swimming about and breeding like mad Guppies Molly Cory's Cardinals normal things when I moved I set tank up and somehow stocked it at beginning of lockdown with what I could get but need a change.
 
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I'm sorry but that doesn't look right to me. This tank needs to be heavily planted to make those fish happy. I think you need to go back to basics and understand what fish require, before moving on to your next project.
 
I had a lot of plants the water was not right so water changes etc sorted fish out but plants were hit hard so instead of buying more wanted a change so do the whole tank in one go
 
I had a lot of plants the water was not right so water changes etc sorted fish out but plants were hit hard so instead of buying more wanted a change so do the whole tank in one go
So where are the fish going from this tank.;
 
My tank is 300lt no sump but two external filters. I'm thinking of coral and fish I just want a change of the same fish but seems like an expensive way to go so may even look into something else my friend keeps cichlids but don't fancy them.

That's a good size tank to start with.

Going for a full reef setup will definitely be expensive and there is a hell of a learning curve. There is a large list of required equipment and an ongoing maintenance budget. That's before you even get into purchasing livestock. Also the more difficult the livestock you plan to keep the higher the equipment budget needs to go. Not trying to put you off but even if you go for second hand kit its going be in the hundreds before you even get near putting livestock in there. It's a lot of work as well.

Just as an idea the cost of liverock alone for a tank this size is going to be about £500. You may be able to buy dry rock for a bit cheaper or go the DIY route and make your own (takes a long time to cure and be usable). Then you need some good quality lighting, powerheads or wavemaker, skimmer, sump tank, return pump, etc. Even with some second hand bargains I would be budgeting about £1k at least to set up a capable reef tank, that's just for starting equipment. You also need a source of RO/DI water, Salt, test kits, etc.

On the other hand a fish only Marine system is not a million miles away from a freshwater tropical system. Again there is a learning curve and some essential equipment needed but the list isn't quite as long as with corals. Still almost as much work as a full reef though as marine fish are a LOT more difficult then even the most finicky freshwater fish.
 
Ok cheers the money is not to much of a problem but need to make my mind up before going down that route don't want to jump in without some thought first. Thanks for all your help most appreciated
 

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