start over with a 6 gl eclipse??

[snoce]

i have a 6 gl with neons that have been doing great for well over 1 year now and b4 them i had diff kinds of tetras so the tank is well established...i want to consider trying a small s.w tank to see how diff or easy it is....i have just the basic lighthood and filter for the tank...biowheel...to start off with what kinda filter,lights,gravel and anything else i need to start cycling a sw tank...some suggestions would be great

[snoce]

i really need some suggestions on what to buy....how do water changes get done....do i have to use ro/di water or tap water is ok...if i need to use ro/di do i have to use that all the time for w.c or only the first time i set up the tank....i have many questions to ask

[S.Reef]

Saltwater can be quite a challenge, with that being said the proper amount of research can make it fairly easy. You will hear this from everyone that smaller tanks are harder to maintain then bigger tanks. With a tank your size I would stick with only 1-2 very small fish.

You should do a water change weekly with a tank this size...probably about a gallon or two. I would definalty use RO water.

[1979camaro]

i would say one goby and thats about it...the fact that your tank is established as a FW is kind of irrelevant because with SW you will want to clean it out and start over again

your most important purchase will be live rock

as sam mentioned, research is the key. look on here at previous posts, in the stickies, and get a couple good books

[snoce]

but what mechanical devices do i need such as filters,heaters,powerhead...can i use the existing bio wheel filter as my powerhead and just take out the media...also why do i have to use ro water...do i constantly need to buy ro water or can i use tap water and just conditon it...also do i put salt in everytime i do a water change....where can i find these answers

[1979camaro]

as sam mentioned, research is the key. look on here at previous posts, in the stickies, and get a couple good books

[S.Reef]

If your tap water contains high amounts of iron nitrates and phosphates and other undesirable stuff then its unsuitable for a marine tank. If your going with a 6 gallon tank all you have to do is buy some purified water at the grocery store...not too much of a hassle.

[snoce]

can i use the same biowheel filter i have running on my existing 6 gl tank....will the bacteria on it from freshwater not be good for sw

[1979camaro]

the bacteria will die off...you are better off not using the biowheel anyway, just use the filter for water circulation and use LR as your biological filtration

SW and FW tend to be aproached from different conceptual perspectives so a lot of the ways you think about doing thigns in FW don't really apply

[S.Reef]

You can use the same bio wheel, however the cycling process will start over because saltwater bacteria will be colonizing the wheel, not freshwater. Just buy a bacteria culture and over a few weeks bacteria willbegin to grow on it.