ready to go for salt....

[paul jason]

hello everyone....

i have a 110 gallon tank that is currently set up for freshwater and has been for some time now. my filtration is two magnum 350's which have always done a great job of filtering.  I have this "silly" thought that i can change the media in the magnums for use with salt....so i have a questions for all you. :-/

1. is this such a silly idea it wont work?
2. if it is not silly - what kind of media would you suggest i use?
3. what kind of skimmer do you suggest i purchase for my venture into salt?

[arcab4]

read that thread i have going on my 60gallon. i'm in the mist of setting a saltwater tank up.

before you venture into salt, i suggest you do alot of research by reading and asking questions. i've learned alot by just reading thro all the postings at reefcentral.com or reefland.com

the last thing u want to do is to jump in w/o doing any research. it'll end up costing you alot more money and headache.

but to answer your questions with the little knowledge i know...

1. i would forgo the magnums. instead, set up a sump.
2. it's not silly but i would still forgo the magnums. remember u want to enjoy this hobby not spend time solving the problems in your tank.
3. even tho my tank isn't setup yet..my skimmer is being used by a buddy of mine. it's a aquac urchin pro. so far it's skimming like mad. the other day there wasn't  much foam. so i transported three pieces of liverock from my skimmerless tank to his. within an hour, the foam was overflowing.

anyways..hope that helps. ask questions and read! good luck!

[dattack]

I think you have to start out by answering what you want your tank to be?  Is it fish only or will you have corals, invertebrates, clams /reef tank?

Fish only will be easier then the reef setup and will be less costly.  If it's fish only than you can use the magnum but if it's reef, you might have to rethink your setup a little bit.

[paul jason]

it will be fish only....just to get sarted into salt.

do you have thoughts on the media type?...i usually run the activated carbon(black diamond) and the ammonia(sp?) remover (white diamond).

[dattack]

I am not sure about the magnum but you can run a media that will have a lot of surface area too house bacteria.  You can check out some readings about canister filters in the saltwater aquarium here.  I would advise you to get a Skimmer also because it will help you get rid of all the nasties if your bioload gets to high.  

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/canisterfilters/

[arcab4]

yeah. listen to dattack. he knows what he's talking about. great source of information.  miley*

i would also suggest that even tho you're doing FO, you might want to plan it out with a reeftank in the future. but since u already have the equipment, it's ok. it's not like you're buying it new..and later when u want to go reef, u have to rebuy your equipment.

[paul jason]

any suggestions on type or brand of skimmer for my setup?

[dattack]

For a 100 gallon there are a few options and they are quite expensive.  I won't give you advise on this because my tank has been only <75 gallons.  You can either have a hang on the back or in sump skimmer.

You should direct your questions to www.reefcentral or www.reefs.org or www.reefland.com.  There are many people on that board who have more experienced with higher end skimmer than me.  Check it out they are very helpful.

[paul jason]

ok ...ive been looking at skimmers online....does anyone have anythought on the seaclone protein skimmer?

[dattack]

I am assuming your budget is fairly small if you chose the seaclone.  It works for a small tank if it's modified significantly but it probably won't make a dent on a 110 gallon IME.  You would probably need two CPRback, two prism hangon for your 110.  But there are better skimmers out there.