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Converting an Aquarium from Freshwater to Saltwater - Page 2© Douglas DuHamel
Page 2
Feb 28, 2003
One part of a freshwater system that needs to be replaced is the food. Marine fish need varied diets. You need to supply your fish with a combination of fresh, frozen and live food. Flake food, although adequate, should not be the major portion of your fish's diet.
Finally, when you are ready to make the switch to saltwater, you really should replace all the water in your system. It is best to start with nitrate free water to minimize the potential for algae problems. Also, many people think that adding salt to a cycled freshwater tank will yield a cycled saltwater tank. Experience has shown this is not true. Saltwater nitrifying bacteria are different than freshwater nitrifying bacteria, so they must be cultured from scratch. As a note, nitrifying bacteria seem to be pH and temperature sensitive. So moving some gravel from a warm saltwater tank (~85F/24C) to a temperate saltwater tank (72F/21C) will shock the bacteria enough to nullify any advantage from using the gravel (e.g., to shorten the cycle time). Although it sounds like a saltwater tank is a bit more complicated, it is very rewarding. Watching the live rock grow and develop into a beautiful reef is exciting. When you first get live rock, it's just plain old rock to the naked eye. Soon, you will see tiny plants growing out of it and even little animals emerging. When you go into the pet store and see the unusual saltwater fish, you will be hooked! My next article will be on selecting fish for a salt water tank.
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I have been planning to convert my freshwater aquarium into a saltwater aquarium. i have never had a saltwater tank and dont know what to get or how to maintain it. I want a clownfish and some kind of ...
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In response to message posted by doug101:
The shipping charges can be pretty steep at some sites. That's what I like about http://w ...
-- posted by crate_keeper
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In response to message posted by crate_keeper:
I never said it was harder, I meant to say it is alot harder for a beginner just s ...
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In response to message posted by Dantessa:
I do that a lot myself,and buying fish on line should not be a big problem,If you deci ...
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