# Other Aquarium Forums > Marine Tanks >  Marine Fish Only Tank

## TheDevil

hi there

I am considering converting my 55 gallon freshwater tank to a Marine fish only tank. Current equipment that I have right now is a single 150Watts MH light, 1 Ehiem 2026 Pro2. On the equipment side do I really need a calcium reactor, protein skimmer, and a hydrometer? please advice.

I am thinking of using synthetic coral as aquarium decoration....is there any downside to it in terms of balancing the closed eco-system as opposed to live coral and sand?

Its going to be a species tank for either Banggai Cardinalfish or Pajama Cardinalfish. Are these species easy to handle for a first timer like myself? If they are not could anyone point me to a species that is?

Thanks. :Wink:

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## Dan

Cardinal fish are generally fairly hardy species to keep for beginners... but should really only be placed into the tank after the cycle has been well established (after 2months)
The only thing to note is that pajama cards should be kept in schools... so you may wish to consider this in the equation... just to make sure you have the room.

Are you planning on stocking liverock as well? As this would be highly suggested.

As far as the synthetic corals... it should not pose any problems.

Calcium reactor... this one depends on what kind of substrate you are choosing... if you go with aragonite, then calcium should not pose a problem, but if you are using DSB (Deep Sand Bed) setup for the tank, then you may require a reactor... but you should pick up a calcium tester regardless. The bottom line is that if you get a calcium reactor then you need not worry about calcium fluctuations... there will be more fluctuation with a DSB substrate than aragonite... but as this tank ages, regardless of which substrate used... the calcium will eventually be depleted... without the reactor you will have to use calcium additives. So it boils down to preference and cost... the reactor costs more initially, but say over the course of 5yrs you might end up spending more in additives than the cost of the reactor.
I do not use reactors personally, and opt for additives when required.

As far as a skimmer, I would recommend that you purchase a smaller hangon model (ie Prism)... but it would really only need to be running 3days/week... and really does not need to be active until the 2nd month... as there will be no true protiens to be removed until after the tank has cycled and into its' 2nd month.

Hydrometer.... yup... absolutely required... and cheap... but essential... if you cannot quantify your specific gravity of the water you are asking for disaster.

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## kelstorm

I am thinking of using synthetic coral as aquarium decoration....is there any downside to it in terms of balancing the closed eco-system as opposed to live coral and sand?


Dear Devil,
on top of what Dan had mentioned, perhaps u can consider keeping damsels as well as they are very hardy and more tolerant towards fluctuations in water quality. Do read up a bit on the feeding habits and behaviour of cardinalfish. in my former 3ft tank, it made a snack out of my cleaner shrimps...[ :Knockout: ] 
A hydrometer is the very first thing to consider. u have an option of going for the floating type or the container type and it can range from S$1.50-S$15. If u are in Singapore, i recommend going to Petmart in Serangoon North to purchase it. I am personally using a floating type. Budget constrain lah.. Other basic items have been mentioned in the other topic, Setting up a reef tank. Over there, basic test kits have been mentioned for the initial startup.
Another point to make, remove all the filter media and replace with new ones for the conversion of the filter (Ehiem 2026) and wash the bio-balls (if any) thoroughly b4 running it in saltwater. The type of bacteria are different.
 :Smile:  
Personally, me do not use a calcium reactor.. doing similar method as DAN. Unless u have tons of $$$ (which i dun have, sigh!! [ :Embarassed: ] ) then start off with the basic stuff and upgrade along the way. eg. getting a denitrator, a better protein skimmer or a chiller.
Do go for live rocks as they will provide the micro-organism and cells to start up your tank. B4 doing that, read a bit more on the 'maturing a marine tank', the breaking down of ammonia process or it is gonna be a very expensive lesson.. [ :Grin: ] (speaking from experience!!) Be patient and expect to see an empty tank within the first 2 weeks.. [ :Grin: ] 
Using synthetic corals in the tank... er.. u are the first that i heard of to want that in your tank. Having real corals does make it more natural.. however, i would like to add this, i keep only soft corals as hard corals forms the exo-skeleton of the reef..(personal conviction.. dun mind me!!  :Angel:  ) and thus, me salute to you for your wanting to keep synthetic corals.. less trouble i presume.. hahaha.. no pun intended.. anyway, synthetic will not affect your system at all.. any more queries, do post again. we try to help.. me only offering my 2cents worth of advice.. me go by experience and some reading...

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## TheDevil

Hi Dan &amp; Kelstorm

Thanks for the information...its been very helpful to understand the book I bought for beginners that dont seem so beginning....[ :Grin: ]. Sorry to ask what is the purpose of liverocks?

So as conclusion the 5 must have items are

1. Calcium Reactor
2. Chiller
3. Protein Skimmer
4. Hydrometer
5. Argonite instead of DSB

Another question would be that I have already a matured freshwater tank.....if I just empty out the contain....and add in the seawater mixture, would it be okay or the colony is going to die off?

the reason why I choice synthetic coral is that in nature, they have been over harvested (watched it on animal planet) and i do not want to partaker in raping the natural world that is so fragile.

Went to tempt myself today by going to a lfs and have a looksee of the cardinalfish and I saw this really nice ones called Nemateleotris Decora aka Purple firefish.....*sign*..not just yet I guess[ :Grin: ] 

Anyway is it true that fish stocking limit is determined by surface area and not water volume? What I read in my book is 1in of fish is to 48in2 of tank surface are? If that is the case that means my tank is not going to hold more than 8 fish?

thanks guys......[ :Grin: ]

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## sunfish

Hi TheDevil,
Liverocks are harvested from the reefs, it contains bacteria which will aid in your tanks NNR, natural nitrate reduction. Cycling a tank with live rocks will speedup cycling process(but be patient, typically 2 months).
1) calcium reactor is not a must have, unless you have $$$. Additives will do, furthermore, you are not keeping any invertebrates? you do not need a calcium reactor. Just use calcium additives once in a while will suffice.

2)its good to have a chiller, but definitely not a must, especially when you only keep fishes. If there is a budget constraint, I would advise you go for a fan will do.

3)protein skimmer, yes, should have, get a good one.

4)hyrometer, must have.

5)aragonite or DSB, up to you, but I would prefer DSB, definitely helpful in nitrate reduction.

If you are keeping invertebrates, not advisable to use the frshwater tank unless you are very sure that you have never used copper medication in this tank before, else its going to wipe out all your inverts in no time.
 :Smile:   :Wink:

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## kelstorm

Sunfish, now i know NNR stands for natural nitrate reduction [ :Grin: ] ... dun understand the shortform in the begining... if i'm not wrong, it is called nitrogen cycle right?

Devil, ok.. to add on to what sunfish had mentioned, for a fish only tank, calcium reactor is really a luxury which i dun think is necessary. In fact, i think the bulk of marine aquarists here hardly use it at all (i might be wrong). So, save the $$$ and get something else, if not, save it up first.
Next, i never use a chiller as i can keep the water temp ard 28 deg celsius (my place is pretty airy) if i'm not wrong, the water temp is 1 deg lower then the surrounding atmosphere... so, perhaps using a fan can also do the job..but i figured that can come later..when u go more into the hobby.... While having a chiller does open up your choices of fishes and invertebrates, it is rather costly. average abt $1K... thus, even if u can get a second hand one, it is gonna be ard $300-$500 (my estimate.. [ :Grin: ] ) perhaps the $$$ save in calcium reactor can be put in use here..
Skimmer is a good buy.. a real must for me.. so, my advice, go for one.. consider your tank size and get one that is appropriate for it.. if not, u find that u will need to add additives very often... however, on the other hand, u can never over-skimmed a tank (my 2cents thought) and a better one (eg: Berlin) can be used when u upgrade to a bigger tank.. so, it is your call for the size of skimmer.
Personally, me using a DSB (Deep sand bed).. and like what sunfish had mentioned, it aids in the NNR (natural nitrate reduction)... so, it is your call at the end of the day as to what substrate u gonna use. It is your tank.[ :Grin: ] 
well, like i mentioned earlier, i salute u for trying to preserve the reef... [ :Grin: ] ... not much ppl have that thinking.. i thank u on behalf of the coral reef.. [ :Grin: ] 
well..devil, sunfish do have a point there in converting the tank.. but perhaps if u wash it thoroughly, it might just work?? provided, u not keeping corals... oh yah, u keeping synthetic corals hor?? hahaha, so, i guess should not be a problem...  :Wink:  my advice, wash the tank thoroughly.. the same thing goes for the filter.. and replace the filter media.. all of them if possible.. those medication that u had for freshwater might be there... sorry pal, u have to start from ground zero..[ :Knockout: ] in terms of bacteria buildup.. 
devil, where did u go to see the purple firefish.. shit man, i just bought 3 firefish today.. normal ones..sigh.. me had given up hope on looking for purple firefish.. thought that they extincted already.. from the lfs.. hahaha.. [ :Grin: ] how much is it.. any idea?
well, it is good to look (or tempt) yourself by going to look at the fishes etc... but take my word for it.. dun rush.. u will regret it.. let nature take it own course.. i learnt it the hard and expensive way; when my system 'collapse' and the smell fouled the entire house.. 
[ :Knockout: ] .. as for the number of fishes, for starter (young tank) dun crash your tank by dumping all the fishes at one go!!.. try to break up the purchases into batches and identify the fishes that u want, and whether are they more suitable for matured tank.. u dun want a purple tang, french angel or flame angel to die inside the very next day, do u?
Looking forward to your next post to tell us abt your setup.. well, let me know if u want to go to the farm.. or need help in setup.. i'll try to help in what i know or experience.
Kelvin

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## TheDevil

thanks everyone for the advice given

Kelstorm...I saw the fish at the marine shop just beside Aquamart on Sunday...only 3 of them left and the condition is quite all right.

Can anyone point me to the right direction to buy live rocks at reasonable prices?

thanks

ooh just one more thing...I noticed that some LFS dumped in those mangrove bud thingy into their overflow system.....when I asked, they mentioned that it is good for remove nitrate...is that true? and one more thing is that those clam thingy also absorbs nitrate?

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## kelstorm

Devil, 
The shop next to Aquamart is Reborn, used to be in fish farm road. And i saw only firefish.. sigh.. perhaps not fated lah.. hahaha [ :Grin: ] 
Clams require very high water quality... and that is all i know.. hahaha.. it seems that Clams have very poor survivability rate. (i might be wrong!!!) as for it absorbing nitrate, i dun know... the same thing goes for the mangrove thingie...

OK to get rocks, u can try Reborn, Pacific Marine and Reefworld...
Try to call them first coz liverocks are in short demand..
While liverocks are expensive, there are ways that can help u to cut costs on liverocks without sacrificing the NNR ability..i.e maturing the aquarium.. 

Use plastic containers to form the base of the reef and stack it up with base rocks and then quality rocks.. but make sure u mature the tank first if not, the rocks can die on u.. just like in my tank..[ :Knockout: ] [ :Knockout: ] [ :Knockout: ] .. never start the tank 'clean'.. dirty the tank.. introduce ammnonia first.. then add the rocks.. if possible, try to break the purchase into batches.. so that it gives the filter time to break down the ammonia...
kelvin

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## Spiff

kee kee check my clams out[ :Grin: ]  :Angel:  
http://www.geocities.com/spiffival/c...?1010505417040

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## kelstorm

very nice.. spiff.. u are doing a good job leh.. keep it up.. if u dun want it already.. can we eat it?? [ :Grin: ] hahahhaa

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## Spiff

kao 50 bucks each leh!!!
if u all wanna eat must pay 100 for each.....
200 for cookin olso..hah!

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## kelstorm

Spiff,
with that kinda of $$$... i think i'm getting allergic to clams already.. and yes.. i am really allergic to bi-valves in real life.. eating them that is.. [ :Grin: ] 
Kelvin

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