How do I convert my fish tank to a salt water tank?
I hear it’s a bit trying to keep a salt water tank in good shape, but I really love the look of them. Is it advisable, and how do I do it? What do I need to know about salt water tanks/fish before considering it? Also, the fish we have now is a fresh water Red Devil. It’s huge, like 8 inches long and 5 inches high. Anyway, my husband’s mother wants it to put in her tank, but how do you transport such a big fish?
Moving a large fish is simple. You just need to have a bucket that you only use for fish water. Never use anything that has had soap or bleach or any kind of household chemicals in it. Put enough of his tank water in the bucket to just cover his back (5 inches) and he will be fine. You might want to put a towel over the top to make it dark, that will calm him some.
Red devils (a South American cichlid) are notorious for being quite territorial and agressive with other fish. If your mother in law has other fish in her tank, I would not advise her to add a large red devil. It would probably kill any other fish in the tank.
For a beginner to start a saltwater tank, it will take a lot of research and quite a bit of cold hard cash. You should have a large tank to start with, 50 gallons at least so it will stay stable longer. Smaller tanks can "crash" over a few hours and you can lose all your fish in the blink of an eye.
Saltwater fish are VERY sensitive to water quality and you need to test quite frequently. Regular partial water changes are a must, even more so than with freshwater.
A good starting figure for cash outlay is in the neighborhood of $500-700 dollars for all the lights, filters, skimmer, substrate and tank. Then you buy the fish….
Good luck if you give it a try, they are beautiful fish. But, a marine tank is a high maintenance hobby that you have to love working on.
Purple and green algae with bubbles in my salt water fish tank?
add salt
November 7th, 2009 at 1:00 amReferences :
Try these links: http://www.fishlore.com/TropicalFishProfiles.htm
Hope this helps.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:27 amReferences :
Salt water tanks are fascinating, but are a lot more high maintainance, and more expensive. Go to your local aquarium shop and ask for advise. If you really want to do it, first you find a smaller tank to move the Red Devil. Make sure the tank is at least twice the lenght of the fish, and wide enough for it to turn while swimming. Use the water from the existing tank to move it, and introduce it slowly to the new tank.You will then need to thouroughly clean and steralise your tank before starting to set it up for salt.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:57 amReferences :
Moving a large fish is simple. You just need to have a bucket that you only use for fish water. Never use anything that has had soap or bleach or any kind of household chemicals in it. Put enough of his tank water in the bucket to just cover his back (5 inches) and he will be fine. You might want to put a towel over the top to make it dark, that will calm him some.
Red devils (a South American cichlid) are notorious for being quite territorial and agressive with other fish. If your mother in law has other fish in her tank, I would not advise her to add a large red devil. It would probably kill any other fish in the tank.
For a beginner to start a saltwater tank, it will take a lot of research and quite a bit of cold hard cash. You should have a large tank to start with, 50 gallons at least so it will stay stable longer. Smaller tanks can "crash" over a few hours and you can lose all your fish in the blink of an eye.
Saltwater fish are VERY sensitive to water quality and you need to test quite frequently. Regular partial water changes are a must, even more so than with freshwater.
A good starting figure for cash outlay is in the neighborhood of $500-700 dollars for all the lights, filters, skimmer, substrate and tank. Then you buy the fish….
Good luck if you give it a try, they are beautiful fish. But, a marine tank is a high maintenance hobby that you have to love working on.
References :
26 years of keeping and spawning many different species of tropical fish and cichlids. 25 tanks up and running at present (partial water changes done every week to 10 days). Mostly cichlids and scavengers right now with 5 tanks devoted to various freshwater crustaceans. I have worked in both the retail and wholesale tropical fish business.
The Greatest Enemy of Truth is not the deliberate lie; Rather it is all those things we know to be true…that are not.
November 7th, 2009 at 2:40 am