Converting freshwater to saltwater tanks.

Question
Hi

I don't know if you could answer my question but here go's. My mom has a big freshwater tank but wants to know what she must change to put in saltwater fish,obviously the water to salty water but what about the filters. Can you use a fresh water filter??

Please help, thanx

Answer
Ruan,  

You would at the very least need a hang on back filter that is rated to 4 times the size of the fish tank.  If it's 50 gallons, you'd have to get a filter rated to 200 gallons to support a salt system, as it requires much heavier cleaning.

You would need to find an outlet to make R/O water, and if you use tap water, be prepared for algae.  It feasts on tap water.

You'd need to buy marine salt.

Nutrients to add.

Live sand.

Live rock (if you want a reef).

Fish...and better lighting.  The most important and expensive thing about salt tanks is the lighting.  They require specialized lighting to support fish scales and coral growth, so the lighting can run as little as $200 to $1000s...it really depends on if you buy new, used, and what your needs are.

With that said, here's a link you can read more info at, regarding setting up a new saltwater tank.

Happy fish-keeping.

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/startinganaquarium/ss/sbsaquariumsetupin10steps...