# Switching from African Cichlids to Salt Water



## Shayboi (Apr 1, 2013)

Hi All - I am making the transition from an African Cichlids tank to a Saltwater FOWLR 30 Gallon tank. What should be my most basic set up? Also, do I need to change the 70 Gallon filter I have on the 30 to something else? And last, should I clean the sand I have now with peroxide or just get new sand? 

All of your advice comments would be appreciated!


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## Roccus (Nov 1, 2013)

a little more specific on the filter would be good.. if it is a HOB it will be fine for fish only... canisters are OK as well, just more trouble to service ( as you would know from your prior experience).. you'll most likely want to dump the sand / gravel from the cichlid tank and use a marine substrate... you mentioned FOWLR.. so you'll be adding live rock... you'll want 20 - 30lbs for that tank... you may want a power head to wash the rocks and keep detritus in suspension... a heater is a given.. the one ( I assume) you had before should be fine...you'll also want to make a stock list... salt water fish grow larger and need more swimming room than fresh water fish.. keep that in mind...you also might want to consider how you arrange the rock in accordance to what fish you plan to keep.. some don't play well with others.. some dig burrows some hide in caves.. others cruise the tank....you'll need a method of reading SG... a quality refract meter is a good investment but for fish only, a swing SG meter is just fine... you'll be mixing salt so you'll need a receptacle to mix it in.... I use a 30 gallon rubber maid trash can with a lid... I keep a cheap power head and heater inside to heat and keep the water mixed for water changes....for best success, a source of RO/DI water should be a consideratuion...it's not an absolute necessity.. but it will go a long way towards keeping a lot of nuisance problems at bay.. you'll need test kits for Ammonia, alkalinity PH and nitrite and nitrate to start...you'll probably want to add magnesium and calcium latter...there are a lot more things to contemplate.. this is not a cheap hobby....my list doesn't even cover everything ( like lighting)...I'm sure others will chime in but it will get your thinking... good luck...I'm looking foreword to the pictures from your build!


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

Good words said above, I might also recommend a decent skimmer to help with the fish bioload and feeding regament.


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## Shayboi (Apr 1, 2013)

Hi! Thanks for the detailed response, it is VERY helpful! One think I want to point out is that I live in a NY apartment, can I just mix the salt & water in the tank? Also the hang on back filer I have is the Aquaclear 70 for the 30G. Is this okay to use for the time being? 

Best!


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

If you mean mixing the salt for the initial cycle and such then yes you could but remember to add the salt to the water not the water to the salt and keep it circulated.
The filter will work fine for the tank, you will want to look into a hang on back skimmer or go all out sump.


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