Many freshwater hobbyists are excited over the astonishing selection and colors of saltwater fish and are making the switch or are adding saltwater tanks to their hobby. So numerous of you are asking, "Can I convert my freshwater aquarium to saltwater?"
The answer is yes you can convert your freshwater aquarium to saltwater. Your level of achievement, though, could depend somewhat on the size of your aquarium. For new hobbyists it is preferred to start with a bigger aquarium of at least 29 gallons. The larger the aquarium the a lot more space for studying curves such as if the fish are overcrowded or overfed. Larger tanks are a lot more forgiving, the temperature fluctuates much less and it takes longer for important levels to adjust.
If your aquarium has freshwater fish in it most pet stores will take your fish as trade-ins or you might possibly want to give them to a friend. Once your fish are gone, disassemble the whole aquarium and clean all the equipment. Wash the aquarium and equipment with warm water. Never ever use soap or commercial glass cleaner to clean aquarium or their supplies. Discard the gravel or wash and shop it for later use. A basic saltwater aquarium calls for just a couple of much more pieces of equipment and supplies than your freshwater aquarium necessary. Obtain an aragonite-based gravel, a decent marine salt mix and a hydrometer (to measure how a lot salt is in the water). There is no have to have to purchase a new filter as lengthy as it is the correct size for your aquarium and performs all three kinds of filtration: mechanical, chemical and biological.
Lastly, make positive your heater is operating appropriately. If you have a hang-on heater you may well want to purchase a submersible one, which is straightforward-to-set and is suggested for saltwater. As lengthy as you pick out fish and invertebrates that do not need any special lighting your old light will do just fine. If the light bulb is numerous years old you might possibly want to contemplate replacing it as a new bulb will brighten your aquarium.
Though these are just fundamentals to get you started you can now just add saltwater decorations and start off setting up your saltwater aquarium.
