[jshank]

I have had a freshwater tank for about 6 years now and I have an extra 75 gallon tank that I did have freshwater fish in but it is now empty. I have always wanted to do a saltwater tank. I know it takes a lot more work. I just wondered what kind of start up costs I would be expecting and if this is a good size tank for saltwater. Thanks in advance!

Also, do I use the same filter or do I have to buy one especially for salt water?

 

[archer772]

The initial start up costs can be high depending on what all you want to get but by buying the rite equipment the fist time around will help alot. I would never use a regular filter do to maintenance on the filter itself you would be much better off with a sump/fuge, a quality skimmer proper flow and LR. I think a 75 gallon tank is a great size to start out with and I would consider getting your tank drilled for the over flow you can get the kits at

Glass-Holes.com dope aquarium stuff : Home

and it is very easy to drill your tank. It would help us to give you better answers if you could tell us what you would like to keep and not rite now but like maybe a year down the road.

 

[petlover516]

archer772 is right it will be expensive. i would reccommend using a sump tank with a quality protein skimmer like the eshopps, a cut-off section with a desktop light over it and live rock rubble for growing macroalgae and starting a colony of copepods-this is called a refugium(or as archer772 abbreviates it as, "fuge"). for flow koralia powerheads are good the price tag is WOW, u could go with cheaper penguins or even cheaper maxi-jets. if u can't go sump than u could go with coralife super skimmer or a red sea berlin V2 skimmer, u can convert an aquaclear power filter into a refugium, for LR it is best going 1 1/2 lb per gallon. a deep sand bed will also form a nitrate reduction along with the LR and the fuge.