# tuff transition



## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

right now i have 46 gallon bow front all african cichlids, ive been thinking about switching it over to a saltwater fish-only tank. im thinking about keeping a mix of small fish like damsels, dominos, clowns or something like that.. i have the heater a empereror 280 biowheel, i use tahitian moon sand as a substrate. what else would i need to convert it to salt? just a protein skimmer? can i still use the same substrate? would i need to sterilize the tank after having fresh water fish in it? any advice?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

The skimmer is optional, but very useful. I would highly recommend one, and another filter would be a good idea as well. I don't mean replace the filter you have, but instead you should add an extra one.
The substrate should be okay, but you might want to at least mix it with some fresh new aragonite sand for pH buffering.
Then all you need are a hydrometer and some salt mix.

Washing out the tank before switching it over is a very good idea, and make sure to clean the filters and sand, too.

Stay away from anemones.


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

If you're not worried about losing bacteria, you can always bake the sand in a pyrex bowl in the oven for an hour or so (350 degrees, just like a cake)...as well as filter media if it's not in a flammable packet. Microwave works well to kill things too. I made my cousin zap his gravel in the microwave after all his fish died of god only knows what. The next fishies in there were fine.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

instead of adding another filter... if i upgraded to a emperor 400 would that be enough ? or is it better to have two filters on opposite sides of the tank? and what about the actinic lighting? is that nessesary for a fish only tank? thanks for the help everyone... your all very friendly and helpful.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Actinic is not needed at all for fish-only tanks.
two filters are better than one. That way you can clean one and let the other keep running, and switch a few weeks later, which keeps your tank from having to re-cycle every time you clean the filter.


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