Saltwater to freshwater conversion

[SteveParkinson]

I've become very frustrated with my reef lately. Corals are great but it seems like any fish I added I lost. I lost 2 anemones and quite a few fish due to an ich outbreak. I've been thinking about getting out of the hobby all together, running a FOWLR or even considering just taking a break from salt and having a freshwater setup for a while. Maybe a change is good every so often.

I had many different freshwater tanks for years growing up to include tropicals, African cichlids and even South American cichlids (not all at once &#128515. But when I had them I just had an UG filter and canister filters.

My questions about converting back to freshwater are....

Can I use my current equipment in the sump on a freshwater system?

Could I fill my sump with bio balls and use for a wet/dry and hide my heater etc?

Can I still use my powerheads and crushed coral/sand if rinsed very well?

Will my LED lights work with fresh, I recall we used to just have a fluorescent bulb?

I currently have a 150 gallon, 55 gallon sump, stand alone 5 gallon refugium, G4 skimmer, 1/4 chiller, multiple powerheads, return pumps, heater, Chinese LED lights x2, and more etc.

Just wondering if anyone else has converted back.

Thanks in advance.
Steve


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[Jhuneke]

I'm sad to hear it's been rough lately although I hafta say , I've been there( and back!)
My thoughts are:
YES your equip will all convert to fw ( my current tank was built for fw remember?)
Sump included.. Not sure about if you need a skimmer , couldn't hurt I guess.
Lights: yup
Sand: no go.. From what I've read.

Your tank is gorgeous, so def hold onto that and use to convert if you do...
Good luck , it's a tough choice sometimes , wouldn't make a decision in haste or frustration though

[SteveParkinson]

Not dead set on it yet, just thinking about all my options and considering them. Doubt I would get rid of the tank I have, it's a perfect size for salt or fresh and it has everything if I did convert and eventually concert back to salt.

Thought that ich outbreak I was telling you about was cleared up but it came back and wiped out all of my tangs (sailfin, blue and 3 YT's). Really bummed me out!

Thanks
Steve


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[DaveMorris]

Yes you can use your current setup but remember a skimmer will not do anything in freshwater. It can not produce foam in freshwater. If I was doing it, and I have in the past, I would do the bio ball thing in the sump. The one thing to remember is you will lose a good amount of your CO2 in the system because of the agitation that happens with the overflow. Thats easy to overcome if you are going to have plants. I say go for it. If you are not happy with your reef, I wouldn't hesitate to change it up.

[SteveParkinson]

Thanks for the info Dave, good to know and good advice. I think I may just need a break for a bit, if I can't raise tangs maybe I can raise tetras! Gonna have to to sleep on this one for a bit.


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[DaveMorris]

There's a lot to be said for a nice planted tank with a school of 50 neon tetras!

[offroad537]

if your going to do that. make sure its all clean very well. salt well kill fresh water fish.

[Squid]

You can buy play sand from Home Depot for about $5-6 for a 50lb bag just rinse well. All your other equipment can be used except for the protein skimmer like Dave said. As for salt -_- that's an obvious although small amounts of salt are used in fw as medication

[SteveParkinson]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm still on the fence on this one but do appreciate the feedback and info. It'll definitely make the switch easier if it happens knowing what I need to do ahead of time.

Steve


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[jkennedy1007]

IMO
Maybe a brackish water set-up would work for ya

"Reef Keeping"
If it were easy, everyone would do it

[thalia]

Not sure if this is helpful but the meter I was using for salinity went bad on me and my fish got ick and died because my salinity went to 1.030. Not saying this is what happened to you but if that's what it is simple fix now my fish are doing great now.

[SteveParkinson]

Pretty sure I bought a fish with ich. Couldn't tell at the time and fish looked healthy but the timing was right with intro of new fish.

I'll have to doublecheck my salinity to be sure. Thanks for the tip.

Steve


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[thalia]

No problem good luck.