55G Tropical to 180G Reef

[bluebird1927]

Hi all,

Hope this is OK me posting this. Just looking for a bit of advice! Am I being too mad?

I currently have a 55G tropical tank with a few plants. Rightly or wrongly I dont have to do any real water changes. I used to but I realised this was causing algae in my tank. Since I stopped doing water changes I have had no more algae!

Anyway... I am considering changing to a 180 gallon reef tank which is obviously a major change i think!

I only have a small budget so my plan was to do this over a long period of time with:

1) Buy a marine tank of someone like ND aquatics with all the drilling set up
2) Using the tank as a tropical tank while I save up money to buy equipment and live rock/sand etc
3) Set up basic sump
4) Convert to FOWLR tank
5) Buy more equipment lights/skimmer etc to grow corals etc

Does this plan work?

Any tips/suggestions?!

Thanks

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Hello and welcome to Reef2reef!

Your plan seems okay. People convert FW tanks to SW tanks, so no worries there. While the tank is FW, I'd start building the sump. Get a heater, an ATO, a skimmer, necessary return pumps, and any other equipment you may need (filter socks, fleece rollers, reactors, ETC). IMO, having your sump ready to go will be easier, rather than not having it ready to go. Once youre ready to convert to SW, drain all the FW out, add/plumb the sump, then you'd convert to FOWLR. Add live rock and your sand. Cycle it (which should already be done if you added live rock), then add your first fish. Don't get anything expensive; remember this is your first marine fish. Slowly add more fish to your tank until you are fully stocked. Do this slowly. For now, you don't need lights on your tank. If you'd like light you could use any light. When you're ready for corals, you need to invest in reef lights, which can be quite expensive. Research what lights will work best for you, your tank and your goals (Softies, LPS dominate, SPS dominate, mixed reef, ETC). Once you've got your light schedule, you can add your first coral. I'd start with an easy softy. After you're successfully able to keep an easy softy for a few weeks, you may begin to add the corals you want. Do so strategically. Start with the easier coral, then build your way up to the difficult corals. While adding coral, keep in mind how you want the tank to turn out. It's an art.

 

[SaltyWalty]

You plan sounds pretty good. I would also suggest, looking at used set ups and equipment. FB market places isn’t a bad idea to check. Often times you can kind a really good deal on a practically brand new tank that someone just didn’t have the time or money to maintain. As well as used equipment can save you a lot of money without compromising for cheaper lower quality gear. Might also be worth checking your local fish store see if they have any used tanks or equipment for sale
Especially if it is your first saltwater tank. No need to buy everything brand new straight out the gate.

 

[bluebird1927]

thanks for the advice both. Loads to do