[traderearl]

Hello,

I am slowly starting to gather up the equipment to convert one of my 55 gallon tanks from fresh water to salt water. I have been reading through this site and it has been a great help. Thanks to everyone on here that makes it great. I wanted to list what I have and what problems you all think I may run into so that I know what to expect. Your advice is appreciated.

As stated I have a 55 gallon with a fluval 304 (eventually I will convert to sump), I have a jbj pc light setup (4 bulb 65w each for 260 watts total) which I will need to change the bulbs out on from 6500k.

I also have about 75 lbs (guestimate) of texas holley rock most of which is not in any of my tanks but used to be in one of my freshwater setups.

I found a Red Sea berlin Turbo Hang on skimmer but it is missing the pump for $50 used.

Will this be a decent skimmer? If it is decent then I will buy it and the pump. I have read that the texas holley rock can have some problems but have equally heard people having none. Also what is good live sand and where should I buy it. I saw some links a few days ago but cannot find it now. Any other thoughts?

[pogodzib]

First off, you probably would want to ditch the Fluval and go solely with LR/LS and your skimmer for filtration. Canister filters can quickly become nitrate factories.

The Red Sea Berlin skimmer is not one of the really good skimmers, but it isn't terrible either. For $50 plus a $40 pump, you'd have a tough time finding a cheaper skimmer that works as good. However, if your willing to spend a little more money, you should be able to get a different used skimmer that would work better. If you do buy the skimmer, you should be able to sell the skimmer and come close to, if not break even if you later decide that you want a better skimmer or get your sump setup and want an in-sump skimmer.

I don't know much about Texas holley rock, but seeing that you had it in a freshwater tank indicates to me that it isn't calcium based so it won't buffer your water like real LR would. LR plays a key roll in deceasing nitrates in your water, so depending on the rock, you may also loose some of those benefits as well.

As for sand, I recommend you get a sugar sized aragonite sand. Some people use silica based sand but it doesn't buffer the water like aragonite (calcium based) sand does and silicates in water can lead to algae problems. Larger sand sizes have more openings where detrius can get into, which could again lead to nitrate and algae problems.

After you change out your bulbs, your lighting should be enough to keep most soft and LPS corals.

[traderearl]

Thanks for you response, as far as the skimmer how much more would I have to spend to get a better used skimmer and where would I find it?

[traderearl]

Also on the rock I have it is also known as "honeycomb limestone" I used it when I had a cichlid tank and just found a link to a site that talks about its composition, Texas Holey Rock, the article says it is composed of Calcium, Magnesium, and Carbonate. I have heard of people using them just wondering what negatives they may have for saltwater.

[pogodzib]

You can usually find used skimmers for sale all the time on various reef keeping websites. The one that has the most equipment of all types that pop up is on Reef Central (although I try to stay away from that site). All skimmers have there good and bad sides. The best hang-on skimmers in a similar price range would be (in no particular order):

AquaC Remora (or Pro version) - This is one of the skimmers that I own and the one that is usually amounst the first mentioned. There are a few people have problems getting theirs to skim and others have problems with it filling the tank with microbubbles. I don't have any problems with mine.

Corallife Super Skimmer (Needlewheel version) - A fairly new skimmer on the block, but one that gets very high ratings by its owners. Some people complain about the skimmer being loud, others say that it is quiet. This is the cheapest of the skimmers listed here.

Turbofloater 1000 multi - Don't know much about and they are tougher to find used, but they are supposed to work good.

They all skim good for most people, but I'll also list their bad sides so it can help you decide if it is worth it or not. When I got my last skimmer, these skimmers (used) listed below were selling in the $110-$160 range).

[traderearl]

Sweet, thanks for the detail and writeups on the skimmers.

[cplklegg]

First of all welcome to the addiction and much good luck and happiness to you. I have the Coral life Super 65 with needlewheel impeller for my 20g. It works like a champ, I run it wet and it pulls out at least and inch daily, it was noisy during the break-in period of about a week; but after that it has been as quiet as any other equipment i have running. For your 55 you should probably get the next size up skimmer as all the skimmer sellers overrate their tank production. Just don't even consider the Seaclones(they're totally worthless hunks of junk) and you'll be fine. Happy reefing.