Conversion for a tank and after disease problems

[Samanthabea]

I want to convert my 55 gallon tank to saltwater I recently transferred my freshwater to a new smaller tank because they kept dying from ich and I only have a 6 fish and 4 shrimp left how long should I wait after the tank has been drained and cleaned( I plan on cleaning it very well) to refill it without risking anything going wrong with the new set-up

[mynameisnobody]

As far as I know, the salt at a high enough salinity, will kill everything anyways, I’d give it a good cleaning and start over, but I wouldn’t worry about diseases carrying over. I am not a disease expert by any means, so take this with a grain of salt. Thank you and good luck

[Brian]

The tank should be fine.  I want to be as kind and polite as possible.   Are you sure you are ready for a saltwater aquarium?  In general salt and fresh are not that different (the principals are the same) purchase healthy animals (or treat to make healthy animals) and maintain a stable environment and high water quality.  There is an old saying in the hobby,  we don’t keep fish - we keep water.  The difference between freshwater and marine is the cost of both the water and animals.   A saltwater aquarium can get expensive.  
Good Luck 

[Samanthabea]

Thanks to both I thought it should be fine but wanted to make sure and as for being ready I know theres a lot of work(and money) into saltwater and starting with a 55 tank is a big jump(a leap of faith if you will) but in the end is worth the time money and effort my plan is to not even have the fish for a few months to let the tank cycle and start with just the live rock then move on to the next thing until the entire bottom of the tank is finished so as not to have to work around the fish and stress them and to make sure everything is done right Im only certain that I want to have gobies and the whole tank will revolve around what can live with them I'm just taking everything one step at a time to make it end happily

Edited March 23, 2021 by Samanthabea

[Biotope Biologist]

Saltwater tanks tend to take longer to cycle but once cycled are more stable, water parameter wise. Alot of fish stores will turn you away from buying fish if it hasn't been established for 6 months or longer. 

 

If you plan on keeping gobies I would highly suggest deep sand substrate (6-8" preferred). Buying marine benthic invertebrates and worms will go along way in a tank like this for aerating sand and as potential meals for gobies. Many of the gobies such as mandarin will only eat live foods as well unless trained.

 

If you like gobies have you thought about brackish water systems? You get the best of both worlds here, but cycling isn't as long or arduous. I am a huge fan of brackish I wish more people ran it, so I may be living vicariously here 😅

[Samanthabea]

I've had dragon gobies(one of my favorites for freshwater) way back but I was young and misinformed so they didn't make it and I tried finding them again for my other tank but they are hard to come by and now with the smaller tank there won't be enough room for one but with the saltwater i got live sand called caribsea to help start everything and I knew gobies needed fine sand and it seemed to be a good option but I saw some places say deep sand beds could release toxins when the gobies are sifting about could the worms and invertabrets live in 2" deep (that's what I kept seeing for depth) and they could bury coral if I do decide to get that

Edited March 24, 2021 by Samanthabea

[Goosedub]

When I had my saltwater setup, my favorite animals were my pistol shrimp and watchman goby pair. Saltwater is astronomically more labor intensive as well. Just mixing the salt for large water changes every week takes up tons of space. Also the goal of zero nutrients without anything natural to help (plants) can be difficult. I wish you luck. I recommend Bare bottom with a 3-4i  deep “sandbox” where you don’t have rock. It is way more easy to clean that way. You can also make a barebottom look really pretty by mixing epoxy and sand.
 

for cleaning the tank, just clean it out with a diluted bleach solution and rinse it really well. Rinse until you can’t smell any bleach any more and that will take care of it.

[Biotope Biologist]

Yes Sand compaction is very much a thing. But that only happens when you do not establish an ecosystem. When the sand does not move and the water stagnates in the sand all sorts of anaerobic bacteria take up residence. In saltwater especially this leads to hypoxic zones that when released damage fish gills and stun or kill them.

 

Having that been said there are ways to insure the sand moves. I personally like buying cheap submersible heater cable and suctioning it to the bottom. This establishes a convection current that moves the sand.

 

You can also buy a small powerhead with a fan attachment or perforated hose attachment and set it upside down on the sands surface. This makes sure the sand is constantly agitated. The perforated hose will be buried and force water and thus oxygen into the sand.

 

Gobies love sand and caves to hide in and forage for food. Establishing these environments will allow you to see how they naturally behave. They are very timid fish so being able to see these behaviors in the wild takes alot of patience and makes it even more fulfilling when you are succesful in the home aquaria