Saltwater --> Freshwater Tank

[Dzikibyk]

Hey Everyone,

So 1 of my friends and fellow surgical residents used to have a saltwater setup in a 28 gal nanocube for about 1 year. He tore it down and it was stored for some amount of time. I've been looking for a 28-30 gal tank and he basically gave me the tank with included stand and some other various equipment. I do plan on giving him some $$$ for the set up, but here's my question.

Is it worth while converting a salt --> fresh water setup or should I just buy everything new? That Nanocube has a dedicated rear compartment that houses the filtration system and heater. Water enters the compartment via an overflow slot from the main compartment. There is some mild Ca and other deposits in the rear compartment and the back wall of the main compartment, I can give it a good scrub down but there will be some residual I can't get.

My plan.......fill with water and let the tank run for about a day and do baseline tests: pH, KH, GH to get a sense of what the deposits will do to my water. I will replace what I can, ie. tubing, but am planning on keeping the pumps and filtration nozzles that bring the water back to the main compartment.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance,
Dz

[lohachata]

converting should present no problems at all...the main difference is the salt..just clean it up and you are ready to go..

[Dzikibyk]

I filled the tank with my tap and let it run for a while. Baseline pH is 7.8, the tap itself is 7 and in my planted tank its 6.6-6.8, my substrate promotes a mildly acidic pH. I think the pH is due to the Ca deposits and other saltwater residue in the tank.

I'll scrub/scape the bejesus out the tank and hope that the substrate I want to use will lower the pH to a more desired level. Well, I guess I know what I'll be doing for the rest of the week.....now where did I put my razor.....

Dz

[snyderguy]

A box cutter works really well for that. Just be careful to not scratch the glass!