I have setup a 15 gallon fresh water tank and have 1 betta in it. I am thinking of ma

[dexterford]

I have setup a 15 gallon fresh water tank and have 1 betta in it. I am thinking of making my tank a marine since I haven't got many fish in it. The water in it has been no more than a week since I had set up the tank a week ago. What if I add aquarium salt to the same water?

[Betta man]

Are you asking about adjusting your betta to saltwater? Idk if that would work. I know you can do it to guppies, so it would be worth a try IMO as long as you did it slowly.

[Fishy friend2]

No. Betta Splendens cannot tolerate full on salt water, or brackish water conditions. They are freshwater fish. And aquarium salt won't turn an aquarium salt water, only marine salt can do that, I would recommend doing numerous hours of research in SW tanks. And then think about converting with all the work and the limited amount of fish in a 15, it's not worth it In My Opinion

[dexterford]

Originally Posted by Fishy friend2 No. Betta Splendens cannot tolerate full on salt water, or brackish water conditions. They are freshwater fish. And aquarium salt won't turn an aquarium salt water, only marine salt can do that, I would recommend doing numerous hours of research in SW tanks. And then think about converting with all the work and the limited amount of fish in a 15, it's not worth it In My Opinion

yes i have marine salt and forget the betta it will be in a different tank. the question is. i have the water a week old and probably began it's cycle. if i add marine salt to the same water will it complete the cycle or should i need to put new water?

[kay-bee]

Technically, you could add marine salt to convert the existing water to saltwater. However with it being only 15gal, I would replace the water and start fresh.

Back to tank volume: with marine tanks, smaller aquarium volume=smaller margin of error when it comes to water parameters (for example, daily water evaporation alone will result in greater salinity swings than would occur in a larger tank). Smaller SW tanks are more difficult to maintain than larger ones, even for experienced marine aquarists. If this is your first SW tank it's highly recommended that you start with a larger tank.

If you're still set on going with the 15gal, what type of livestock do you intend to select for it?

[TheOldSalt]

True. When you see tiny marine tanks, they're usually owned by experts who are just showing off. Not safe.

[dexterford]

I don't know what is a big size for you. 15 gallon tank is not a tiny tank at all.

[funlad3]

Try starting with something that's at least over 40 gallons in system volume, preferably over 60. That could be a 15 gallon with a 40 gallon sump, a 40 gallon with a 15 gallon sump, or anything similar. The water is just way more difficult to manage in smaller tanks, and evaporation takes place much more quickly in SW tanks. If you loose 1.5 gallons of water per day to evaporation, your salinity shifts ten percent, and all of the pollutants and nitrogenous compounds increase in concentration increases by ten percent too. Larger=better in the world of SW.

[dexterford]

so salt water evaporates faster than fresh water?

[funlad3]

For whatever reason, yes.

[PostShawn]

saltwater cost about a dollar per gallon at the store, at least near me. So for $15 you can fill your tank with ready to go saltwater. Actually if you are doing saltwater in a 15g you probably want some live rock so that will take up space too and need less then 15g water. Also you have to look into filter requirements of saltwater and lighting. It's different then freshwater requirements in most cases.

What are you intentions with a 15g saltwater tank? Do you wan a reef tank with corals and fish or do you want just fish, just corals, just rocks, etc? I just setup a 12g nanocube and it's been going great. But you have to be prepared as it's not as easy as just adding some salt to water and bam, you are ready to go. It takes proper setup and a proper cycle that you have to be patient about and wait for. Do some research on how to setup saltwater. Check youtube for some good videos. Then see if it's what you want to do or not. Maybe even talk to you LFS about it since you will most likely need supplies, fish, etc from them for it. I personally could not have done it without the help of my LFS guys. They've steered me in the right direction and not just what makes them the most profit but what will help my tank the best. I now have a 12g up for almost two months with a ton of cleanup critters, 3 fish, and some nice corals.

good luck