Fishkeepers help! Bow front 72 gallon saltwater to freshwater

[mantisfan101]

I recently acquired a used 72 gal bowfront for saltwater. It was drained but it still has algae, sand, and residue left from the saltwater tank. I want to change it to freshwater so I can finally get the flowerhorn cichlid that i’ve been wanting but I need to set up the tank first. I need help and I’m a little uncertain how to cleanse it completely from the salt. I believe I vinegar or maybe bleach solution would be necessary to get all and any reaidue from the salwater away. Any help is appreciated once again.

 

[cold blood]

A little amount of salt wont cause issues.

 

[Ajohnson5263]

honestly I'd just thoroughly rinse it. anyremaining salt would not harm the fish.

 

[mantisfan101]

honestly I'd just thoroughly rinse it. anyremaining salt would not harm the fish.

Based off of what I read I believe it might even be beneficial for certain illnesses.

 

[Polenth]

Based off of what I read I believe it might even be beneficial for certain illnesses.

If you replace the sand and give it a good wash with water, the remaining salt is going to be trivial. So it's not going to harm, but it's not going to be enough for any sort of treatment either.

 

[mantisfan101]

Ok, so this is my basic plan as of now-
I am going to try and rinse as much salt, algae, and crushed coral off with warm water since the fish I want (flowerhorn and bichir) don’t seem to appreciate high pH levels. The tank came with a sock, carbon, and reticulated foam inside of the sump which I still haven’t cleaned out yet but will go through the same procedure as the tank. I’ll soak all the “soft” sump material(the carbon, foam, sock, etc) in hot water to kill off any potential hitchikers and to fully cleanse it. Then I’ll clean off any salt with warm water on the sump. Since it’s a 72 bowfront Saltwater there’s the filter like structure on the back with a ton of residue and ceushed coral in the back. I plan on trying to scrub it out eith maybe a sponge on a stick and also remove any algae left on it. Heck, I might even toss in some snails or shrimp in there to feed off of it, idk. The filter is connected to the sump via 2 connectors on the bottom whoch I’ll have to re-silicone onto the sump. I’ll try to upload pics later to show you what the actual tank looks like.

Also, would I have to rinse it out otuside with a hose or would using a wet towel and some water work good indoors, if I’m going to use the vinegar mix? Thanks again!

 

[Galapoheros]

You're right some salt can be good. You'd be surprised at how much salt is in "fresh water", especially in ponds that don't drain often. On a ranch I've been on in e. tx, the ponds dry back a little and leave a white ring at the old water level, it's salt, and I've found most of the native fresh water fish on that place.

 

[jrh3]

My brother has a reef and coral business, when he cleans his tanks he uses white distilled vinegar. This makes it easy to come off. Also, for really bad buildup a razor blade will help it look new again.

 

[Ajohnson5263]

on the side note, make sure you have a backup plan for if the bichir and flowerhorn don't work out. while it has been done before (the king of diy had a setup ) all flowerhorns are different, and some are much more aggressive than others and will not tolerate any fish in their tank, even bottom dwellers. if it won't tolerate the bichir, make sure you have a spare tank or a friend that can take it.

 

[darkness975]

on the side note, make sure you have a backup plan for if the bichir and flowerhorn don't work out. while it has been done before (the king of diy had a setup ) all flowerhorns are different, and some are much more aggressive than others and will not tolerate any fish in their tank, even bottom dwellers. if it won't tolerate the bichir, make sure you have a spare tank or a friend that can take it.

I am not sure how I feel about that guy's channel. I have been a fishkeeper for a long time and it seems like he just randomly changes things and does this and that for the sake of keeping viewers (i.e. no changes = no new content = no money).

 

[mantisfan101]

on the side note, make sure you have a backup plan for if the bichir and flowerhorn don't work out. while it has been done before (the king of diy had a setup ) all flowerhorns are different, and some are much more aggressive than others and will not tolerate any fish in their tank, even bottom dwellers. if it won't tolerate the bichir, make sure you have a spare tank or a friend that can take it.

I decided nix on the flowerhorn. A 72 gallon is also pretty tight for a full grown 10” actice fish anyway. I was maybe thinking about a few buolengerella pike characins or maybe some crenicichla saxatalis.

 

[darkness975]

I decided nix on the flowerhorn. A 72 gallon is also pretty tight for a full grown 10” actice fish anyway. I was maybe thinking about a few buolengerella pike characins or maybe some crenicichla saxatalis.

Exodon paradoxus

 

[mantisfan101]

Exodon paradoxus

I was thinking of the same thing too and I really like the idea of a pirgana-like fish but for the 72 I have to have a bichir of some sort. I’ve passed up many opportunities to buy some since I didn’t have a big enough tank but now that I have one I’m dead set on having around 2-3 polys.

 

[darkness975]

I was thinking of the same thing too and I really like the idea of a pirgana-like fish but for the 72 I have to have a bichir of some sort. I’ve passed up many opportunities to buy some since I didn’t have a big enough tank but now that I have one I’m dead set on having around 2-3 polys.

Ah okay. Throw a sunfish in there haha

 

[Ajohnson5263]

I am not sure how I feel about that guy's channel. I have been a fishkeeper for a long time and it seems like he just randomly changes things and does this and that for the sake of keeping viewers (i.e. no changes = no new content = no money).

i that's a fair point, he does periodically switch around his fish and tanks. personally, i wouldn't want to get rid of animals like that, but if you can pass them on to responsible hobbyists, I guess it's okay. i don't really watch his new content, but I still watch plenty of his old DIY videos.

 

[velvetundergrowth]

Just give it a thorough rinse. I used to re-purpose tanks from marine to fresh and vice-versa all the time and never ran into any issues. You may introduce harmful chems trying to scourge it of minor salt residues.