Fresh to Salt without changing the water???

[BIG_ONE]

you obviously have no idea what your talking about.

He asked if he can add aquarium salt to make it salt water.....

Aww, a former owner of SW like me doesn't know what he is talking about anymore. Okay, the blame is on me if you feel like it is the right thing to do then I guess. LOL.
Pick up a clue here and get it straight bro! Do you understand what he means by some kind of "aquarium salt" to make it saltwater? Just because he mentions it as aquarium salt doesn't mean that he go out and buy regular aquarium salt that is use to quarantine or heal fish wounds. Don't be such a shallow thinker...think broader, you might catch what is really going on in his mind.
This site here is to help people who have questions and information. Not to kill them right off the hobby and then brag about your own things and be disrespectful. So let's say that if he does claim that he owned saltwater before, then you might as well rampage all over him about this thread being useless and asking useless question. If he claim that he never owned saltwater before, then it would just be an all out on him. Ehh?...am I wrong here now too?
But whichever, back to the topic and let's keep this thread clean and have respect to any members no matter how newbie the question is. Helping is never a waste of time...

 

[BIG_ONE]

Oh and no, leopard sharks aren't illegal to own(there are 2 types of leopard shark that I know of, and I'm talking about the ones that you find on California coastal waters)...I don't know about other states. But not here in California. Plenty of leopard sharks all over the coast of California, batrays too.

 

[SkySouza]

This is kinda like being a 12 year old virgin again about to go on ur first date. You tell ur friends ur friends tonight's the night but they all know u ain't getting any.

 

[SkySouza]

just like women u need 3 things to succeed with sw "experience, money, and some patience" lol

 

[TaylorD]

just like women u need 3 things to succeed with sw "experience, money, and some patience" lol

........
where where you when I got married...
lol, just kidding.

To the OP, I hope you can look past some of the dreamkillers. BOL with you plans.

Taylor

 

[TheCanuck]

Oh and no, leopard sharks aren't illegal to own(there are 2 types of leopard shark that I know of, and I'm talking about the ones that you find on California coastal waters)...I don't know about other states. But not here in California. Plenty of leopard sharks all over the coast of California, batrays too.

They are actually a protected species and are HIGHLY illegal to own if they are under 32 inches. They also need around 5,000 gallons.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060210&slug=sharks10

The six defendants were arrested on Tuesday, when the indictment was unsealed. They face maximum penalties of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and possible requirement to pay restitution for each count, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

You should know your information before you suggest such a reckless decision. That would have been nice for him to have all those fines eh?

 

[TheCanuck]

Aww, a former owner of SW like me doesn't know what he is talking about anymore. Okay, the blame is on me if you feel like it is the right thing to do then I guess. LOL.
Pick up a clue here and get it straight bro! Do you understand what he means by some kind of "aquarium salt" to make it saltwater? Just because he mentions it as aquarium salt doesn't mean that he go out and buy regular aquarium salt that is use to quarantine or heal fish wounds. Don't be such a shallow thinker...think broader, you might catch what is really going on in his mind.
This site here is to help people who have questions and information. Not to kill them right off the hobby and then brag about your own things and be disrespectful. So let's say that if he does claim that he owned saltwater before, then you might as well rampage all over him about this thread being useless and asking useless question. If he claim that he never owned saltwater before, then it would just be an all out on him. Ehh?...am I wrong here now too?
But whichever, back to the topic and let's keep this thread clean and have respect to any members no matter how newbie the question is. Helping is never a waste of time...

maybe thats why your a former SW owner?

Dude i love this guys enthusiasm. He is always up for something big and crazy, and i like that. Though this is just ridiculous, and you obviously know nothing of whats going on. Hes complaining about 450$ for salt. Is this a joke? The cost each month will be that, plus thousands of dollars to get it started. He wants to have a 55g sump. I am just trying to be realistic, because a 55g sump wouldn't even run my 360g. Also 2000gph is no flow what so ever. So i am trying to save him the heart ache, because he will have a pool filled with stagnant saltwater and some belly up sharks. You don't just buy a pool and toss some salt in and sharks. I am trying to keep him informed, so he doesn't become a former SW owner. I am also not shallow, aquarium salt is for freshwater healing. Marine salt is for marine animals. If it was a mistake in spelling, thats fine, but the whole sump and flow thing points to a mislead mind.

Helping is great, and thats what i am doing. Your encouraging complete mayhem, and non realistic thinking.



OP: If you really want to do this, i can give you a list of every single thing you need to run this. I really want this to work, but you need to do some reading and research. There are a ton of good people on here that can help you make this work, if you can be realistic. Not paying for salt is not realistic. I would have payed 520$ for all that salt, so your already getting a great deal...

So, what is your budget for this project. How much do you have saved away?

 

[MadRussian79]

No they aren't, they are rated LC by the IUCN. Here is California FG on them
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/status/report2006/leopardshark.pdf so they are not protected.

As far as needing to drain the tank. Can't think of any reason biologically. The system will cycle regardless of using new or old water. The addition of salt will kill most biological thus adding to the cycle. The only poinnt anyone can make is that the cycle might be cleaner if you drain and scrub the tank but that's it.

As far as cost. Salt in the long run will hurt far more than anything else. At that size you might want to look up skimmer designs online and just build it. Lights you probably won't need since you are not doing coral just use sun light. You will be algae scrubbing even then. $20,000 for live rock, um why, unless you are going for Coraline algae crusted right off the bat no. Get lime stone blocks (old coral) and drop in a few pieces of regular live rock, ~$200 scattered thought. Then wait 6-8 months and voila. Pumps are the only thing (unless you are really skilled and well equipped) that will really hurt. Those tend to have a life span of 7-10 years, though many have lasted much longer. The better your circulation the faster the live rock will culture.

There is only one major caveat I can see and that is temp. You are looking at cold water species and that pond will reach well over 70 degrees in the summer in socal. Adding a chiller to that will cost the same as a small car. You can however build a tarp cover structure and stick a standard 15,000 BTU AC unit for the hottest months. I use one 10,000 btu to cool a 2000 SQR foot house.

Just saw the post from TheCanuck: While I think he was a bit harsher than I would have been he's got a point. You need to evaluate the budget before starting an endeavor like this, a few grand at least to get it going. I've heard experienced old school hobbyist call what we refer to as Marine Salt Aquarium salt. Usually followed but by "Not the **** the noobies use to medicate fresh water fish." That's why I don't see Aquarium vs marine as a huge error just ask person to clarify.

 

[Ashlee]

Just saw the post from TheCanuck: While I think he was a bit harsher than I would have been he's got a point. You need to evaluate the budget before starting an endeavor like this, a few grand at least to get it going. I've heard experienced old school hobbyist call what we refer to as Marine Salt Aquarium salt. Usually followed but by "Not the **** the noobies use to medicate fresh water fish." That's why I don't see Aquarium vs marine as a huge error just ask person to clarify.

I think the Canuck assumed that he was talking about actual aquarium salt because of the impression the OP was giving off by saying that hes "got this" with a 55g sump and 2,000gph pump. Not to mention wanting to stuff a bunch of sharks and massive rays in a pond that could potentially eat him out of house and home if he doesn't part with more than just his xbox. He is already upset by the price of salt, which is the cheapest part of the whole setup...


So what if the leopard shark is legal or not?
If you have never done salt before, I would suggest choosing another shark that doesn't get as big or one that is a little more common as a pet...... :/

 

[EastBay]

Crazy or not, work or not, the original question was: could he just add the salt to the established water or does he need to drain the pond? What is the general consensus on the salt? Should the pond be drained and put mixed synthetic/or/natural saltwater back in, or would it be OK to just add the salt to the water and mix it?

I think it could done the second way, but what does everyone else think?