# Fluval roma 125 marine conversion help!!??



## masivemike (Jan 18, 2010)

Hi guys, after some help so here goes...
I have a fluval roma 125 sitting at my parents empty and not doing anything. The hood doesnt work anymore so would need to get some new lighting but apart from that what would i need/cost to convert it to marine? just a though as they look awesome i have been doing reserch about them for a while but would like some advise off some one who keeps them.
Thanks


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## davesbray (Feb 12, 2011)

if you are doing it on a budget i would simply upgrade the lighting to a decent T5 unit (google iQuatics)

next thing you need to consider is filtration - you could drill the tank and sump it, you could use an external canister filter, or see if you can find a suitably rated internal filter of some sort.

you will need powerheads to give a decent flow rate (14x tank volume is reccomended but play it by ear a bit) 

and you will need a full set of test kits to measure ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, potassium, calcuim, PH level, salinity etc

you will need to figure out how you will be sourcing your RO water, whether you will be buying an RO unit and plumbing it in to your mains water and adding salt yourself (doing this will require a mixing tank/container, heater and powerhead)
or if you are able to buy premade plain and salty RO water from your LFS - if you go this route ask them to measure the TDS and salinity for you before you pay for it and to show you the results. TDS should be as close to 0.0 as possible, and salinity should be 1.026ppm if i remember rightly

a skimmer is not 100% neccesary, i have and still do run marine tanks without one

IF you dont have a set budget and can spend a bit of money on it:

if you want to go all out on it then you should probaly get it sumped, in the sump if totally up to you but you will need the tank drilled, so will need a return pump and pipework and research sump layouts online for ideas

equipment in the sump is normally skimmer, calc reactor, phos reactor, then your heater and return pump

lighting wise i would recommend LEDs, raidons or AIsols are popular...

i would also buy an RO unit and TDS meter to ensure your water quality, also cheaper in the long run but a bit more £ upfront.

you will still need powerheads for flow, a good option if you have a few hundred ££ are te MP10wes, a couple should be enough for this size tank i think

then after all that get some sand (live is not important as the rock will sort that out) and some decent live rock, buying from someone local selling their stock is cheaper, and normally they will let you know of any nasties (algaes or rock anenomes) that shops will not tell you about, also buying 'second hand' rather than from a shop is alot cheaper

after all that and 6-8 weeks for the tank to cycle you can start thinking about stock

oh, a few weeks into your cycle you can probably start adding clean up crew (snails, hermit crabs etc) to take care of all the algae you will have building up on the rockwork, but make sure test results are acceptable before adding them

oh, and good luck, dont rush anything, if you think you need to cycle for longer then do so. rushing will cause deaths. also find a good LFS, dont always go for the cheapest ones. good advice and them having time to talk to you is alot more valuable than finding somewhere cheaper


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## davesbray (Feb 12, 2011)

wow, sorry, didnt realise i had written so much :blush:


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## masivemike (Jan 18, 2010)

That's brilliant! Thanks! Think I'm going to external filter it! Don't want to spend loads! Would get ready mixed water from the aquatic shop. How much do you think It would cost to convert?


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## davesbray (Feb 12, 2011)

masivemike said:


> That's brilliant! Thanks! Think I'm going to external filter it! Don't want to spend loads! Would get ready mixed water from the aquatic shop. How much do you think It would cost to convert?


honestly mate, so many variables. all depends on what lighting you go for, which ex filter, powerheads etc etc, can prob do it for £150ish if you go second hand and aren't fussy on named stuff, but go all new with decent LED lighting you can spend £500+ just on that. 

on a budget i would trawl eBay mate, find stuff local to you and make sure you can see it in action before buying, you can generally find most stuff on there for a decent price. 
if your buying a T5 lighting unit off the 'bay you should still use new tubes, they tend to have a 6-8 month life before you get light-related algae problems.


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## masivemike (Jan 18, 2010)

That's a lot! Going to look into it! Can you just get a internal skimmer then?


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## davesbray (Feb 12, 2011)

masivemike said:


> That's a lot! Going to look into it! Can you just get a internal skimmer then?


 depends really. i have one in my 50ltr tank, but thats only a small tank. you may be ok with a decent sized one if you change the media regularly, dont use the stock sponges etc though, no use. i have rowaphos, activated carbon and filter floss in mine

if you get hold of decent, mature live rock then that should be your main filtration anyway as the critters that make the rock 'live' will eat any waste, if you're using this method then you will need about 12-15kgs of rock and set up your powerheads so you get maximum flow through the rockwork, hence forcing the rock to be a filter...

in my 250ltr tank i had an external filter, and im currently looking to upgrade to about 150ltrs and havent decided what to use yet...


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## masivemike (Jan 18, 2010)

Do you know any good skimmers and filters to look for?


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## jaykickboxer (Feb 11, 2008)

masivemike said:


> Do you know any good skimmers and filters to look for?


Deltec mce600 were probably the best when I kept marines , the v2 600 were ok if I was u id buy a 4 tube t5 hang on light probably from Iaquatics , a deltec mce600 skimmer and a few power heads should be sufficient for most things most people remove all the media from the external filter , u should get all that second hand fairly cheap , most shops will do a drum of ro water for 4 quid and u mix salt yourself shouldn't take much to fill a 125 I personally just put salt in drum and give it a shake and straight in the heater in the tank done the rest 
Ul also wanna add some rowaphose to your filter


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