Am i doing water change properly?

[moneymm]

i have algae problems from day 1 my tank is 14 months old. when i do a water change, i try to stir up and net any algae i can.

I try to blow it off the rocks, and vacuum the sand, and i net whatever big pieces float around.

it creates a disaster looking take for a few minutes, but when it all settles i feel i remove a good percentage of the algae.

i do this however, it certainly comes right back a couple days later.

is what im doing good for the water or should i just remove the water and replace without messing with anything?

[MondoBongo]

water changes can help algae issues, but they can also fuel them.

are you using 0 TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) RODI (Reverse Osmosis and De-Ionized) water? if there is phosphate coming in with the new water, it will undo all your hard work.

i've often done in the past just what you're saying. i will rig a small return pump in a bucket, then run my siphon line through a filter sock in to that bucket. that way i can siphon up as much as i want, and it gets trapped in the sock, and the clean water is returned to the tank. vacuuming the sand and blowing the rocks off is always a good idea too. helps keep the nasty under control.

[scooter31707]

Water changing is not the source of your problem, IMO. Sounds like you are having a phosphate problem and guessing you are having problems with hair algae. Are you running any type of GFO? How much are you feeding you fish. Most fish foods will produce phosphates.

[moneymm]

yes im using 0tds rodi water

[MondoBongo]

if your water change water is proper then i would start looking next at things like age of bulbs in your t5 fixture, amount/frequency of your feeding, type of food being fed, amount of flow, and size of clean up crew.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by MondoBongo

if your water change water is proper then i would start looking next at things like age of bulbs in your t5 fixture, amount/frequency of your feeding, type of food being fed, amount of flow, and size of clean up crew.

i wrote this post to find out if my water change is proper. is it proper to stir up all the algae? or should i just leave it alone?

my bulbs are a year old, i have them only like 70% for about 11 hours a day.

i feed my 5 fish 2 times a day, i give them a half of cube each feeding.

[ethuman]

sounds like you might be over feeding a little bit IMO

[scooter31707]

did you start out with dry rock..if so, there is a possible that the rocks are still leeching out phosphates. Just a thought.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by scooter31707

did you start out with dry rock..if so, there is a possible that the rocks are still leeching out phosphates. Just a thought.

no live rock, and that was 15 months ago.

[moneymm]

this thread was not to fix my algae problem. just to see if im doing water changes properly

[davehead86]

Originally Posted by moneymm

this thread was not to fix my algae problem. just to see if im doing water changes properly

Personally I think your doing them wrong. I dont think anyone here recommends stirring up the tank that much and releasing all of that extra crap from the sand bed into the water to cause ammonia spikes. You also didnt mention what the percentage of water your changing out, or the frequency of the water changes. Should be 10% every two weeks. Top off in between with fresh RODI water.

Also, you mentioned the algae problem and people are trying to help. Id take some advice on it, algae problems can ruin a tank in a heartbeat. You dont metion anything about a clean up crew. The right snails will clean all of that algae up easily and quickly.

[biecacka]

Instead of stirring up the algae while doing water changes, try to remove it manually. If not interested in that method, then leave it be while doing water changes. Stirring it up and not catching it ALL is most likely spreading it out more.


Corey

[DrBoxedWine]

I don't think there is any harm in what you're doing. It's probably the way to go, in my opinion.

However, keep in mind that if you stir it all up, and then change 10% of the water, you're only removing 10% of the gunk in the water column.

So, while i do think you're doing the right thing (10% is better than nothing), keep in mind it's probably only having a minimal impact.

And i know you're just asking about water changes, however, i'm in the midst of a nasty algae battle, as well. I had a foxface that kept the tank spotless but then he started going after corals once all the algae was gone. I got rid of him and the algae took off.

I began running GFO and Activated Carbon, began vinegar dosing, and cut feedings in half (I feed about a half cube to my 7 fish in my 75g every other day, i have noticed no difference in their behavior or health from when i fed them twice that much). I began picking off algae too. Nothing is working.

I finally went to buy some turbo snails, and my LFS store guy talked me into a sea hare. The plan is to let him pick the rocks clean for a couple weeks and then take him back. Once the algae is gone, hopefully all my other methods (less food, gfo, vinegar) will help to keep it under control enough that my hermits and Kole tang can take care of what little algae does grow.

But i mean, i know this isn't your question but we're all here to help and share our experiences. If you're feeding a half cube 2x a day in a 45 gallon, i think you're setting yourself up for a losing battle no matter what you do.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by davehead86

Personally I think your doing them wrong. I dont think anyone here recommends stirring up the tank that much and releasing all of that extra crap from the sand bed into the water to cause ammonia spikes. You also didnt mention what the percentage of water your changing out, or the frequency of the water changes. Should be 10% every two weeks. Top off in between with fresh RODI water.

Also, you mentioned the algae problem and people are trying to help. Id take some advice on it, algae problems can ruin a tank in a heartbeat. You dont metion anything about a clean up crew. The right snails will clean all of that algae up easily and quickly.

i already have a couple threads open for trying to fix my algae problems.

ok,so i guess i will just change out the water without scraping the algae off the rocks and overflow and powerheads, and i will not vacuum the sand bed. i will just quietly take the water from the middle of the tank.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by DrBoxedWine

I don't think there is any harm in what you're doing. It's probably the way to go, in my opinion.

However, keep in mind that if you stir it all up, and then change 10% of the water, you're only removing 10% of the gunk in the water column.

So, while i do think you're doing the right thing (10% is better than nothing), keep in mind it's probably only having a minimal impact.

And i know you're just asking about water changes, however, i'm in the midst of a nasty algae battle, as well. I had a foxface that kept the tank spotless but then he started going after corals once all the algae was gone. I got rid of him and the algae took off.

I began running GFO and Activated Carbon, began vinegar dosing, and cut feedings in half (I feed about a half cube to my 7 fish in my 75g every other day, i have noticed no difference in their behavior or health from when i fed them twice that much). I began picking off algae too. Nothing is working.

I finally went to buy some turbo snails, and my LFS store guy talked me into a sea hare. The plan is to let him pick the rocks clean for a couple weeks and then take him back. Once the algae is gone, hopefully all my other methods (less food, gfo, vinegar) will help to keep it under control enough that my hermits and Kole tang can take care of what little algae does grow.

But i mean, i know this isn't your question but we're all here to help and share our experiences. If you're feeding a half cube 2x a day in a 45 gallon, i think you're setting yourself up for a losing battle no matter what you do.

ok thank you. i have been changing 20% every 2 weeks or so, but i have not very consistant, and i think thats mostly my problem. also i havent been running any gfi, b/c my pump for it was broken. going to be ordering one soon.

i will cut down so that 1 cube last 3 feedings. although, my fish always seem starving.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by biecacka

Instead of stirring up the algae while doing water changes, try to remove it manually. If not interested in that method, then leave it be while doing water changes. Stirring it up and not catching it ALL is most likely spreading it out more.


Corey

i have so much of it, i dont think its possible to get it all out when i stir it up.

[DrBoxedWine]

Originally Posted by moneymm

ok thank you. i have been changing 20% every 2 weeks or so, but i have not very consistant, and i think thats mostly my problem. also i havent been running any gfi, b/c my pump for it was broken. going to be ordering one soon.

i will cut down so that 1 cube last 3 feedings. although, my fish always seem starving.

Algae is frustrating no doubt. But 20% even once a month is sufficient, in my opinion. I don't think your water changes are the issue.

But like the others said, stir it all up and then remove it with a filter. Do you have any sort of filter pad in your tank? I stir up all the nastiness and then change the pad a few hours later. I do think this important. Lots of Gunk settles even in a well circulated tank.

Also, healthy fish will make you think they're starving, lol. I used to feed my cichlids twice a day, so I was reluctant to cut feedings to once a day in my reef tank since they always seemed hungry. Then I was even more reluctant to cut it to every other day. My wife actually kinda forced it on my since she was really sick of all the algae and she overheard my lfs guy suggest it, haha. Unless you gave like anthias or something with special feeding needs, all they can eat in 30 seconds every other day is totally fine. Do you ever see stringy poop coming from them? If so, that's a tell tale over feeding sign.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by DrBoxedWine

Algae is frustrating no doubt. But 20% even once a month is sufficient, in my opinion. I don't think your water changes are the issue.

But like the others said, stir it all up and then remove it with a filter. Do you have any sort of filter pad in your tank? I stir up all the nastiness and then change the pad a few hours later. I do think this important. Lots of Gunk settles even in a well circulated tank.

Also, healthy fish will make you think they're starving, lol. I used to feed my cichlids twice a day, so I was reluctant to cut feedings to once a day in my reef tank since they always seemed hungry. Then I was even more reluctant to cut it to every other day. My wife actually kinda forced it on my since she was really sick of all the algae and she overheard my lfs guy suggest it, haha. Unless you gave like anthias or something with special feeding needs, all they can eat in 30 seconds every other day is totally fine. Do you ever see stringy poop coming from them? If so, that's a tell tale over feeding sign.

ok thanks, im gonnna try changing my sump tank filter pad more often. also will cut down on feeding...

[CStrickland]

I feed my fish like 4x a day.
It's about balancing the exports and imports. You need to take out as much as you put in, not starve your fish. Just swapping the water does very little for nutrient export, a 20% change is leaving 80% of the waste behind. Removing the algae and poop and dead bacteria is far more beneficial than removing a fraction of the water.

Your way is fine if you are actually getting the stuff out. The comment about things settling down after makes me think you aren't. If you have some filtration in place that can polish the water like dr wine said, filter sock or floss or something then that would be good. There's not much info about your tank here.

Making small threads with specific questions might not be the best way to approach an algae problem. Like in this scenario the answer depends on your whole system.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by CStrickland

I feed my fish like 4x a day.
It's about balancing the exports and imports. You need to take out as much as you put in, not starve your fish. Just swapping the water does very little for nutrient export, a 20% change is leaving 80% of the waste behind. Removing the algae and poop and dead bacteria is far more beneficial than removing a fraction of the water.

Your way is fine if you are actually getting the stuff out. The comment about things settling down after makes me think you aren't. If you have some filtration in place that can polish the water like dr wine said, filter sock or floss or something then that would be good. There's not much info about your tank here.

Making small threads with specific questions might not be the best way to approach an algae problem. Like in this scenario the answer depends on your whole system.

thanks for your reply, i have a foam pad filter in my sump tank, but i think that 95% of the algae is not getting to the sump. so is there a way to filter the water better after i "stir it all up" other than using a net for a few minutes?

[CStrickland]

How much flow do you have in your tank from powerheads?

You can scrub first, let it settle, then gravel vac 5g of water out of the sand for your wc. That'll remove a lot of it.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by CStrickland

How much flow do you have in your tank from powerheads?

You can scrub first, let it settle, then gravel vac 5g of water out of the sand for your wc. That'll remove a lot of it.

good tip, the return from sump, prob 300, a 750 head and a850 head, and a 450 head that i added a few weeks ago

[CStrickland]

That sounds like plenty.
I'd just be anal about catching as many pieces of algae as possible. Anything you leave in there is just going to release those nutrients into the water for the next round, like compost.
It's a pita but the best thing really is pulling it with your fingers and dipping them in a little cup of water by the tank. Pluck, dip, pluck, dip, die of boredom
Maybe a few more snails too, the kind that eat algae- not nassarius.

[Hoopz87]

Sounds like your disturbing the tank too much, just use a Powerheads in hand and blow off rocks. Try to keep it aimed away from the sand to avoid a snowstorm which could also effect parameters. Good luck. Throw some gfo in your filter sock and I hope you've been using RO water

[biecacka]

If possible remove some rock and scrub them with peroxide. Or vinegar and a toothbrush. If you cannot remove any of the rock I still hunk trying to manually remove it is the best way. If not an option the. When you stir up the tank, maybe turn the pumps off to suspend everything in the water column and use a net to swoop as much as possible.

Corey