water change questions

r1lightning · 05/21/2007, 10:19 AM

hello all,
hows everyone doing. need some elementry questions answered and i cant seem to even handle using the search option on the forum. so here goes.

how do you guys change your water as far as aging it and mixing the salt and all that. i have 125gl tank and a 40 gl sump. for the past year i've been doing a very bad job of changing the water. is it crucial to let the new water age and be premixed or can i just throw in a hose and salt in the sump which is what i have been doing. but the last time i did it, this past weekend i lost 4 favorite fiish. i went and got the water tested and it tested fine. i also have a lot of powdery stuff at the bottom of the sump it's ligth brown is that stuff garbage that i should be cleaning out of the sump everytime add water and change the water. if anyone can post whet they do or a link to where i can find the answers it'd be much appreciated.

bill37 · 05/21/2007, 10:26 AM

I am not quite sure what you mean by this:

"i just throw in a hose and salt in the sump which is what i have been doing"

I use RO/DI water. I fill a clean trash can with the filtered water, I then add the appropriate amount of salt and mix. I have a heater in the water as well as a powerhead. I let it sit and disolve overnight and the next day I turn off the sump pump and remove water from the main tank and refill with the new water.

Hope this helps.

UnderCoverDork · 05/21/2007, 10:33 AM

i have a 20g mostly SPS tank w/ 2 clowns. Here is how i do my changes.

10% A week, none less
Add the water to my 5 gallon bucket
Add the salt to my bucket on top of the water.
Mix, mix, and mix
test the water with a refractometer
Add salt or water till the it reaches 1.025
Drain the same amount of water i am adding
Add the new water.

- i dont mix with a powerhead..i use a wooden spoon and i dont run a heater.

I do mix only 5% at a time. If i was doing a larger change i would heat the water first.

I use Distilled from the grocery but am getting an RODI unit asap

This has worked well for me. I keep SPS, clams etc.. and my water quality is top notch

r1lightning · 05/21/2007, 11:01 AM

it did help bill so thank you. what i was doing before was adding water through the sump. i hooked up a hose to a utility sink and guestimated the temps close to the tanks temp and was dumping it str8 into the sump and mixing salt in the like undercover (thx undercvr) described above and kicking the power back on that way i didnt have to deal with reestablishing the siphon. it limited me to only 40gl per change but i was ok, but then i went and added more fish to the setup and noticed i need to do more water volume when i changed it.

r1lightning · 05/21/2007, 11:02 AM

im not too good with acronyms so what do RO/DI and SPS stand for?

ocnluvr · 05/21/2007, 11:10 AM

RO Reverse Osmosis. A MUST need for salt water. You can by a unit at Home Depot for about 250.00 Your tank will be so much more prettier and healthier, not to say a lot less hassle. Make sure the water u r adding is EXACTLY the same as your tank (temp, salinity) and PREMIX overnight. Good luck

UnderCoverDork · 05/21/2007, 01:14 PM

SPS= Small polyped stoney coral

bill37 · 05/21/2007, 01:16 PM

You can find cheaper but very good RO/DI systems online.

pikachusalad · 05/21/2007, 01:35 PM

You may also want to consider checking at your local fish store (LFS) to see if they sell pre-mixed or RO water... At mine RO is .40 cents / gallon and pre-mixed instant ocean (IO) to 1.022 (at 78 degrees) is .99 cents / gallon.

demonsp · 05/21/2007, 01:38 PM

Yea get yourself 2 ,30 gal plastic trash cans with wheels if possible.
In 1 you add your 10 % , add to measure your salt . I use instant ocean mix with powerhead for a few hours. Then whene ready use turkey baster to blow excess debris ( if any ) off rocks and sand not going to crazy. Then useing powerhead with attatched hose drain the main tank picking up as much debris you can. Then useing same powerhead fill main tank with mixed water. use a flow adjuster cause you want to fill slower then you drained.let flow in slow. Dont use tap water pls. And happy fish.

mg426 · 05/21/2007, 02:21 PM

I use a 29 gallon tank with a mark on the side.I fill to the mark with RO/DI water add the necessary amount of salt mix. Stir it up REALLY GOOD wait untill the water is clear, measureSG adjust if needed. Then I use the mixd water usually about 1 hr later. Never had any problems.

HPD Turbo · 05/21/2007, 02:31 PM

Is the new water needs to be placed in the tank or in the sump?

Billybeau1 · 05/21/2007, 02:43 PM

I have a 72 gallon tank and change water (15 gallons) every two weeks.

I have an 18 gallon container in the basement and a Kent Maxima ro/di to fill it with a float switch to shut off at 15 gallons. I use this for topoff.

The day before a water change, I add the salt, turn on the powerhead and heater and let it aerate overnight.

The next morning I check salinity and add or subtract as necessary.

Then I siphon 15 gallons of water out of the aquarium and replace with the new water. Directly into the tank.

I use empty salt buckets for all of this and have the bucket marked at 5 gallons.

All pumps are shut down during this operation and it takes about 1/2 hr tops. So you cannot add that quantity of water to the sump.

It's really pretty painless.

SaltyBoG Water · 05/21/2007, 03:48 PM

Sounds like you need to stop being lazy.

Nano Chris · 05/21/2007, 04:06 PM

I make RO/DI water, have in a 5 gallon bucket, add salt till it reaches 1.025 let it sit, and get to temperature, check the salinity make sure its at 1.025 and temperature right, than take out some of the water out of the sump, thank put some in, take some out, put some in till I'm done doing the water change. I plan to make this easier soon, as I'm going to try to automate the water change so i just flip a couple switches.

Billybeau1 · 05/21/2007, 04:14 PM

Criminal. I don't mean to sound critical, but, this is not a good way to perform water changes. You are not getting the maximum benefit of water changes doing it this way.

This article explains why.

Water Changes in Reef Aquaria
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php

r1lightning · 05/21/2007, 04:29 PM

judging from the answers so far. thank you everyone for answering i need to strategize my water changes better thank for the for the water change link billy very informative.

pikachusalad · 05/22/2007, 09:35 AM

OK - last night I got my process down.

I turn off my pumps and then shut off the valves for the water coming down from the overflow and the return tube - so all water stays in the tank (and leaves the sump volume lower). Then I pull the water out of the tank, put the new water in the sump, open the valves and turn the pumps back on.

Works much better than dumping water in the tank.

05/21/2007, 10:19 AM	#1
r1lightning Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 4	water change questions hello all, hows everyone doing. need some elementry questions answered and i cant seem to even handle using the search option on the forum. so here goes. how do you guys change your water as far as aging it and mixing the salt and all that. i have 125gl tank and a 40 gl sump. for the past year i've been doing a very bad job of changing the water. is it crucial to let the new water age and be premixed or can i just throw in a hose and salt in the sump which is what i have been doing. but the last time i did it, this past weekend i lost 4 favorite fiish. i went and got the water tested and it tested fine. i also have a lot of powdery stuff at the bottom of the sump it's ligth brown is that stuff garbage that i should be cleaning out of the sump everytime add water and change the water. if anyone can post whet they do or a link to where i can find the answers it'd be much appreciated.

05/21/2007, 11:10 AM	#6
ocnluvr Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: SLC Utah Posts: 91	RO Reverse Osmosis. A MUST need for salt water. You can by a unit at Home Depot for about 250.00 Your tank will be so much more prettier and healthier, not to say a lot less hassle. Make sure the water u r adding is EXACTLY the same as your tank (temp, salinity) and PREMIX overnight. Good luck __________________ Utah Utes ROCK!!! Current Tank Info: 75 g w/20g sump reef

05/21/2007, 01:35 PM	#9
pikachusalad Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 402	You may also want to consider checking at your local fish store (LFS) to see if they sell pre-mixed or RO water... At mine RO is .40 cents / gallon and pre-mixed instant ocean (IO) to 1.022 (at 78 degrees) is .99 cents / gallon. __________________ -- Mike Current Tank Info: 60G reef

05/21/2007, 02:21 PM	#11
mg426 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 6,923	I use a 29 gallon tank with a mark on the side.I fill to the mark with RO/DI water add the necessary amount of salt mix. Stir it up REALLY GOOD wait untill the water is clear, measureSG adjust if needed. Then I use the mixd water usually about 1 hr later. Never had any problems. __________________ I found a way to make a small fortune running a reef tank. Start with a large fortune. Unofficial President of the SEACLONE haters club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef 110 lbs LR, 1x250watt XM 20K MH 2x175watt XM 20K MH on Magetics 2X96 watt actinic PC, 220 watt VHO actinic, 30 gallon refugium, closed loop system powered by Sequence Dart MSX 200 skimmer 38 gallon sump, Oceansmotions squirt

05/21/2007, 03:48 PM	#14
SaltyBoG Water Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 190	Sounds like you need to stop being lazy. __________________ If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing. - African Proverb. Current Tank Info: 29 bio cube 25 lbs LR 40 lbs LS

05/21/2007, 10:26 AM	#2
bill37 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,201	I am not quite sure what you mean by this: "i just throw in a hose and salt in the sump which is what i have been doing" I use RO/DI water. I fill a clean trash can with the filtered water, I then add the appropriate amount of salt and mix. I have a heater in the water as well as a powerhead. I let it sit and disolve overnight and the next day I turn off the sump pump and remove water from the main tank and refill with the new water. Hope this helps.

05/21/2007, 10:33 AM	#3
UnderCoverDork Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Detroit Posts: 429	i have a 20g mostly SPS tank w/ 2 clowns. Here is how i do my changes. 10% A week, none less Add the water to my 5 gallon bucket Add the salt to my bucket on top of the water. Mix, mix, and mix test the water with a refractometer Add salt or water till the it reaches 1.025 Drain the same amount of water i am adding Add the new water. - i dont mix with a powerhead..i use a wooden spoon and i dont run a heater. I do mix only 5% at a time. If i was doing a larger change i would heat the water first. I use Distilled from the grocery but am getting an RODI unit asap This has worked well for me. I keep SPS, clams etc.. and my water quality is top notch

05/21/2007, 11:01 AM	#4
r1lightning Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 4	it did help bill so thank you. what i was doing before was adding water through the sump. i hooked up a hose to a utility sink and guestimated the temps close to the tanks temp and was dumping it str8 into the sump and mixing salt in the like undercover (thx undercvr) described above and kicking the power back on that way i didnt have to deal with reestablishing the siphon. it limited me to only 40gl per change but i was ok, but then i went and added more fish to the setup and noticed i need to do more water volume when i changed it.

05/21/2007, 11:02 AM	#5
r1lightning Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 4	im not too good with acronyms so what do RO/DI and SPS stand for?

05/21/2007, 01:14 PM	#7
UnderCoverDork Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Detroit Posts: 429	SPS= Small polyped stoney coral

05/21/2007, 01:16 PM	#8
bill37 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,201	You can find cheaper but very good RO/DI systems online.

05/21/2007, 01:38 PM	#10
demonsp Moved On Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: el paso tx Posts: 7,634	Yea get yourself 2 ,30 gal plastic trash cans with wheels if possible. In 1 you add your 10 % , add to measure your salt . I use instant ocean mix with powerhead for a few hours. Then whene ready use turkey baster to blow excess debris ( if any ) off rocks and sand not going to crazy. Then useing powerhead with attatched hose drain the main tank picking up as much debris you can. Then useing same powerhead fill main tank with mixed water. use a flow adjuster cause you want to fill slower then you drained.let flow in slow. Dont use tap water pls. And happy fish.

05/21/2007, 02:31 PM	#12
HPD Turbo Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: I really dont know Posts: 569	Is the new water needs to be placed in the tank or in the sump?

05/21/2007, 02:43 PM	#13
Billybeau1 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Dyer, Indiana Posts: 12,010	I have a 72 gallon tank and change water (15 gallons) every two weeks. I have an 18 gallon container in the basement and a Kent Maxima ro/di to fill it with a float switch to shut off at 15 gallons. I use this for topoff. The day before a water change, I add the salt, turn on the powerhead and heater and let it aerate overnight. The next morning I check salinity and add or subtract as necessary. Then I siphon 15 gallons of water out of the aquarium and replace with the new water. Directly into the tank. I use empty salt buckets for all of this and have the bucket marked at 5 gallons. All pumps are shut down during this operation and it takes about 1/2 hr tops. So you cannot add that quantity of water to the sump. It's really pretty painless.

05/21/2007, 04:06 PM	#15
Nano Chris Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 2,758	I make RO/DI water, have in a 5 gallon bucket, add salt till it reaches 1.025 let it sit, and get to temperature, check the salinity make sure its at 1.025 and temperature right, than take out some of the water out of the sump, thank put some in, take some out, put some in till I'm done doing the water change. I plan to make this easier soon, as I'm going to try to automate the water change so i just flip a couple switches. __________________ Chris ------- 34 Gallon Red Sea Max 130! Setup (Just got back into the hobby) Current Tank Info: 34 Gallon RedSeaMax!

05/21/2007, 04:14 PM	#16
Billybeau1 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Dyer, Indiana Posts: 12,010	Criminal. I don't mean to sound critical, but, this is not a good way to perform water changes. You are not getting the maximum benefit of water changes doing it this way. This article explains why. Water Changes in Reef Aquaria http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php

05/21/2007, 04:29 PM	#17
r1lightning Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 4	judging from the answers so far. thank you everyone for answering i need to strategize my water changes better thank for the for the water change link billy very informative.

05/22/2007, 09:35 AM	#18
pikachusalad Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 402	OK - last night I got my process down. I turn off my pumps and then shut off the valves for the water coming down from the overflow and the return tube - so all water stays in the tank (and leaves the sump volume lower). Then I pull the water out of the tank, put the new water in the sump, open the valves and turn the pumps back on. Works much better than dumping water in the tank. __________________ -- Mike Current Tank Info: 60G reef