Water Change ??

BuckeyeFan · 01/11/2011, 06:48 PM

i have had my tank up and running for two months I do have a few fish in it ..Should i do a water change or not This may sound dumb but some say yes some so no b/c it a newer tank plz help ...Thanks eric

p.s Iam a newbie at this

tkeracer619 · 01/11/2011, 08:43 PM

Now is a good time to start your regular changes.

We were all new to this at some point. There are no dumb questions.

funkejj · 01/11/2011, 10:15 PM

I would start weekly changes at 10 to 20 percent.

dots · 01/12/2011, 12:38 AM

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php

SwampyBill · 01/12/2011, 01:05 AM

Yes, since you haven't done one yet, I'd suggest doing a 20% change, then every week or 2 after do regular 10% changes. I usually do a 10% change every week or so. What are your water parameters in numbers?

DanEnglish · 01/12/2011, 01:05 AM

Never too soon to do a water change. The aforementioned article is an excellent resource, but the basics are 10-20% a month or more, and make sure the temp and pH are the same.

BuckeyeFan · 01/12/2011, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwampyBill

Yes, since you haven't done one yet, I'd suggest doing a 20% change, then every week or 2 after do regular 10% changes. I usually do a 10% change every week or so. What are your water parameters in numbers?

SwampyBill My water parameters are..Thanks for you input ...

Ammonia = 0 ppm
PH = 8.0
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate = 20 ppm
Salinity = just above 30
Specific gravity = 1.023

sslak · 01/12/2011, 08:00 AM

Is this a fish-only, or reef tank?

Your SG is a little low, you should aim for somewhere between 1.025-1.026

Water changes will help bring those nitrates down.

BuckeyeFan · 01/12/2011, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sslak

Is this a fish-only, or reef tank?

Your SG is a little low, you should aim for somewhere between 1.025-1.026

Water changes will help bring those nitrates down.

sslak I only have fish in there for now.....

mcoomer · 01/12/2011, 08:41 AM

What are your eventual plans for the tank? Do you want to keep fish or turn it into a reef setup? Can you post some information on your filtration (skimmer, refugium, filter media)? How many gallons of water are in your system?

Your parameters look good, but as Steve notes you should probably raise your salinity so that it's nearer to 1.026. The easiest way to do that is dump in some fresh saltwater and let evaporation raise your salinity. In a large tank you could dump in a 5 gallon bucket of fresh saltwater but in a small system you want to limit that to maybe a gallon at a time, or even less for very small systems. Another way to raise your salinity would be to do it with regular water changes. Mix up a batch of water with slightly higher SG than your tank and perform a water change. Monitor the salinity and continue with this process until you're at 1.026. From then on mix up your fresh saltwater for a salinity of 1.026 and you're good to go.

Finally, to answer your question, yes I would begin a regular water change cycle now that you have animals in the tank. I wouldn't start off by doing a big change though. I'd start off with a 5-10% change each week and see how your tank responds.

Mike

01/11/2011, 06:48 PM	#1
BuckeyeFan Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ohio Posts: 70	Water Change ?? i have had my tank up and running for two months I do have a few fish in it ..Should i do a water change or not This may sound dumb but some say yes some so no b/c it a newer tank plz help ...Thanks eric p.s Iam a newbie at this

01/11/2011, 08:43 PM	#2
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	Now is a good time to start your regular changes. We were all new to this at some point. There are no dumb questions. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

01/12/2011, 12:38 AM	#4
dots Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 6,258	http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php __________________ ~Doug

01/12/2011, 01:05 AM	#5
SwampyBill Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: St. Pete, FL. Posts: 2,369	Yes, since you haven't done one yet, I'd suggest doing a 20% change, then every week or 2 after do regular 10% changes. I usually do a 10% change every week or so. What are your water parameters in numbers? __________________ I love me some wrasse... & laissez les bon temps rouler! Current Tank Info: 120 gal Vizio Last edited by SwampyBill; 01/12/2011 at 01:10 AM.

01/12/2011, 08:00 AM	#8
sslak Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,705	Is this a fish-only, or reef tank? Your SG is a little low, you should aim for somewhere between 1.025-1.026 Water changes will help bring those nitrates down. __________________ Steve Current Tank Info: 58 Oceanic/20g Sump/250w XM 20k/2x39w T5 True Actinic 03/2010 Reef Octopus NW Cone Skimmer

01/11/2011, 10:15 PM	#3
funkejj Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 747	I would start weekly changes at 10 to 20 percent.

01/12/2011, 01:05 AM	#6
DanEnglish Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NYC Posts: 360	Never too soon to do a water change. The aforementioned article is an excellent resource, but the basics are 10-20% a month or more, and make sure the temp and pH are the same.

01/12/2011, 08:41 AM	#10
mcoomer Rat Bastard! Join Date: May 2007 Location: Sammamish, WA Posts: 1,487	What are your eventual plans for the tank? Do you want to keep fish or turn it into a reef setup? Can you post some information on your filtration (skimmer, refugium, filter media)? How many gallons of water are in your system? Your parameters look good, but as Steve notes you should probably raise your salinity so that it's nearer to 1.026. The easiest way to do that is dump in some fresh saltwater and let evaporation raise your salinity. In a large tank you could dump in a 5 gallon bucket of fresh saltwater but in a small system you want to limit that to maybe a gallon at a time, or even less for very small systems. Another way to raise your salinity would be to do it with regular water changes. Mix up a batch of water with slightly higher SG than your tank and perform a water change. Monitor the salinity and continue with this process until you're at 1.026. From then on mix up your fresh saltwater for a salinity of 1.026 and you're good to go. Finally, to answer your question, yes I would begin a regular water change cycle now that you have animals in the tank. I wouldn't start off by doing a big change though. I'd start off with a 5-10% change each week and see how your tank responds. Mike __________________ Spending exorbitant amounts of money on this hobby since 1998! My wife thought the tank would be cheaper and easier to keep than a dog...no seriously! Current Tank Info: 180 gallon mixed reef; Reeflo Barracuda, Tunze 6105 (X3), 250W Radiums with dual HQI Blue Wave 7, Reefkeeper Elite controller, custom sump with ASM G4, carbon and GFO reactors