Best water changing techniques for a nano?

[eshook]

I a 2+ year old 24 gallon NC and used a 5 gallon bucket for water changes. I change the water using large cups, because I never matched my WC parameters exactly to the tank to I changed water slowly to reduce shock.

I now have a 7 month old who is VERY busy and I cannot dedicate as much time to my tank as I used to. So sometimes my WC get skipped and my tank is slowly degrading from its former glory. I don't want this to continue so I am seeking advice from the larger community.

How do you change water for your nano!?

 

[Agu]

Siphon out a gallon and pour in a gallon. The replacement water may not be exact but it's usually close enough not to cause a problem. Minor variations aren't going to crash a tank ime.

SG shouldn't be hard to match and temp can be adjusted by microwaving a cup or two if it's too cold or by floating a frozen bottle of water if it's too hot.

 

[sunfishh]

I completely agree

 

[vangvace]

I blast all of my rocks with a turkey baster. Then I siphon out for gallons and replace. I also will stir the sand as well while siphoning.

 

[wuzup3]

I do a 5 gal change once a week. Siphon out 5 gal mostly from the overflow in the back to reduce the amount coming out of the main tank and then use a maxi-jet to pump back the new 5 gal. Takes about 3 minutes from start to finish. And like Agu said adjust temp if needed and as long as salinity is close your good.

 

[Lunchbucket]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15306659#post15306659 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wuzup3
I do a 5 gal change once a week. Siphon out 5 gal mostly from the overflow in the back to reduce the amount coming out of the main tank and then use a maxi-jet to pump back the new 5 gal. Takes about 3 minutes from start to finish. And like Agu said adjust temp if needed and as long as salinity is close your good.

I do the same on my 29gal. Just siphone out 5gal. Some out of the back or under the rocks w/ the detrituts is and then dump 5gal back in. I make sure my water is the same sg and temp.

Lunchbucket

 

[nate82]

Your tank is much hardier than you're giving it credit for

 

[SPStoney]

I mix my salt throw my heater in it for 10 minutes then scrape corraline off glass and add water. takes no time at all.

 

[macclellan]

I siphon out 33% into a bucket, then dump this 33% back in as fast/hard as I can creating a "storm," then I siphon out detritus-rich water a second time. Works way better than basting rocks first. I match SG but don't worry about temp since it is at most it is a 5 degree difference.

 

[sharky_sa]

I mix my salt 24 hours prior to water change, throw a heater and powerhead in to mix and airate the water nicely .... During WC, I blast my rocks to rid of ditritus and siphon any waste at bottom of tank, clean glass too .... I then pump the "newly" mixed water into tank .....

 

[Korrine]

Yea I hate wc too. i'm a 5' chick that has to drag the sw up from the basement. My tank is sitting 4" off the floor so the syphon is really slow. I've contemplated putting my maxijet 1200 in there for pumping out the water faster, but then won't be able to get any detritus spots.

 

[cody6766]

I keep a 5g bucket full of saltwater at all times. The bucket has a heater and a powerhead to keep it from stagnating and to keep it the same temp as the tank.

I have a little system rigged up to my return pump that lets me change water with next to no effort.
I kill the return and throw the ball valve on the return line to closed.
There's a T in the line with another hose and a ball valve before the valve on the return line. I open this ball valve, turn the pump back on, drain the sump and shut it down again. I refill the sump, return the ball valves to their original positions and fire the return pump. I get a 3g change with next to no effort.

 

[eshook]

It sounds like I have been worrying about SG and temperature swings a little too much.

Most people have said they do a ~5 gallon WC quickly (e.g. siphon and pump) even if parameters are not exact. I always try to match the parameters to a reasonable degree, but never exactly which had me concerned.

 

[eshook]

Agu - are you saying do 1 gallon at a time? Or just using 1 gallon as an example? I never thought about nuking some water to heat it up. I always fill a zip lock baggie with hot water from the tap, but its cumbersome. Great idea!

wuzup/lunchbucket - I will try this method next time. The tank is due for a WC and I have been putting it off since getting back from Chicago.

nate - I'm sure you're right, but I don't want to lose any creatures. Some have been with me for the life of the tank (2+ years now) so they would be missed if I lost them ...

Korrine - I feel your pain. I'm not a very big guy and I lug 5 gallon buckets from the back of my basement to the middle of the house while trying not to splash too much

cody - I had a similar system when I had a sump, alas my stock 24 NC doesn't allow for such cool tricks. Maybe one day I will get a more comprehensive system with sump and bigger fish.

 

[Whitebread]

Gravity fed could be an option. My tank sets next to a tall bookshelf. I've got a three gal tote, flatter one, that I fill with premixed water. There's an IV line running to tank. Once the tote is full. Then drain three gal out of the display and discard. Then start IV line and walk away. Hour and half later it's done, with little effort or worry. I use the same the tote/IV line for top off as well. It's def ghetto, but seems to work.

 

[Agu]

Agu - are you saying do 1 gallon at a time? Or just using 1 gallon as an example? I never thought about nuking some water to heat it up. I always fill a zip lock baggie with hot water from the tap, but its cumbersome. Great idea!

In my 10 gallon tanks one gallon is more than 10% . However smaller changes done consecutively are almost as efficient as one large waterchange with less work/lifting/risk.

"Aquarists often think that many small changes are not as efficient as one big change since some of the water in all subsequent changes was already replaced by earlier changes. This is a correct assertion, but it is often overstressed. After changing 10% three times, only 10% of the first 10% change was changed the second time (1% of the total). So the difference is small. We can mathematically calculate the efficiency of such changes as follows. If we use our 30% example, then one 30% change removes 30% of the impurities, assuming an equal distribution of the impurity within the water. If we do six 5% changes, then the reduction in impurities = 1-(0.95)6 = 26.5%. So it is less efficient (six 5% changes exactly equal 26.5% changed in one batch), but it is not radically less efficient. Going smaller still, the difference is even smaller. Doing 30 one percent changes removes 1-(0.99)30 = 26.0% of the impurities"

From Reefkeeping Magazine

 

[Korrine]

interesting. Thank Agu. Do you think 3g a week is enough on a 29g tank? nitrAtes are 10-20ppm currently. They used to be lower but then I got into a spell where I didn't change for month due to a family emergency.

What's your opinion?? Thanks

 

[Agu]

10% once a week works for me. Sometimes when I'm feeling reckless I'll even go ten days between waterchanges .

On the other hand if a tank isn't looking it's best I'll blast the rockwork and substrate with a turkey baster and do back to back waterchanges. Then I'll put some carbon in the system for a few days. That really seems to fix most problems.

YMMV,

 

[Tremont]

I do a 4 g change every week in my 34 g and as long as the water doesn't feel hot, I just pump it in without checking the temperature and have never had any problems whatsoever. I also found that I can export a huge amount of gunk if put my turkey baster down into the last rear chamber and pump it (to stir up the sediment) as I drain all of the water out of the rear chambers...

-Tre

 

[Dave Harms]

I do a one gallon change twice a week on my 15 gallon tank. I just siphon out a gallon into an empty 1 gallon bottle and then pour in a gallon of new saltwater from the LFS. I LOVE how easy water changes are on my nano.