How often do you do a water change?
- Thread starter jeeptp75
- Start date
Anemonebuff
New member
12-18 gallons every 3 months or so.
mystikdragon7
New member
10% weekly, or whenever I get around to it.
Holyreefer
Octopus Extreme 300 Skimr
I try to do 25 gallons a week but i actually only do about 45 percent a month once a month
Ginzo
New member
Can somebody explain to me exactly why we need to perform water changes ?
If water evaporates everyday and we replace that from fresh RO/DI water..isn't this like a water change ?
Also, how do you guys perform you water changes ? Is it as simple as taking a 2 gallons bucket, filling it..and dumping it in the sink and replacing that water with fresh RO/DI water ?
Thanks !
If water evaporates everyday and we replace that from fresh RO/DI water..isn't this like a water change ?
Also, how do you guys perform you water changes ? Is it as simple as taking a 2 gallons bucket, filling it..and dumping it in the sink and replacing that water with fresh RO/DI water ?
Thanks !
finneganswake
In Memoriam
10% a week.
Pandora
Premium Member
Ginzo, pure water (& a little bit of salt) goes out with evaporation, but many dissolved organic compounds, products of decomposition & fish waste, don't evaporate with it. Therefore, if you only top off water, you are gradually concentrating the stuff more and more. Not all of it comes out in the skimmate. Additionally, many trace elements needed by corals are depleted, they can be replenished by additives or by salt in the new water changes.
For the how-to of water changes, this recent thread covers how different people do theirs:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=754305
You can't just replace SW with RO/DI (FW)!
finneganswake
In Memoriam
We do them for two reasons. First, removal of waste/nutrients--diluting anything that is detrimental to water quality. Second, replenishment of elements in the water that are used up by the denizens of the tank or taken out by skimming, carbon, etc.
Adding RO/DI water as topoff is nothing like a water change. You're replacing evaporated water with water. Removing saltwater and replacing it with saltwater is a water change.
If you're doing a water change and you replace it with RO/DI water, you're in trouble--you're looking at a major dip in salinity, which will at least stress everything out and could kill stuff.
mystikdragon7
New member
Water changes are a must. Some people get away with never doing a water change, they just add supplements.
Over time elements in your water, like calcium and magnesium, will be absorbed by corals, inverts, and fish. When doing water changes you are taking out cruddy dirty depleted water, and replacing it with good clean water, kind kind of like recharging your water of vital elements. Kind of think of it as changing your oil in your car.
Lpsfanatic338
New member
5 gallons in my 55 once a week
Billybeau1
Premium Member
Different salts mix different. Its usually about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of salt per gallon.
Paul Davies
New member
10% weekly in my 30gal
integlikewhoa
New member
Yes you should match the salt level to be the same as the tank along with the temp and PH. So if you tank salt is at 1.026 then make up your water change water to that and get the temp and stuff right then go ahead and change out the water.
miztic
Premium Member
I used to mix 2.5 gallons (for my 20Gal tank), with a heater and a powerhead, wait about an hour untill its the right temperature.. then i'd start removing water from the 20 into a second bucket untill that bucket is at the same level as the freshly mixed water. start the siphon with airline tubing untill my auto topoff light went out and voila, done.
with the 90 its even easier
I have 1 pump in my sump, hit the switch and it'll drain the water out, I have a line taped on the sump to where I have to drain it. then i hit the second switch and pump replacement water from a 10Gal into the sump. When i'm done, refill the 10Gal with salt, R/O and turn its pump and heater back on, it'll be ready for next weeks water change. I can do water changes with this setup in 5 minutes or so.edit: just reread your question, when you do a water change, you take salt water out of the tank, so you have to put salt water back in, or you change the salinity. with evaporated water, only 99.9% pure water evaporates, so you replace evaporated water with pure RO/DI so you don't change the salinity. (I add calcium to my topoff but thats a whole other discussion)
