water changes What the deal

[Ricky1066]

Hello I am, stil in the cycling stage day 10 now I am reading alot and I have been hearing about water changes .Now I have had a freshwater tank for two years and when It got low I threw in some tap water./

I know I cannot do that no more But after 10 days now I see no evaporation at all. When I disconeected My canister filter and redid it I added a 5 gallon jug of poland spring (is that water ok)
after I refilled the canister.

Now My friend has cichilds and he says ne never does water changes and his tank is clear. \

What is the normal here monthly weekly ? I ask so I know and I ask because I have an apartment not alot of room to store water and I still have to buy a ro/di . So I need to know so I can get moving

 

[95accord]

sping water usualy isnt perfect...i used some for my first couple water chages...turns out it still had about 95ppm....not the best choice. I switched over to RO immediatly after.

water top ups due to evaporation should be done with RO water only since salt doesnt evaporate....the salt remains in the tank...if you top up with salt water...you'll just be increasing the salinity in your tank

water chages are done to remove polutants, replenish trace elements, and to have fresh water for the fish.
i do a 10% weekly change...some do more some do less....

25% monthly....10% weekly....whatever works for you i guess. as long as its done on a regular basis.

i am in a apartment also. i have a 55gal (about 49gal actual volume)....so i refill a big 5gal jug with RO. ...makes for 10%
i only fill it and get water ready when i need it.

 

[cubsfan79]

I do a 10% water change bi-weekly so about 5 gallons thats works out great for me,if i were you i would do the same which equals out to 7.5 gallons.....

 

[Ricky1066]

Sounds good I am still looking for a ro/di that will suit my needs SO I assume I should go aout and get me a 5 gallon jug and store water in there ? mix it withthe salt in there correct I think 2 cups of salt for 5 gallons?

 

[cubsfan79]

I own a 5 gallon jug and i get my water for now from the local supermarket they have a ro machine 30 cents a gallon untill i can get a ro/di unit,the salt i have reef crystals says half a cup per gallon most salts will tell you on the back but most are the same,make sure you airrate the freshly mixed saltwater for 24 hours or so before use in the aquarium and try and get it atleast room temp...

 

[95accord]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11667246#post11667246 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cubsfan79
I own a 5 gallon jug and i get my water for now from the local supermarket they have a ro machine 30 cents a gallon untill i can get a ro/di unit,the salt i have reef crystals says half a cup per gallon most salts will tell you on the back but most are the same,make sure you airrate the freshly mixed saltwater for 24 hours or so before use in the aquarium and try and get it atleast room temp...

i use the exact same recepie hehehe

 

[wachuko]

Re: water changes What the deal

Ricky,

I am very glad that I followed the suggestions here on getting the equipment to have the best water possible for the aquarium.

Get yourself an RO/DI unit. I got mine from The Filter Guys. The have several models to choose from and if you are not sure just give them a call. Great guys that try to help you get the right filter.

Also get a inexpensive refractometer to measure salinity correctly. I got a nice inexpensive unit from Drs. Foster & Smith - around $40.00.

I do 15 to 20% every week... but 10% weekly and 20% a month is what most folks do.

On the salt, follow the directions on the one you use. I use Intant Ocean or Tropic Marin and it is around 2 cups per 5 gal of water. Only do this, as mentioned, for water changes. To compensate for evaporation just use the RO/DI filter water without salt. Check salinity when doing this, easy to do, does not take too much time and you are positive that the level is correct.

Best of luck with your tank.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11667156#post11667156 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ricky1066
Hello I am, stil in the cycling stage day 10 now I am reading alot and I have been hearing about water changes .Now I have had a freshwater tank for two years and when It got low I threw in some tap water./

I know I cannot do that no more But after 10 days now I see no evaporation at all. When I disconeected My canister filter and redid it I added a 5 gallon jug of poland spring (is that water ok)
after I refilled the canister.

Now My friend has cichilds and he says ne never does water changes and his tank is clear. \

What is the normal here monthly weekly ? I ask so I know and I ask because I have an apartment not alot of room to store water and I still have to buy a ro/di . So I need to know so I can get moving

 

[dileggi]

Hey Ricky,

I only have a 29g. I change 5g bi-weekly - about 20%. I got my 5g bucket from Home Depot. I usually mix up the water the night before I'm going to use it and let it sit overnight with an airstone in there to mix it up and to keep it aerated. I stopped using tap water not long after the tank was set up!

 

[Sk8r]

Here's why:
Your tap water contains Stuff: nitrates, etc. Ro/di removes it all down to 0. It creates 'hollow water.'

Your salt mix isn't just NaCl. It's got a list of trace minerals as long as your arm. The ro/di sucks all that up and 'fills' itself. It becomes, in effect, sea water.

Your salt water will aggressively dissolve any metal it contacts, will somewhat dissolve calcium out of the rock and sand, etc; it is chemically a very different creature from fresh water...

Marine organisms are constantly sucking in water and absorbing those trace elements, which run out, week by week; your adding new salt water weekly helps keep them from running too low. Your mix is designed for that.

Most of your marine organisms hate nitrate and phosphate, two things abounding in tap and even some bottled water.

If you cannot swing a ro/di of your own right now, you can get ro water from the kiosk machine at grocery stores and Walmarts. For your own protection, get a TDS meter: test the ro you buy and note whether it's running 0 or whether its own filter has gotten iffy.

Note: some kiosks add calcium, which will cause the ro TDS *not* to be 0, but this is ok for your tank. This addition is for people who want to drink the water. Just watch the reading to be sure it doesn't start rising over a number of weeks.

 

[McTeague]

Freshwater animals live in the water, saltwater animals live off the water. Water changes replenish what they live off of.

 

[SaltyDr]

No need to buy a 5 gallon bucket. Just use an old salt bucket!