tank/fish maintenance

"really don't understand 2014fishkiller asking such a beginners question. It isn't a dumb question, it's an important thing to know. I just assumed he already did. Topping off is basic first stuff to learn. As Jay explained, top off with FRESHwater, because the water evaporates but the salt does not. A water change, is removing saltwater and replacing with the same amount of new mixed saltwater...Topping off is keeping the water level at the line it was originally, that way the salinity remains the same."

Do you think people did not need to do water change because of Topping Off or do less water change? How often you did water change?
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Ha ha ha sounds about rt. If u don't know ask. Iam fairly new to this sw stuff under 5 yrs so any new info I can get is helpful
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
"really don't understand 2014fishkiller asking such a beginners question. It isn't a dumb question, it's an important thing to know. I just assumed he already did. Topping off is basic first stuff to learn. As Jay explained, top off with FRESHwater, because the water evaporates but the salt does not. A water change, is removing saltwater and replacing with the same amount of new mixed saltwater...Topping off is keeping the water level at the line it was originally, that way the salinity remains the same."

Do you think people did not need to do water change because of Topping Off or do less water change? How often you did water change?
Are u asking?
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Ah ok gotcha, flower is a she tho lol
alot of times not mixing the salt good enough or long enough will do that
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Yes, I am asking Flower, how often he did water change? My biggest problem is water change that often killed my fish.
LOL...yes, I'm a HER... I used to do changes every month, 30g for my 90g tank. Then I had high readings on nitrates (turned out to be bad test kit, API brand) I was doing a 3g to 5g water changes daily. Now I do very little water changes, I have lots of macros, and they grow like crazy because my tanks water quality is a mess, however with macros all the readings are a beautiful 0 on ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and phosphates. I'm not able to care for my tank like I used to. I SHOULD do a water change each month. Now I do a water change maybe once every 3 months when I get help.

To do water changes:
Make sure your mixing tub is clean of all soaps or foods or anything it was used for before. Personally, I use a new 37g plastic garbage can, and I mark it FISH ONLY....NOTHING goes into that tub except maybe dried live rock. I also cover the tub with a table cloth and use egg crate to make a kind of "table" so if anyone puts something on it (they quickly find out that is NOT a table because I yell), it won't fall through. That is a safety precaution because my dogs shed, and I don't want hair in my clean water...or anything else.

Use only good quality freshwater, RO or RO/DI... I/2 cup of salt mix per gallon of water. Have a utility pump running to churn the water, and maybe a stick as you pour in the salt...you don't want the salt to settle, but be stirred as mush as possible...let the pump run and churn the salt and water mix for at least 24 hours. After 24 hours, check the SG (salinity)...make sure it matches the salinity reading in your tank. Adjust if necessary by adding more salt or more water, if you add more salt, wait another 24 hours before you use it.

In an emergency you can get away with a shorter churn time, it is NOT recommended that you do, I always went to the LFS and got premixed water if I had problems, such as an ammonia spike.

Nothing I have found will liven up your tanks look then a good water change, macros are useful, make sure to get the type that won't go sexual on you (and I know Beaslbob never does water changes, and uses tap water... However I don't think that's a good practice). In my house, the tank is my show case, and I want it to look as beautiful as possible. I am not aiming to just "keep the fish alive" and I don't recommend others try it. Water changes also replenish trace elements, and keeps the alkalinity and PH more stable. I also run carbon 24/7, and change that out once a month, carbon will counteract poisons such as coral chemical warfare, it also polishes the water and makes it look crystal clear.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
This is intresting, your a carbon user lol its generally not used in sw. I to use it tho. I figure if it takes stuff out why not use it. Mind u I dont keep corals
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Hi,

I keep the red grape (Botryocladia Tikvahiae), Halymenia, Gracilaria and for some green, Prolifera. Those have never gone sexual, even when neglected and not harvested as it should be. I keep them right in the display. I keep seahorses and they like to hitch on that type of macro, all of the ones I mentioned have a holdfast (attach to rock) they are not the type to go in a refugium, for a refugium I would think something like Chaeto (free floating) would be best.

Jay, LOL...I used to keep freshwater tanks for so many years that carbon is just something I still cling to. The only coral I have now are mushrooms, but I still run the carbon like clockwork.
 
Hi,

I keep the red grape (Botryocladia Tikvahiae), Halymenia, Gracilaria and for some green, Prolifera. Those have never gone sexual, even when neglected and not harvested as it should be. I keep them right in the display. I keep seahorses and they like to hitch on that type of macro, all of the ones I mentioned have a holdfast (attach to rock) they are not the type to go in a refugium, for a refugium I would think something like Chaeto (free floating) would be best.

Jay, LOL...I used to keep freshwater tanks for so many years that carbon is just something I still cling to. The only coral I have now are mushrooms, but I still run the carbon like clockwork.
Since you have seahorse, do you have any fish?
 

flower

Well-Known Member
A blue lined pipefish.... It's pretty cool looking...WHEN I can find it, it's as good at hiding as the seahorses.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
I've always wanted to keep Pipefish. Really cool animals.
It's so pretty, when the light hits that blue stripe it glows. I had two, but they didn't get along, and the larger chased the smaller until I quit seeing it. The large one is all that remains. It has tons of copepods to eat.
 

trigger40

Well-Known Member
what i do is put my tank on a schedual. if i fallo the schedual that i set up. if i feed the same amount of food every day(and its a lot) do waterchanges the same time every other week and stay on the same lighting schedual my tank becomes very pradictable and stable. my parameters are perfect except for my nitrates that stay at about 10. but over all my fish are happy my corals are happy and my inverts are happy. my macros help a lot and all i haft to do is trim them back every other week.
 

honu808

Member
I don't dose additives so I change about 6 gal in my 93 display about everyweek, no longer than 10 days. I suck out water from my sump as it gets detritus settle in there so I take that out and then replace water through the lid in display. I can usually tell by the way the corals look if they have deplenished nutrients in water.
 

wen tom

Member
I really apprecitate the "no dumb questions." I'm amazed by some of the basics my prior research (15 yrs. ago) and my supplier (no fault of his as we said we all do it different) and on line! It's aweful to feel like an idiot though, it does make one not want to ask anymore so thank you all for your patience. I hope our common goal is a healthy happy environment for our critters.
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Some hobbyists forget that they started out with a UGF and crushed coral.....remind them if they get snippy. :D
 
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