complete steps for a 10-15% water change.. what to do?
- Thread starter ckehl
- Start date
mrdc
Active Member
My method:
1. Have to 18g containers (I need some 5g buckets to make things easier)
2. My buckets are marked at the 5, 10 and 15g level
3. I put my water in the clean water bucket and drop a power head in
4. I run the water witht the power head for a few hours
5. I then add salt until I get the salinity at 1.025 and I use a refractometer
6. I put my heater and and wait for the temp to match my main tank's temp
7. I take my bucket for the tank water and siphon out ever how much I am changing. If you have CC, you need to siphon it too. I also use my power head to blow debris off the rocks.
8. Replace the siphoned water with the prepared water
9. Dump out the dirty water and start the RO unit back up
10. Once a month, I replace my filter media after a water change
I think that's it for me.
1. Have to 18g containers (I need some 5g buckets to make things easier)
2. My buckets are marked at the 5, 10 and 15g level
3. I put my water in the clean water bucket and drop a power head in
4. I run the water witht the power head for a few hours
5. I then add salt until I get the salinity at 1.025 and I use a refractometer
6. I put my heater and and wait for the temp to match my main tank's temp
7. I take my bucket for the tank water and siphon out ever how much I am changing. If you have CC, you need to siphon it too. I also use my power head to blow debris off the rocks.
8. Replace the siphoned water with the prepared water
9. Dump out the dirty water and start the RO unit back up
10. Once a month, I replace my filter media after a water change
I think that's it for me.
turningtim
Active Member
First make sure your replacemnet water is correct for temp and salintity. Then siphon out the tank water into buckets. How do you plan on putting the water back in? do you have a sump? If you have to put it back into the tank directly try and keep some circulation and and do it slowly. A power head or small pump and tubeing will do the trick. If you have a sump start your return pump and add the water to the sump again slowly this will allow the new and old to mix. At 10 or 15% you should be fine. You just don't want to disturb the tank all that much.
HTH
Tim
HTH
Tim
lion_crazz
Active Member
Here is what I do, step-by-step exactly:
Equipment needed: extra heater, 1-2 small powerheads, a "good" and "bad" trash can that should only be used on your tank, and your synthetic sea salt.
1. Two days before I plan to do a water change, I take my "good" trash can and fill it with the desired amount of water. In my case, it is 40 gallons, since I do a 20% water change on my 210. Thus, I fill my 45 gallon trash can up, pour a ton of salt in, enough to make it have a salinity in the range that I am intending, and then I throw the powerheads and heater into the trash can. I set the heater to the EXACT temperature that is in my tank. I do not touch the trash can for an entire day. I let the powerheads mix the water up and dissolve the salt.
2. The next day, I go to the "good" trash can with my refractometer and check what the Specific Gravity is. If it is too high, I take water out and replace with freshwater. If it is too low, I add more salt. I continue to check on it throughout the day to try to get the SG to the EXACT SG as there is in my tank. Before I go to sleep on day 2, I make sure that the salinity is exactly where it should be so that I do not have to add salt to the trash can the day of the water change. I also check the pH and alkalinity of my water to make sure it is where it should be as well. Sometimes, salts have a low alkalinity, so you do not want to go without checking this. If either of these levels are low, correct them before the day is over so that you have a full 24 hours to let any buffers dissolve before adding the water to your aquarium.
3. When I wake up the next day, I know that the temperature and SG should be exactly where they need to be because I fixed both of these levels the day before. I then take my bad trash can, take a siphon, and go over to the tank. I take the good trash can over as well. As I siphon out water and vacuum my aragonite (since I have a FOWLR tank), I have a pump in my good trash can pumping my good new water into my sump. Thus, my water level in my sump changes very little during this entire process. As I am doing the water change, I take another powerhead and just blow the powerhead over the surface of my live rock in order to get any settled debris off my rock and into the water column so that it can be picked up by my filter or siphoned out.
4. After I have removed my 40 gallons, I change my filter bags because anything that I did not siphon out was picked up by my filter.
After you are done your water change, all of your tank levels should be the same because you added water that was of the same temp. and same SG as that which was in your tank. Thus, your animals will not experience any negative effects or long term stress due to this water change.
Equipment needed: extra heater, 1-2 small powerheads, a "good" and "bad" trash can that should only be used on your tank, and your synthetic sea salt.
1. Two days before I plan to do a water change, I take my "good" trash can and fill it with the desired amount of water. In my case, it is 40 gallons, since I do a 20% water change on my 210. Thus, I fill my 45 gallon trash can up, pour a ton of salt in, enough to make it have a salinity in the range that I am intending, and then I throw the powerheads and heater into the trash can. I set the heater to the EXACT temperature that is in my tank. I do not touch the trash can for an entire day. I let the powerheads mix the water up and dissolve the salt.
2. The next day, I go to the "good" trash can with my refractometer and check what the Specific Gravity is. If it is too high, I take water out and replace with freshwater. If it is too low, I add more salt. I continue to check on it throughout the day to try to get the SG to the EXACT SG as there is in my tank. Before I go to sleep on day 2, I make sure that the salinity is exactly where it should be so that I do not have to add salt to the trash can the day of the water change. I also check the pH and alkalinity of my water to make sure it is where it should be as well. Sometimes, salts have a low alkalinity, so you do not want to go without checking this. If either of these levels are low, correct them before the day is over so that you have a full 24 hours to let any buffers dissolve before adding the water to your aquarium.
3. When I wake up the next day, I know that the temperature and SG should be exactly where they need to be because I fixed both of these levels the day before. I then take my bad trash can, take a siphon, and go over to the tank. I take the good trash can over as well. As I siphon out water and vacuum my aragonite (since I have a FOWLR tank), I have a pump in my good trash can pumping my good new water into my sump. Thus, my water level in my sump changes very little during this entire process. As I am doing the water change, I take another powerhead and just blow the powerhead over the surface of my live rock in order to get any settled debris off my rock and into the water column so that it can be picked up by my filter or siphoned out.
4. After I have removed my 40 gallons, I change my filter bags because anything that I did not siphon out was picked up by my filter.
After you are done your water change, all of your tank levels should be the same because you added water that was of the same temp. and same SG as that which was in your tank. Thus, your animals will not experience any negative effects or long term stress due to this water change.
nigerrabit
Member
You I am not as picky as I should be, but here is how I do it. Last night I had to drain out 50 percent so me and my brother in law could pick the tank up and move it to the new stand.
Here are my steps:
1. Syphoned out my tank. Made it so my tube is long enough and it goes out the door so I don't use buckets.
2. I do try to keep a constant stream going, as I have an air pump filter on one side of the tank.
3. THen in my 2 gallon bucket I poor in medium temp water, then put in a little over half a cup of salt. I would rather put in not enough than too much, as I can adjust salt afterwords.
4. I poor the bucket in slowly, and usuually just submerge the bucket.
5. I turn my heaters up accordingly until temp is at 80, then turn them down normally. Now I know 50percent of water was too much, but had to. Anyways never have had any troubles with how I have done it.
Here are my steps:
1. Syphoned out my tank. Made it so my tube is long enough and it goes out the door so I don't use buckets.
2. I do try to keep a constant stream going, as I have an air pump filter on one side of the tank.
3. THen in my 2 gallon bucket I poor in medium temp water, then put in a little over half a cup of salt. I would rather put in not enough than too much, as I can adjust salt afterwords.
4. I poor the bucket in slowly, and usuually just submerge the bucket.
5. I turn my heaters up accordingly until temp is at 80, then turn them down normally. Now I know 50percent of water was too much, but had to. Anyways never have had any troubles with how I have done it.