Filling Up The Tank
- Thread starter vincent
- Start date
neah84
Member
if this is your first time filling up the tank and there is nothing in there yet then filling it with water first then adding salt will work, but later on its better to have salt water ready. as for water changes i believe that you just add water but check to make sure that there is enough salt in the water when your done.
Jusitn
Jusitn
yellowtail
Active Member
when you do a water change you take out the desired amount and have the same amount on freahly mixed salt water ready to pour in exchange for it
wwfstyle
Member
When I do WC I set everything up the night before. I have a 75 reef set up. I use 3 5Gal buckets and mix with freshwater and add salt. Make sure it stays as close to the same as your tank. Let it sit over night and retest the salt lvl again. When that is done then take out your amount that you need (if it was my tank I would take out 15 gallons). Then add the other water slowly so you dont mess with your sandbed. I also usually turn everything off when I do my WC so the powerheads wont be above the water lvl. It usually takes me close to 30 minutes to do the WC. But make sure you check your salt lvls all the time due to over dosing. Which I did 1 time and killed almost everything in my tank. :scared:
nflnutswif
Member
I think this guy needs another experienced opinion!
Anyone!
:notsure:
Anyone!
:notsure:
nacl-man
Member
The water you put in your tank for top offs (your tank water will evaporate due to heat from lights and equipment, not to mention your heater lol) should be pure as the salt does not evaporate. Water changes should be done with pure water mixed with salt to the same salinity as your tank.
lion_crazz
Active Member
Mixing your salt in the tank for the first time is absolutely fine. Just make sure you follow the instructions on the bucket/box for the amount of cups per gallons of water.
However, when doing a water change, you will hear from most experienced aquarists that they mix their water overnight and let it sit for 24 hours. Most people get a pretty good sized trash can (a new trash can, so there is no bacteria or germs in it!!) and fill that up with their water (RO preferably). Then, they pour as many cups of salt that they need into the trash can filled with the water. It is also very important however that the water you are going to put in your tank is the same temperature as the water in your tank! You do not want varying water temperatures between the tank and the new water you are going to be pouring into the tank 24 hours later. Quick change in water temperature even by a few degrees can cause major stress to the fish (as well as ich). You can easily fix this problem by purchasing a cheap 10 dollar heater that will heat your water overnight. I use the new Won Brothers glass heater for my water changes and it does exactly what I need it to do (I believe it was $12.99). Also, many people like to buy a cheap powerhead to throw in the trash can for their weekly, bi-weekly water changes so that the water keeps a continuous movement in the trash can. This way, all the salt breaks down and dissolves, because if it does not fully dissolve, this can easily raise your salinity, and like wwfstyle said, kill your fish!
Just a few pointers... good luck in setting up your tank!
However, when doing a water change, you will hear from most experienced aquarists that they mix their water overnight and let it sit for 24 hours. Most people get a pretty good sized trash can (a new trash can, so there is no bacteria or germs in it!!) and fill that up with their water (RO preferably). Then, they pour as many cups of salt that they need into the trash can filled with the water. It is also very important however that the water you are going to put in your tank is the same temperature as the water in your tank! You do not want varying water temperatures between the tank and the new water you are going to be pouring into the tank 24 hours later. Quick change in water temperature even by a few degrees can cause major stress to the fish (as well as ich). You can easily fix this problem by purchasing a cheap 10 dollar heater that will heat your water overnight. I use the new Won Brothers glass heater for my water changes and it does exactly what I need it to do (I believe it was $12.99). Also, many people like to buy a cheap powerhead to throw in the trash can for their weekly, bi-weekly water changes so that the water keeps a continuous movement in the trash can. This way, all the salt breaks down and dissolves, because if it does not fully dissolve, this can easily raise your salinity, and like wwfstyle said, kill your fish!
Just a few pointers... good luck in setting up your tank!
nflnutswif
Member
AWESOME "Lion" Thats what I was hoping someone would advise!!
Good Job:cheer:
Good Job:cheer: