water change help....just to make sure

[jden092901]

Im in the middle of cycling my tank...do I need to do a water change? It's only a 10 gallon, I think im going to do a gallon or 2 every week. Now, when I do a water change..I take out 1-2 gallons...mix up my salt and ro water in a bucket..and put that in the tank right? If my salinity is off in my tank, I cant add salt to the tank right? Just add more to the ro water, is that correct?
Josh

 

[geridoc]

Do not do any water changes until your tank is completely cycled. Then, I like to do a 25% change before I add organisms. Make your change water in a separate container, bring it to the correct sg, then let it age for a day before using it. This allows all of the microminerals to dissolve fully.

 

[jden092901]

ok..cool. Is it ok to mix up about 3 gallons of ro water with the correct salinity, and keep it aside..so im ready to go? Or would that grow crap and cause bad water?
Josh

 

[sign guy]

just keep a small power head in the water with a lid and itll be fine

 

[nereef]

newly mixed water is fairly caustic, and it should actually mix for a little while before adding it to the tank.
during a cycle, ammonia should be monitered. if you are cycling with live rock, more organisms will die if NH3 gets much higher than 0.5. this will lengthen your cycle if you don't change water.

 

[lesleybird]

Originally Posted by jden092901
Im in the middle of cycling my tank...do I need to do a water change? It's only a 10 gallon, I think im going to do a gallon or 2 every week. Now, when I do a water change..I take out 1-2 gallons...mix up my salt and ro water in a bucket..and put that in the tank right? If my salinity is off in my tank, I cant add salt to the tank right? Just add more to the ro water, is that correct?
Josh
You got it!!

 

[nietzsche]

mix it in a container with a powerhead at least 24hrs before using it. i usually do water changes on both my tanks the same day, so i havent mixed 2 gallons of water on my 10 gallon alone.
do the water change when your tank has completed the cycle