Water Change

[drpraetorius]

I was wondering how to go about a water change in my fish only tank. I have two fish, five blue legged crabs and two turbo snails. It has been about two weeks and its time to perform the water change, or so I heard.
DrPraetorius

 

[bang guy]

I have a feeling you need more than just info on changing water. Do you have a good SW fish book? I would recommend getting one before you go much further.
Water change:
I mix up the saltwater and aerate it for 24 hours. Remove the desired quantity from the tank (15%, 20%, 25% whatever) and add the new water to the tank.
In my system I use 32 gallon refuse containers to mix the water and powerheads to do all the work.
Do you have a sump? What size tank? You mentioned two weeks... is the tank cycled yet?

 

[mr.flameangel]

I would not do a water change until you know what your readings are of the water. assuming that the tank is not cycled. Just need a little more information.
mike

 

[richard rendos]

It sounds like this is a new setup to me...am I right? If so, you do not want to do any water changes until after the tank is cycled. You need to check for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. When the first two are reading 0 and nitrates has a reading above 10 ppm, I would then start to do my water changes. Every two weeks is a good schedule, but they should really be done according to how high the nitrates get in the tank. If you have a high bio-load (a lot of fish) then you need more frequent water changes...low bio-load, less frequent. Test your tank for nitrates every week or two. When they go above 10-20ppm, do a 15-25% water change.

 

[wamp]

I disagree with the not changing water during your cycle. I would do a small 10% water change on the tank. Your cycle will still continue even with the change.
I like water changes during the cycle to help remove organics that build up in the tank. Since most people do not run skimmers during cycles, this will be the only way to remove them. I have always thought it is better to have a slow cycle rather than a fast one. This allows your fish to adjust to changing levels in your tank while allowing you to learn more about your tanks inhabitants and plan for the future. Not to mention the fact that with fish in there your tank needs these cahnges to avoid poisioning them.