Water changes
- Thread starter scottp
- Start date
reef junky
Member
What size tank do you have?
Most books recommend that you do 5% of your water a week or 20% of your water a month. I have a 90 gallon tank and do 5 gallon water changes weekly.
To control algae, you need astrea snails and blue leg hermit crabs. They do wonders for your tank.
To keep your sand clean, a sand sifter goby also works great.
Most books recommend that you do 5% of your water a week or 20% of your water a month. I have a 90 gallon tank and do 5 gallon water changes weekly.
To control algae, you need astrea snails and blue leg hermit crabs. They do wonders for your tank.
To keep your sand clean, a sand sifter goby also works great.
scottp
Member
With my tropical tanks I sift the sand with a suction hose but I do not think I can do that with the sand in the salt water tank. Do I need to mix the salt and sand before hand and if so how long do I need to let the water sit before I can use it? I still have about 20 pounds of live rock to go can I purchase the hermit crabs and the other thing you mentioned before I finish the rock. Will they survive a cycle? I currently have three hermit crabs and they have survived every cycle.
grantman
Member
Ahhh biology. Anyways you should purchase all of your liverock and put it in your tank before you buy any fish. Twenty pounds of live rock could cause another cycle. If you are using tap water you should let it sit for 24-48 hours before you put it in your tank. You also need to make sure that the new salt water mix is the same salinity of your tank. Most people on this board will tell you not to use tap water.
sammyg
Member
Originally posted by scottp
With my tropical tanks I sift the sand with a suction hose but I do not think I can do that with the sand in the salt water tank. Do I need to mix the salt and sand before hand and if so how long do I need to let the water sit before I can use it? I still have about 20 pounds of live rock to go can I purchase the hermit crabs and the other thing you mentioned before I finish the rock. Will they survive a cycle? I currently have three hermit crabs and they have survived every cycle.
Some answers:
You are correct in thinking you shouldn't siphon your sand thoroughly, although I've heard you can do the very top. Deep in the sand is where anaerobic bacteria live, and they're the ones who finish the nitrogen cycle by converting nitrate to nitrogen gas, which dissapates into the atmosphere. Better to get critters to do it for you (I like nassarius snails a lot) and not mess with the sand.
When doing a water change, you should mix up the replacement salt water a day or so before hand, and just let it sit with a powerhead or airstone to keep it oxygenated and mixed up. You can put an aquarium heater in it for the whole time, or just plop one in an hour or so before you actually do the change.
Do you have any fish or other creatures besides the hermit crabs? If so, then you shouldn't place new live rock directly in the tank, but instead let it "cure" in a bucket or small tank with water movement. This will allow all the material that died in transit to get washed off and when you add the rock to your tank, you will experience minimal cycling. My advice is to buy most of your planned LR before getting any fish or inverts, and using the uncured stuff to cycle your tank. My bet is that hermit crabs could survive a cycle, but I don't know.
Sorry for the long post, hopefully the all-knowing members here will correct any mistakes/omissions I made.
reef junky
Member
It would be best if you didnt use tap water, it will cause an outbreak of red hair algae. Use distilled or Reverse Osmosis water.
sailfin
Member
Please listen to the majority and do not use tap water. With that said, I agree with SammyG.
1. Put the water in a bucket.
2. Turn on a powerhead.
3. Slowly pour in the salt.
4. Let the salt mix for an hour or so.
5. Drop in a heater.
6. New water is ready when salinity (specific gravity) and temperature match what is already in the tank.
I would also say not to buy any livestock until all of your live rock is in your system unless you plan on curring it before placing it in.
I hope this helps!!! :happy:
1. Put the water in a bucket.
2. Turn on a powerhead.
3. Slowly pour in the salt.
4. Let the salt mix for an hour or so.
5. Drop in a heater.
6. New water is ready when salinity (specific gravity) and temperature match what is already in the tank.
I would also say not to buy any livestock until all of your live rock is in your system unless you plan on curring it before placing it in.
I hope this helps!!! :happy:
scottp
Member
I was not sure about the tap water so I asked the fish guys where I bought all my equipment from and they said the water in San Antonio is fine and not to worry about it but you guys have me thinking something else. I at first was going to buy a reverse osmosis filter and use it. My brother used bottled water. I wish I had known about the base rock before I purchased 100 pounds of live rock. At this point I don't think purchasing 20 pounds of base rock would be that beneficial besides some of the so called live rock I bought does not look that alive. Thanks for the input from everyone. I will be doing a water change this weekend and hopefully I will finish buying the rock soon all depends on money.
bang guy
Moderator
I took a peek at the San Antonio Tap Water and it looks fine to me. I couldn't find any reason to filter it.
I should caution though that this can change seasonally. At minimum I would use a sediment and a charcoal filter.
I should caution though that this can change seasonally. At minimum I would use a sediment and a charcoal filter.