water changes

[aarone]

I know i shouldnt do this but im lazy.
I usually dont change my water until it goes down about 5-10 gallons. I have a 55 gallon with three fish in it. The salt level always stays the same. Should i still do 20% water changes? or does it matter. i always refill the tank to the brim. about once every week.

 

[katara]

I think it depends on what's working for you..I do about an 5-8 gallon water change every 4 months.
Yet, while adding new stuff recently, I think I will push up my water changes a bit..mind you,I have no fuge or sump.
I think testing will give you your answers.

 

[broomer5]

aarone
If you have a 55 gallon tank with substrate and rocks of some sort - then you probably really have somewhere around 45-50 gallons of actual saltwater in there ( estimated ).
Say you have 50 gallons of saltwater.
If you let it drop by 10 gallons due to evaporation - then your salinity/specific gravity must increase.
It has to.
Having a 20% loss of freshwater from evaporation has to drive your salinty up.
The salt level always stays the same
If you are not seeing this change on your swing arm hydrometer, floating hydrometer or refractometer - then I would consider buying a new one.
Filling the tank back up to the brim with freshwater once a week does not constitute a water change. You're not changing the dissolved solids and other crap in the tankwater - you're just adding freshwater.
Not really a water change

 

[tlk]

I agree with Broomer, if you are experiencing a 5-10 gal water loss each week due to evaporation, your salt level must be going up.

 

[stumpdog]

When I got into this a few years back I lacked the knowledge to do things right. I let water evap. much like aarone. My salinity skyrocketed. Now I know better. Aarone listen to what Broomer and everyone else said. Top your tank off everyday or at least every other day. HTH.
Jeremy

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by aarone
I know i shouldnt do this but im lazy.
I usually dont change my water until it goes down about 5-10 gallons. I have a 55 gallon with three fish in it. The salt level always stays the same. Should i still do 20% water changes? or does it matter. i always refill the tank to the brim. about once every week.
I never do water changes in my salt or fresh tanks. I just replace the water that evaporates. On my 55g that is only 1/2 per week. You should replace the evaporated water long before 10% has evaporated. I consider water change detrimental to tank conditions and use tap water with no additives or ageing.

 

[aarone]

thanx for te help y'all. Ill remmeber that when doing maintenance.

 

[cjml]

Hello all! We are new to this board & new to the fish world! Enjoy reading all the messages. Very informative. We set up a 140 gal sw tank-let it cycle lost a few fish in the beginning, but it seems to be good now! Fish are still swimming & look happy. Alot of work gathering info to make it right for our fish. Still need alot of help! We are reading different things about water changes--our water is cloudy, probably feeding too much -- can't have skinny fish!
Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated! How to do it, how often, water conditioner, all that stuff! Thanks so much!
Chris & Marylou

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by cjml
Hello all! We are new to this board & new to the fish world! Enjoy reading all the messages. Very informative. We set up a 140 gal sw tank-let it cycle lost a few fish in the beginning, but it seems to be good now! Fish are still swimming & look happy. Alot of work gathering info to make it right for our fish. Still need alot of help! We are reading different things about water changes--our water is cloudy, probably feeding too much -- can't have skinny fish!
Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated! How to do it, how often, water conditioner, all that stuff! Thanks so much!
Chris & Marylou
welcome to board. and where in nw florida. I was stationed at eglin for a couple of years and spend 4 years in s alabama before moving to huntsville.
First test your water. I highly suspect you have non zero ammonia and probably nitrItes (and less importantly high phosphates)-- cloudy water. But the bottom line is to cut back on feeding until the water clears up.
secondly, I recommend you add desirable plant life such as macro algaes or marine plants. they will help cut down on the ugly algaes. Plus they filter out the water, complete the nitrogen cycle buffer the tank and do all kinds of nice things. You may have to keep some in another container as fish like to eat it.
I do not recommend water changes but, of course, replacing the water that evaporates. Even your coudiness will clear up in a week once feeding is in line with tank capacity. I also only use tap water.
finally go slowly. It takes time for things to balance out and stabilize. It is entirely normal to have brown/red algae after about three weeks of operation for instance. They are consuming phosphates. After the phaophates are reduced the brown/red goes away and is replaced with green algae. No need to constantly do things when they go away on thier own.

 

[cjml]

Thanks so much! We really enjoy our tank & want to do whatever it takes to keep it clean & healthy. SOOO much to learn! My husband is the main caretaker - I just want to look!
We are in the North Pensacola area.
I appreciate your response & will let him read it & decipher it! We just got some beautiful Tang and I really would like them
to stay healthy. So cloudy does not necessarily mean bad?

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by cjml
...
I appreciate your response & will let him read it & decipher it! We just got some beautiful Tang and I really would like them
to stay healthy. So cloudy does not necessarily mean bad?
Cloudy is definately not good. But it is managable. try not feeding for a week and see if it clears up.

 

[markere]

Would "soft water" or regular tap "hard water" be better for the water changes? I know that RO/DI is the "best" but if I had to pick between hard and soft water, which would be better?

 

[reefnut]

What makes hard water - soft water... (I know a water softener) but what's in the water softener?

 

[chuckularone]

I believe soft water is soft because it contains free sodium ions. Free as in not bound to another ion.

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by markere
Would "soft water" or regular tap "hard water" be better for the water changes? I know that RO/DI is the "best" but if I had to pick between hard and soft water, which would be better?
Water softners use Ion exchange resins to remove ions for the water and therefore reduce the total desolved solids. Plant life like algaes, macro algaes, and marine plants also remove ions through photosynthesis (SP?). Therefore, with enough plant life and time, your aquarium water will be the same whether or not you use hard or soft water.
I have used untreated tap water in vairious cities in the US since the late 70's. The tanks do just fine. Additionally, all water processing equipment is subject to failures and require maintenance. That can result in water quality which is worse than tap. RO/DI have membrains that need changing. Water softeners must be recharged with salt. Therefore, I never use treated water of any kind. I also do not conduct regular water changes and just replace water that evaporates. This allows the tank to keep reprocessing the same water for maximum effect. And that leads to a balanced and stable environment in the tanks

 

[reefnut]

Dude, if you can't get RO/DI water just use distilled .