1968oldsma
Member
i'm just trying to get a general concencus on exactly what stuff you guys use, and how you preform the water changes i'm just very curious. LIke how you set up the new water to go in the tank and such
What do you use for water changes?
- Thread starter 1968oldsma
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chevcam
Member
I have been doing this for about 4 months now and I keep learning as i go. What i found to work the best for me is to make up salt water in a container like a garbage can I then stick a spare powerhead in there to mix the water. If at all possiable you should use RO water or distilled it has less impuritys to contaminate your tank. Then I will add the amont to my sump. make sure you keep the water temp and the SG the same as your tank. It is a good idea to have an extra heater and powerhead.
turningtim
Active Member
5gal buckets RO/DI water, salt, heater, airstone, stir, 24hrs. Siphon old out into buckets, add new in through sump.
trainfever
Active Member
Every Saturday I stop at the LFS and get 5 gallons of RO water. I use a 5 gallon water bottle. I then mix up the water and let it age until the next Saturday. On Saturdays I vacuum the bottom of my tank removing 5 gallons of water. I then use the drip method to put the fresh water(which has aged all week) back into my tank via the 20 gallon sump I have under my tank. The heater is in my sump and since the water drips back through the sump tank, I dont have to heat my water first. I use the small diameter airline tubing so it takes even longer, which is good.
1968oldsma
Member
how do you setup a sump i have heard of them but i have no idea how to make one anyone have or can tell me how to and what to use to set one up.
thangbom
Active Member
well what i do is...i take out the 2 20gal trashcans i have that i only use for my tank..(waterchange. removal of rock,sand ect.).. i harvenst water from my 6 stage ro/di unit..(takes about 1 1/2 days or so..) cuzz we drink out of that water too.. anyhow.. when a can is full i add salt and a powerhead.. let it mix for a night then. when salt is ready and mixed i turn off all my pumps except the 1 to mix saltwater.. then use my designated garden hose that is only used to syphone water out .. i take that out directly from the DT since it's higher up on a stand making more syphone.. then use the same powerhead that was used to mix the salt to pump water into my wet/dry and then.. from there the water is pumped into the DT via the return pump from my system.. and dats about it..
volitan100
Member
this sounds pretty lame....but it works.
I go to the kitchen where the ro system is and take 5, 1gal milk cartons and fill it up.....:notsure: ......I'm weird
I go to the kitchen where the ro system is and take 5, 1gal milk cartons and fill it up.....:notsure: ......I'm weird
(just kidding)
murph145
Active Member
i go to the fish store and buy saltwater..... none of u guys have fish stores that sell saltwater already from the ocean??
is it just because im close to the ocean that they carry it here?? it makes it so easy just to take some 5 gal containers and get it there they charge like 70cents a gallon for it...
is it just because im close to the ocean that they carry it here?? it makes it so easy just to take some 5 gal containers and get it there they charge like 70cents a gallon for it...
puffer32
Active Member
not around here murph. I am about 2 hrs from salt water and no one around here sells it. Besides, yrs ago when I tried to take some hermit crabs home that I found in the ocean, a friend who kept salt tanks for yrs told me NEVER put anything from the dirty ocean in my tank! I thought that a bit strange since we buy things from the store that started out in the ocean:notsure: I would think if you put them in a QT for awhile it would be fine, anyone agree or disagreee with that?