proper way to do water changes

[peterk]

Supposed the water quality is good (filtered or distilled), can I heat it using a boiling pot? or microwave it to increase its temperature before mixing it with salt (so that the salt will saturate faster)?

 

I just don't fully understand why people say that you will need to mix the salt and all a day earlier before you do the water change. I am wondering if the salinity and pH is right, and the temperature is warm enough, can't I just do water change an hour after I mixed the salt? Why one day?

 

is microwaved water ok with reef? will the water heated (to temperature of the reef tank) by boiling pot contain metal from the boiling pot and thus not good for the reef?

 

Thanks guys.

[NDonily]

if you dont have a heater you can fill your sink with hot water and put the bucket of mixed salt water in there till it reaches the desired temp.

[tinyreef]

micowaving has been fine for me when i do my wc's for my office nano. just be careful not to overheat the entire batch by just heating a small portion and mix back into the batch.

 

i think most peeps that do the "one day before" use do it because of the high pH of freshly mixed sw. (typically over 8.4 i believe) the extra day gives the batch a chance to aerate/absorb ambient CO2 and thus lower the pH accordingly. personally, i've always just dumped it in but i'm a lazy and reckless bastage. (not recommended method)

[Darya]

Good question peterk...i have the same question. I am also worried about salt accumulation at the bottom of the bucket if I'd done it a day in advance. Do I have to buy a separate powerhead just for that or is it ok to take the powerhead from your tank to mix in the salt?

Another thing...let's say u mixed the salt a day in advance...I assume you would need to remix it right before u put it in the tank...question: for how long do u have to remix this using the powerhead? 15 min or about an hour?

thanx

[harbingerofthefish]

just buy a $1 plastic spoon and stir occansionally through out the day. I've been leaving an air stone running in my mix up water, and just stirring a couple times before the WC. Works fine, all the salt appears to be dissolved. If we were talking 20 gallons or something a PH for this purpose might be the less hassle way, but less money and 1 minute of my time is my way. (no jokes here plese)

[Darya]

A couple of stirs sounds good to me...it's just that I read on some post that when you're mixing ...u should do it for at least 3-4 hrs and that was with a ph! so i thought hand-mixing is out of the question. btw...mine's only a 7g. I guess i am just paranoid about everything.

ty harb

[peterk]

thanks guys -

 

So the reason why we want to wait a day after mixing the salt with the water is because the pH will be stablized then. but then i was told that high pH is desirable for reef. so why worry that the freshly mixed salt water has high pH?

 

So microwaved-water doesn't hurt the reef. but how about heating the water using a metal pot? is it ok as long as the pot doesn't have copper?

[SeaMountain]

I've read too many horror stories of "When Good Tanks Go Bad!"

 

So not everything I learned, I learned in Kindergarten! Some of it I learned from Crak, Satch & LizBeth Among others...

 

After reading one of Crak's Horror Threads I believe... I decided early on in my Nano-Career to ALWAYS have on hand a constant, good, supply of at least 6 gallons of mixed SW. Overkill? Maybe.

 

But once you start adding up the cost of all your livestock, LR, LS, etc. It can be staggering. A $3.97 Rubbermaid tub, another heater and a small PH is not too much to pay for "Insurance". (And take it from an Insurance Guy here!!!)

 

Certainly those of you in Dorm rooms, etc probably do not have the room to do it, but even a extra 2g or 3g wouldn't take up too much room. And a 1g jug of pre-mix would in my mind be a necessity!

 

Heck. My LR alone was $80. Had I bought my clean up crew from the LFS that would add another $120+!!! Even though I only paid $30 from JP for the same stuff, by the time I add in corals and the rest... A few bucks a month to have extra SW in case of an emergency is pretty damn cheap in the long run!

 

PRE-MIX!!! HAVE ON HAND!!! And pray you never need to use it all at the same time! LMAO

[Darya]

okie dokie....so we do definitely need 2 have the mix in advance. poof...glad that is settled.

ty insurance guys, aka seamountain

[palaegic]

SeaMountain sums it up - why chance killing off a several hundred dollar setup for the sake of a fast water change?

 

Another thing to remember about pH - it is a logarithmic scale to the power of 10! A pH of 8 is 10 times more concentrated then a pH of 7. A pH of 9 is 10 times more concentrated than a pH of 8 - meaning that a pH of 9 is 100 X more potent than a pH of 7

For this reason, you do not want large fluctuations, or differences between your aquarium water and fresh marine-mix water.

The same goes for temperature. Remember that most of the animals kept in a reef, are relatively simple in biological terms, meaning that they do not have the ability to adapt to rapid changes very well. Maintaining equilibrium in such a small environment is crucial for long term success.

[zizmans]

I agree I picked up a water cooler jug, and a cheap $5 air pump from petco. It's great for mixing water in, just put the cap on and shake. Also when I go to the LFS for water I don't have to worry about it spilling all over the car. I keep 1 fresh 1 salt. I use my laundry room so I don't have to listen to the cheap air pump, but they wouldn't take up much floor space in a closet or whatever. The caps are sort of in 2 pieces so they completely seal or you can have a hole in the middle (perfect for air stone tube). Make sure though that the first bottle of water you get is RO DI. The home depots here carry sierra brand and it is with the green cap (i called and asked)

[zizmans]

here is a pic

[Darya]

good idea ziz. I will check the home depot near me.

[Alanna]

For those who pre-mix larger quantities of water in a bucket or tub, would it benefit adding a small piece of live rock or have a thin bed of live sand to help cycle the new water before adding it to the tank? Or should the tank itself cycle the water quickly?

 

Alanna

[tinyreef]

i wouldn't recommend putting in LR/LS to help cycle change water. the shock from temperature, salinity, or pH could kill what's on the rock and stuff and cause the reverse of what you want to achieve.

 

change water should be pristine imo. be most concerned about the source water, then the quality of the salt, then matching salinity/SG and temperature (simultaneously if by SG, i.e. differing temps will yield differing specific gravity). the pH fluctuation is what the 'day delay' is seeking to address.

[BigReefer]

I have setup a 5 gallon tank for keeping pre mixed at all times... I have a heater and a air stone in there bubbling all day... Once it is completely mixed should i leave the air stone running all day (its kind of noisy) or can i get away with stirring it a few times a day and just using air bubble for the initial mixes???

[Darya]

Bigreefer, scroll back up to harb's post...she answered that already...she said keep an airstone in it the whole time and just stir it a few times before adding it in. Of course she doesn't use the heater for the premix since she is in a warm place.

[Xavier]

here's a question tickling the back of my mind for awhile... assuming you keep the water heated and aerated, is there a certain amount of time you should use the water within? If I premix 5 gallons, should I plan to use it within a month or so and remix another, more fresh, batch of back-up water? In short, does pre-mixed SW go bad over time?

 

You also have to remember, the longer you keep your back-up water, the more will evaporate, raising the salinity, so you'll want to measure your water before adding it to the tank... and I'd personally say, keep it out of direct light to reduce algae growth in the container...

[harbingerofthefish]

Xavier, no idea on the water going bad. But good point on the slainity raising 'cause of evaporation. I only let mine "mix" about 24 hours, but never thought of dipping the mydrometer in first.

 

Darya, I don't heat the mix water. I siphon with 1/8" airline tubing so it takes like 20 minutes to siphon back into the tank. I also place the hose above the power head so that is flows into a high flow area. Is this anything to be concerned with...I don't know, just habit. p.s. me is a boy

 

BigReefer, you obviously have your tank in a quiet place. I leave the airstone in the whole time, my tank is in a side bedroom right now, but with the 55, 2x5s and a 2 all with filtration running I couldn't hear another airstone anyway

[DeskJockey]

I always have 8 gallons mixed in a sealed container with a PH and heater. I use the venturi connection on the PH to aerate the water (a small maxi-jet is quieter then a air pump & stone). If the container is sealed you dont have to worry about salinity, at least I have never noticed a change (I test with a refractometer). Plus a sealed container is more efficient in controlling heat loss.

 

I also check the water with a PH meter before using and add PH buffer if needed, not always the case though.

[Darya]

Oh harbie sorry, the mermaid avatar threw me (or is it not a mermaid?) lol

I knew you don't use a heater cuz I remembered it from another thread you posted at. Was just sayin the heater thingy cuz bigreefer (who was askin the ?) is in canada. I think your method is great all by itself. I am gonna steal your habit. lol

[harbingerofthefish]

here's another little tidbit from me. I buy the 25 gallon box of IO. When you get down down to the last 2 cups or so, toss it out and get another box. Maybe a little supersttous, but....After the recent "crash"...better safe than sorry.

 

darya: