Nidilsky Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Great thread. I have been at it for 3 weeks. Best advice so far? Ditch the swing arm hydrometer. 5 different tests=5 different results. 1 Quote Link to comment
Reefermadne55 Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 On 4/23/2008 at 11:17 AM, StevieT said: I usually try and do this as slowly as possible, Is there a such thing as to slow like a 4 hour long trickle siphon out of a 1/8 in tube Quote Link to comment
Mariaface Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 16 hours ago, Reefermadne55 said: Is there a such thing as to slow like a 4 hour long trickle siphon out of a 1/8 in tube If you're taking all of the old water out at once and then starting a trickle into the tank, and therefore corals are exposed or your water can't circulate through filtration/heating, then it's too long. If you're setting up a trickle out of the tank at the same time as a trickle into the tank, you can take as long as you want. However, you'd be changing out some of the new water as well - your water change will be much less effective. Quote Link to comment
StevieT Posted April 26, 2017 Author Share Posted April 26, 2017 17 hours ago, Reefermadne55 said: Is there a such thing as to slow like a 4 hour long trickle siphon out of a 1/8 in tube I have no idea what the quoted reply from 2008 was referring to, but I hope @Mariaface picked up on it. Quote Link to comment
Mariaface Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 30 minutes ago, StevieT said: I have no idea what the quoted reply from 2008 was referring to, but I hope @Mariaface picked up on it. It may just be you saying you avoided splashing too much when adding water back in? Not quite sure. Too lazy to check Quote Link to comment
StevieT Posted April 26, 2017 Author Share Posted April 26, 2017 5 minutes ago, Mariaface said: Too lazy to check Same here/busy. If that is the case I dumped the water back in all at once, and tried not to splash. But I was in no way slow about it. Quote Link to comment
Repower Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Just joined the forum, this is an informative thread. Great feedback. 1 Quote Link to comment
jorahx Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 thanks for the guide 1 Quote Link to comment
BJG Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 On 4/23/2008 at 10:17 AM, StevieT said: Step Ten: Scraping algae and Coralline Every two to three weeks I need to clean my glass of hard green algae and coralline. I use a razor blade to remove this stuck on algae for pristine viewing. Step Eleven: Remove water Using a simple siphon to remove water from the tank, suspended detritus, and coralline/hard algae. You will need a second 5 gallon bucket to do this Step Twelve: Add freshly mixed salt water back in I usually try and do this as slowly as possible, avoiding directly hitting corals with the blast of water. add water back to your previous water level so SG and surface skimming are the same Step Thirteen: Finishing up If you have a protein skimmer it is a good time to empty and clean out your cup. Remove any salt creep from lighting covers and tank glass. I wipe down the outside of the tank and stand with Windex for a nice sparkle shine! Clean out your sponges, change out filter floss. Check equipment for wear. If you have two sponges, it is a good idea to clean the one that was in your tank, put the extra on in, then let the one your rinsed to dry out. This prevents nitrate buildup. Your water will take a few hours to clear up but when it does it will look better than ever. Is vacuuming the sand necessary? Quote Link to comment
StevieT Posted March 19, 2018 Author Share Posted March 19, 2018 11 minutes ago, BJG said: Is vacuuming the sand necessary? Nope and it's not all that possible because of how fine saltwater aquarium sand is. Quote Link to comment
BJG Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 9 minutes ago, StevieT said: Nope and it's not all that possible because of how fine saltwater aquarium sand is. 9 minutes ago, StevieT said: Nope and it's not all that possible because of how fine saltwater aquarium sand is. I figured just double checking, thanks Quote Link to comment
StevieT Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 18 hours ago, BJG said: I figured just double checking, thanks To clean detritus on the top use a turkey baster, blow it on the top and siphon out as much shit that flies up. Good flow should take care of most of the, and disrupting a sand bed (deeper down) that has been in place for a while can actually cause a tank crash. Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 On 19/03/2018 at 5:15 PM, BJG said: Is vacuuming the sand necessary? The vast majority do it. It keeps detritus low, prevents nutrient build up. Prevents major issues with algae outbreak. Have you ever seen how disgusting sand gets with or without vacuuming? It's a lot worse when not vacuumed. Quote Link to comment
Zuma Posted April 14, 2018 Share Posted April 14, 2018 Great post/thread. I think the most important thing to remember about this is to make sure you do your water changes regularly; weather its every week or every other week; gotta do them! Quote Link to comment
Element03 Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Good info. Following Quote Link to comment
edgewater Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Thank you STevie for the tips!! Much Appreciated Quote Link to comment
edgewater Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Thank you Stevie. Quote Link to comment
7TCHEVE Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Wow, just finished reading through 14 pages of posts on this thread. Great stuff! Learned a lot! Waiting for my Red Sea Max Nano to arrive in the mail. Thanks for the info. 😊 1 Quote Link to comment
uwharrie Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 I vacuum my sand but have a very shallow sand bed Quote Link to comment
Yossarian88 Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 Ok, I have not seen the following question, which is about a 75 gal tank with a 30-gal refugium (3 chambers; skimmer, then rocks/ caulerpa, then return pump). When doing a water change, is there any downside to pumping out of a sump/refugium as opposed to taking water out of the display tank? Detritus is heavier down there. Might doing so make it more difficult to increase pod growth and export from down below? Or is it better to do plan B, pump from skimmer/ return pump chamber only? Quote Link to comment
Origashi Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 i thought this was StevieT from YouTube i was omg he plays the guitar and is into reef tanks i love this dude more now lol. Quote Link to comment
Rabb.D Posted June 18, 2022 Share Posted June 18, 2022 I haven't did water changes for 4 months and my tank is clear as heck... and fish are healthy... though the greatest challenge for me is corals. Quote Link to comment
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