water changes

[fishfish]

Hi guys, I have some embarrassing questions that's been on my mind. When doing a water change... do you guys still use the old siphon tube method? Do you guys prod around in the substrate picking up stuff like fish poop? And if you do, doesn't it pick up the fine gravel? And lastly, what do you all do with the saltwater? Just pour it down the sink? I'm guessing you can't water your yard with this stuff right? Thanks for your replies!

 

newby

[Brianc_4]

I still siphon water out of the tank. I do not recommend sifting through your substrate with the siphon. You will suck out good bacteria, amphipods, and other assorted critters that are devolping and will consume the detritus on the bottom of the tank. If however, the detritus builds up too much, I will siphon water with an airline hose. This allows me to suck up some of the waste without disturbing the sandbed too much.

 

As far as the saltwater you took out, here is what to do:

1) distill it using an all glass distillation process

2) run it through your ro/di filter

3) aerate it with a pump using venturi.(make sure the air intake is attatched to a tank of pure oxygen)

4) Flush it down the shi@#$er

 

I usually just skip to step 4

In the first paragraph I am being serious though

 

Good luck and try not drink too much tank water;)

[Dave ESPI]

HAHAHHAAHA I Bust a Nut! good response. yeah I save saltwater to cycle new Liverock, but unless you get in like 100 #s every week or so, its pointless to save SW.

I use a PH attached to a 3.4 ID hose it facilitates fast W/C and a hell of a good siphon starter EVEN AGAINST GRAVITY !

Ya could use ot to kill yer nieghbors lawn though. OR save it fer the dog on the block that likes to crap on yer lawn..... then put it in a Super Soaker and blast it. ! :woot:

[fishfish]

thanks for the information guys. i threw my hands up in the air ready to give up saltwater for a second there... after reading your responses. glad it was only a joke! it just seems like an awful waste of water... pouring it away... thanks again!

[johnrags1234]

im lucky i just use airline tubing ha!

[gobies]

I recycle my old sw for my brackish tanks. I use 1 part old nano water and 3 parts new water for water changes, and *bang* instant s.g. of 1.006 or so.

 

Or, if you have a FOWLR tank elsewhere, recycle the old reef tank water into the FOWLR and then dump the old FOWLR water. See http://www.tropicorium.com/low_tide.html (esp. the later pages) for more on this idea.

[printerdown01]

Wow, I'm impressed that you guys still use airline tubing! Too much work for me... I use a water bottle... Seriously, it is the perfect size to stick in my tank, and then I just pour the water into a 1 gallon jug (that way I know how much water I have removed). Good on you (sorry for the Aussie slang, it slips out sometimes)! I am impressed, you guys have more patience than I. Yeah tossing saltwater does seem like a waste (especially when I think about the fact that I actually paid extra for that water, and then put salt -that I paid for- in it too... aaahhh oh well).

[MKramer]

I'm with printerdown. I just use a 16oz bottle. The majority of the waste I want to siphon is on the surface, so I just hold the bottle underwater so that it's lip is just slightly below the water's surface. All the filmy crap gets sucked right into it.

 

Can't get the surface with a siphon hose.