How do YOU prepare for a waterchange?

[FireFish21]

Well, it will be time for my first waterchange soon and I was wondering what you do to get ready for it?

 

Do I need to go out and buy a heater and powerhead for my mixing bucket or what do you do?

[Pili4444]

All you need is a bucket, a power head (get one with a nozzle on the end so you can attach tubing to pump th water back to the tank), and a heater. Some plain old plastic tubing helps to because you can use it for the siphon and pumping water back into the tank (unless you can pick up the bucket and pour it in).

 

Just make sure the salinity and the temp are the same and change away.

[BrookR1]

I also run an airstone overnight and add buffer (I use Oceanic salt mix). Sometimes, I'll squirt a little Amquel.

[NanoBob]

Unfortunately I don't have room to keep my RO unit near my tank. What I do is run the RO unit and get about 17 gals of freshwater (I have a NC24) drain that into my saltwater holding container and add salt. The day before a water change I run the PH and heater. Check the SG and temp then just vacuum the old water and some garbage off the sand and lug a bucket down to the basement. Fill another bucket with the same amount of saltwater (buckets are marked) and add it to the back chambers. In the meantime I fill the freshwater container back up with fresh for top offs. It's a little bit labor intensive, but what ya gonna do?! Eventually I would like to add a auto top off, but I have other more pressing issues like trying to spend time with my wife (the tank widow) and my 4 kids.

Bob

[Chronicles]

I buy a 5gal box from petco, take the bag out and store it in a rubbermaid container. I turn off the pumps, siphon out 1gal into my 1gal jug, dump it out, put the rubbermaid container on my desk chair, siphon out 1gal, pour into tank. TADA! Total cost = $2 a week with a weekly water change, or $1 a week with bi-weekly.

 

It's catalina natural sea water, no buffering, no mixing, just perfect water every time. You'll notice the difference in your tank.

 

 

[artarmon42]

Interesting...

 

I read that Catalina water sometimes tests high for nitrates and phosphates, and varying SG.

 

Have you ever tested the water?

Just want to get personal experiences from people I trust.

[Chronicles]

Yeah the box says contains none, but I've tested it for the hell of it. I work in a laboratory so I don't believe what's always on the packages. I haven't found anything in it yet, sitting right next to it is an unopened oceanic 50g jug and an IO box, so that should tell you what I think of the water . I just find it so much easier to just get 1gal out of my bag, know it's done right, and my tank loves it. I buy 2 boxes when I go, gives me 2 1/2 months of waterchanges done every weekend.

 

Oh, only thing I don't like, is the SG it says can be 1.023 to 1.025, but I haven't had a problem with that changing so far. I can test the box real quick w/ my refracto and see what it is (I forget, I test each box).

 

Edit: refracto shows 1.0249

[tMoney]

Catalina Seawater sounds great. I've heard about it before, but I never really took it into consideration. I think that I'm going to start using that.

[artarmon42]

OK, you convinced me.

I've done alot of research on NSW, but never went further because of the bad press (which seemed few and far between, but it's the ones that stick in your mind ).

 

Do all Petcos sell it? In the same area as the salt?

[Chronicles]

I'd assume so, I only go into a petco for that stuff. I don't even walk over to the tanks, can't stand to see 20 yellow tangs with 40 clown fish swimming in a 10gal tank. They usualy have it sitting out, about 6 boxes at a time. Don't lift it by the top, punch the holes out on the sides as handles. Then I just bring it home, take the bag out and put it in my container.

[tMoney]

You can go on Petco's site and find directions and phone number to stores near you. Call and make sure they have it in stock.

 

ps: sorry for the highjacking

[Chronicles]

Good idea, one time I went they were out of it X) It has this chart on the side it says:

 

 

Our NSW

Water change --- Open and pour

Clairty --- Crystal

Closeness to NSW --- Is NSW

% of trace in NSW --- 100% NSW

 

 

Synthetic Sea Salt

Water change

--- Buy Purified water

--- Add and mix salt

--- Test salinity

--- Adjust and buffer pH

--- Let sit until clear

Clairty --- Filmy/Chalky water

Closeness to NSW --- Best-Case: Approaching NSW

% of trace in NSW --- Unspecified/Inconsistent

 

Cause if you think about it, we're trying to create NSW, so what better way to create it, then by using it! Now if I had a big big tank, I wouldn't be using it, too expensive, but for 1gal a week, why not!

[artarmon42]

Yeah, but then again we have sewerage outflows into the ocean, ships dumping in the ocean, etc

[Chronicles]

Catalina Water Company has been providing our customers with premium ocean saltwater since 1988. We deliver over 9 million gallons of ocean water for use in tropical fish aquariums annually.

 

Catalina Water Company has developed a state-of-the-art filtration system that combines the use of oxygen (O2) converted into ozone (O3) and UV Sterilization. This destroys any bacteria or harmful microorganisms and, when used in conjunction with charcoal and sand, it will remove any heavy metals and toxins. This system eliminates any possibility of contaminants in the water. Our tanks circulate 24 hours a day – 7 days a week. Once the water has passed through our filtration system, we have a highly consistent product that can be used with confidence.

 

 

 

Our saltwater is tested daily to ensure the quality and consistency of our product. We also employ an independent laboratory to conduct periodic analyses of the water and our facility for on-going quality control.

 

 

Read this art:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/rs/f...ature/index.htm

[yoshiod9]

i'll never buy catalina water after my one run-in with it. supposedly no nitrates and no phosphates, right? i used it for about a month and had hardcore algae problems(bought two boxes at once) arise out of nowhere. tested the remaining water and found a decent amount of nitrates and phosphates. needless to say, i was very disappointed.

[artarmon42]

Damn, now yoshi is swaying me the other way

[Chronicles]

How long ago? Before they were not removing it because it's technicaly in NSW. Now it says Nitrate FREE Phosphate FREE.

[tMoney]

The catalina seems much more conveinient and not too badly priced. RO/DI water is $1/gallon at my LFS, then add the price of salt on top of that. It costs a few cents more (~$2/gallon), but saves on the mess and headaches. I'm going to trust Chronicles and start off my cube with the Catalina seawater and hopefully it works well. If it doesn't, I can always use the Tropic Marin which I have been planning to use.

[Chronicles]

srgwrg

[artarmon42]

Well I have phosphate and nitrate test kits, so I guess it's simple enough to test it myself. OK, I'm going to Petco tomorrow (assuming it is open on Memorial Day) and see how it goes!

[yoshiod9]

i picked it up when petco first started carrying it(my gf works there and told me it came in, so i decided to try it!)...that was maybe a year and a half ago or so. but the box still said phosphate and nitrate free. that's why i stopped using it...i was pretty darn ####ed off about that too. lol.

[Chronicles]

Guys got me spooked, just ran both test, zero and zero.

[tMoney]

Maybe they just get bad seawater out in CA. Up here in Pennsyltucky we probably get the good stuff.

[Chronicles]

aka east bumblef**k

[ifringe]

For what it's worth... (and hey, who knows... I am still working on the research for my first tank, so please factor that in).

 

I talked to someone about this very thing. They had two quick comments for me: One, I was told that the water is of course real ocean water, but that they sterialize it all to heck. Because of this, the opinion was that a good salt mix was better. Two, apparently they obtain this water from the LA Harbor, which is probably not the cleanest of all places to get it.

 

Still, I went to my local PetCo, and looked at the boxes there, with dust, and instead bought a salt mix.

 

YMMV. Objects in the mirror are saltier than they appear.

david