genuck Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 i get bulk catalina(bring your own jug) from my LFS one place is $.80 the other is $.60 so i spend about $2 a week. never had any problems algae nitrates or otherwise. Link to comment
bobioden Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 How I do a waterchange. Siphoin out 2 gallons, mix up 2 gallons. Stir and dump in tank. I have been doing it this way for years and never a problem. Takes all of 5 minutes. Bob Link to comment
Web Guy Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 I have not once heated up my water changes. Even when I ran my other tanks I never did that. I would not think that 1 1/2 - 2 gallons of water at room temp at least if not more would effect the tank at all. And yes, I get the all ready just drain and fill up water from my LFS. Easy!! I get FREE ready water for life anyways. Link to comment
Chronicles Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 ifringe, are you expecting live things in NSW? Do you think there are live things in your mix? I don't. You're trying to create sea water from a mix, some go as far as to dry seawater out and package that. They do not get this water from the LA harbor, that would be nasty. But to each his own, since I could care less how you get your water in your tank. Link to comment
artarmon42 Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 So I bought a 5G box of Catalina from Petco today. Doing the full battery of tests: SG = 1.026 pH = 8.4 Ammonia = 0 ppm Nitrite = 0 ppm Nitrate = 0 ppm Phosphate = 0 ppm Alk = 9.3 dKH Calcium = 440 ppm The SG is little on the high side (I normally have it around 1.023 - 1.024), but otherwise it looks very good. This was sampled from the "top" (the container pours out from the top, so I'm not sure how to bottom water is). Doing a 1G water change, I put in ~ 1/4 G of Catalina, with 3/4 of a gallon Oceanic self-mixed. I changed water 2 days ago, but wanted to use the next couple of days to see if there are any bad reaction (e.g. algae bloom). Link to comment
Chronicles Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Naw art you'll be fine. Do a few water changes with it and watch how your corals perk up and look better then ever. Link to comment
yoshiod9 Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 i dunno about the corals perking up and looking better than ever, but i know i enjoyed the ease of just taking out 2.5 gallons and adding 2.5 gallons from a box. i'm still ####ed that the water measured what it did when i bought it. Link to comment
Chronicles Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I'm on my 4th box for this tank, every box has been zeros and the SG has been 1.0250 +/- 0.0003 Link to comment
artarmon42 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 What kind of refractor you got that meausres to the 4th power? ??? Link to comment
lgreen Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 ha ha i hope you mean what type of refractometer/hydrometer does he have that measures to the 1 x 10^-4 power. Link to comment
artarmon42 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Science was never my strong suit Funny how I have a Bachelor of Science Link to comment
tMoney Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Hey artarmon42, How many bags were in the box of catalina water? Was it like 2 2.5 gallon bags or 5 1 gallon bags, or what? Link to comment
artarmon42 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Not sure, but I think it's 1x 5G bag. Can't open the box, because you need it to hold the spout so that you can pour the water out. Link to comment
tMoney Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Oh ok know I understand, it's kind of like those "wine in a box" type things. I'm going to pick up about 4 boxes if they have them in stock on Wednesday. Link to comment
Chronicles Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Art, thats why I have that container Got it at walmart for like $4. It fits the bag perfectly, I don't like keeping the box around. tMoney it's 1 big 5gal bag with a capped opening, seems really strong stuff too. Link to comment
artarmon42 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I don't understand what the container does. Is it just aethetics? The cardboard box is ghetto-looking, but otherwise seems functional. Link to comment
Chronicles Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 So it looks better, and I can grab it by the handle to lift up to siphon out.:-* :pirate: Link to comment
artarmon42 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Originally posted by Chronicles So it looks better, and I can grab it by the handle to lift up to siphon out.:-* :pirate: Heh, are those smilies of you siphoning it out? Link to comment
Jennie4 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I use the catalina water for my 24g nano too. I dont have an extra heater laying around so I use 2 of the gallon sized water jugs that r/o water comes in...I fill up both and stick them in my kitchen sink with warm water and a thermometer in one jug. When the temp is the same as my tank I pour the water in. It doesnt take long to warm those jugs up so keep a close eye on them. Link to comment
Chronicles Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I've never heated water for a waterchange. That smile was saying... :pirate: arrrrrrrrrrtarmon Link to comment
ReefTankForMe Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 A quick way around not using a heater if you are buying gallon jugs of RO water is to fill your sink up with hot water from the tap and plug the drain. Set the jugs in the water (probably around 110 deg from the tap) for 10 mins. then pour into your mixing bucket and mix away. I usually do this and when I start mixing the water is hot, around 90 deg. I jsut let it cool down in the bucket after mixing with an airstone running. I figured this trick out in a pinch after I set my spare heater down on something plastic and the plastic melted all over it! Link to comment
artarmon42 Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Everything looked fine when I got back from work. Did a 1G water change! Noticed my acan extended its feeding more than normal, but that could be my imagination. Lights were off, so I couldn't get a good look at the SPS... Link to comment
coralcrazy Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 DON'T use the PETCO CATALINA WATER... I worked for petco for summer and winter breaks, we hate that crap... It suxs i used it in my first tank and i blew, PH and the PPM where way to high... Mix your own salt. Get a good salt mix like kent, then get a powerhead, get a hydrometer so you can tell the salinity. Then get a buffer of some sort, such as kent marine buffer. Let it mix for at least 24 hours. I had a bad experience not waiting, aka suffocating the fish. Link to comment
artarmon42 Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 No complaints from me so far. I just ordered another 8 boxes... UPS guy is going to hate me! Link to comment
Chronicles Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 Originally posted by coralcrazy DON'T use the PETCO CATALINA WATER... I worked for petco for summer and winter breaks, we hate that crap... It suxs i used it in my first tank and i blew, PH and the PPM where way to high... Mix your own salt. Get a good salt mix like kent, then get a powerhead, get a hydrometer so you can tell the salinity. Then get a buffer of some sort, such as kent marine buffer. Let it mix for at least 24 hours. I had a bad experience not waiting, aka suffocating the fish. This coming from a guy who mixes his own salt? using kent? and a hydrometer? suffocating the fish? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it wasn't the water. :-* Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.