Water Changes

[Rob]

A water change is the act of removing detritus while exchanging old tank water with clean saltwater. We all know we need to perform this task, however the When, How and the How Much are open for great debates amongst the hobbyists themselves.

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[CarmieJo]

Wes, the Drymat is a great suggestion. I'd never heard of them but I will be ordering one.

[Seahorsedreams]

I use them all the time. They are awesome for pulling apart canisters right next to the tank. I'm amazed at the amount of water they absorb.

[Pinecone_Jeff]

Where do you get these drymats?

[Seahorsedreams]

I got mine from F&S.

DryMat

[CarmieJo]

I found mine on eBay after I read about Renee's.

[Pinecone_Jeff]

That's awesome! Thanks for the tip. My wife is gonna love this! No more wet messes on floor! LOL

[Rob's Reef]

My floor's slate, it absorbs all the water i leave behind ;p

[FenMuskieHunter]

A water change is the act of removing detritus while exchanging old tank water with clean saltwater. We all know we need to perform this task, however the When, How and the How Much are open for great debates amongst the hobbyists themselves.

More...

Rob,
This is more of a PC/Windows query rather than aquatic but when I open the links to reef readers I never seem to be able to see the pictures. Is it a Java plug in or something I need to add...?

Thanks.

P.S. I'm on Vista

[rroselavy]

Rob,
This is more of a PC/Windows query rather than aquatic but when I open the links to reef readers I never seem to be able to see the pictures. Is it a Java plug in or something I need to add...?

I do not think it is your computer. I am on Mac OS X and I do not see the images in either Safari or Firefox. Must be a site issue, perhaps related with the recent site outages.

[CarmieJo]

I think that Rob said he is still working on getting the pictures back.

[salt-rookie]

For what its worth...I could not see the pictures either... 12/08/2007

[condiman]

I got mine for the business and I will never go with out it ever again. It has saved me many times. But I just wish that they would make then longer and a little wider for my taste tho.

[Tony40]

Let start by saying i have a 75 gal oceanic with berlin skimmer small 5 gal ref and 50lbs of now beautiful LR, that was bare to the bone rock when i bought it 7 months ago . My question is about when and how much water should i be changing? I have been changing 5 gals every week for 7 months and have noticed for the last 2 months or so that the water i take out is just as clean as the new water . Since i have some real nice zenia which has doubled in size with manny different zoas and starlites,green ,white and some monti all doing great and dont want any ill effects but seems like im wasting a lot of salt and work. any suggestions? Truth be told havent changed water now in 2 weeks and i must be a nut because now i feel guilt ridden and if something should die i just might too (lol) love my reef oh yea have a mandrin now for 5 months and is twice the size as when i got him,1 clown (overpaid) lfs told me he was rare he is beautiful and the most colorful powder brown tang and 1 firefish .My live rock is loaded with mushrooms purple, blue ,red and zenia that has spread to many areas of the reef . Have been real lucky with minimal problems such as not being able to keep a stable calcium level or ph without constant care.going to the extreme now and going to change water ever 2 weeks unless someone thinks it's not a good idea

[ryandlf]

My question is about when and how much water should i be changing? I have been changing 5 gals every week for 7 months and have noticed for the last 2 months or so that the water i take out is just as clean as the new water .

The water I remove from my tanks is almost always clear and seems clean too. I think we get confused because back when we all had freshwater tanks we used to vacuum the gravel and pull all of that built up gunk outta there, thus creations murky, nasty water. But in our SW tanks, we have CUC's for that as well as LR and generally a lot better filtration so we don't have to vacuum the gravel. In fact, its advised against, because the stuff that grows in the sand is very beneficial to our ecosystem. The way I look at it is if I were to have a glass of water sitting on the counter for a week, drinking it would be a lot worse than pouring half of it out, filling it with fresh water and then drinking. Its just good practice to be constantly rejuvinating, and for lack of a better word, stirring up our old water. I do mine once per week, but I think its perfectly alright to do it once every other week. Especially if you have excellent filtration. You could add some more LR though.

Ok, and now to read the article...

[ryandlf]

I can't believe I never thought about pumping the water from my bucket into the tank with a pump...wow, the days of scooping out a little at a time with a measuring cup and dripping water everywhere while I pour are over!