May 22, 200521 yr comment_50388 Natural salt water changes I have a 200 litre tank and can do 40 litre natural salt water changes once a week is that to much?? I'm collecting it from Raglan after my surfs. Talk about water quality improvements........ Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50390 Thats heaps. I don't think you could do to many water changes. Most books recommend 10-20% once a month so you are doing well. Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50394 too much? no. 20% per week is good. most of us i dont believe even manage that. im 1,000 litres and manage 100-300 litres every 3-4 weeks TOPS. i have not done a water change in 5 weeks, bad i know. need to make it easier for myself... Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50402 I'm with Chimera. I have 2500 litres of water, lucky to do 300 litres a month. I would target between 5%-10% per week. If you can manage this I would say your a saint. I aim for 10% a month. Good luck Pie Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50404 the greater the water volume = longer time for nutrients to build up. those with larger tanks can (typically) get away with leaving it longer between water changes. in terms of water chemistry, confuscious say "small changes in large tanks little problem, small changes in small tanks big problem" Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50413 We do 20% weekly NSW We need to get something that holds 150ltrs so we can pump it up stairs sick of lifting 25ltr drums any body know where to get one? Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50415 20% weekly i great, ive upped my water change routine in the last two months to do it 10-20 weekly and things are looking happier Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50423 Fay - JetSkiSteve found a guy that sells 44gallon food grade plastic drums. About $65ea (used for food storage). Pie Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50425 What the other guys and girls are doing does not matter unless they have the same setup as you, every system has differant requirments. How good is your skimmer. There is nothing wrong with the amount your doing but it may not be neccesary. 20% is fine if your system is not very good. Smaller amounts more often is best and will create the smallest amount of change to the inviroment. Only do a 20% if it needs it Aaron. Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50430 What the other guys and girls are doing does not matter unless they have the same setup as you, every system has differant requirments. 20% is fine if your system is not very good. contradicting yourself here aren't you control? typically, 20% weekly/fortnightly is a good approximate for the average reef tank (or any tank for that matter) Only do a 20% if it needs it remember why you are doing a water change, to REMOVE the nutrients and ADD back the good stuff. there are many things that CANT be tested for so stick with a regular maintenance plan whether your system needs it or not (rather than waiting for things to go wrong then trying to fix it later) Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50432 I'm with Chimera on this. The bigger the water changes and the more frequently the better. Many people belive that after a tank has finished cycling and found some bio-ballance then waterchanges can be done less frequently, which isn't to say they should't continue. Still people will do what they will. Fact of the matter is the more you do, the greater you chance of good health and success. Pie Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50437 the thing is that its a percentage, using percentages works out great for everyone because the percentage changes to suit the size of your tank my 88l % is smaller that your 10000000l tanks % Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50439 Chimera wrote contradicting yourself here aren't you control? No I'm not. Quote: Only do a 20% if it needs it Thats why it depends on his system. As I already said, it depends on his system and how he is running it. I also said to do more regular changes, I never said to wait for things to go wrong and then fix it later. Pies wrote More frequently, yes. Bigger, no it can shock the system and the inhabitants. Aaron Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50440 again: typically 20% per week/fortnight is a good approximate. stick to this for now - especially since you are a beginner - THEN once you get more experienced, work out what is best suited for your tank. Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50441 my rule is 33% every month....... do not think it matters if its all done at once.... Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50445 I agree with Pies and Chimera on this one, my system was 260L and i was doing a 15% water change every week and when i missed my routen change i noticed it in my corals, my system is now around 400L and i can get away with doing it every two weeks before any signs show but i still do a 10-15% water change every week as i know its better for my live stock. Report
May 22, 200521 yr comment_50448 RnB Once again it depends on your system and what you have in it. If it is very efficiant 33% is not a problem in that time frame. If it is not very good then you can shock the system and inhabitants. Just take note of what it looks like before and after, if there is a noticable change then you need to increase frequincy. Higher frequincy is best but there is no point if it is not needed. raeh1 However for a beginner stick to something like 1/4 change per fortnight or what Chimera said because you must learn what your system is doing what other people's tanks are doing has got nothing to do with yours. If you can get a large storage container, say 500-1000 litres and cycle the water so you have easy access to a good supply that is settled. I have a 1000 litre tank and I have found this method to be very good. Water from the ocean can vary allot. Aaron Report
May 23, 200521 yr comment_50500 no worries i still havent seen the tank with the MH let me know when they catch that anemone Report
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