how do you change your water, and when?

leptang · Oct 11, 2014

Sorry if this topic has been covered, but I would like to know how you change your water. (Example; I empty 5 gallons and then I slowly drip in new water to replace the 5 gallons that I removed from my system every week from my 80 gallon system.)

Im just intersted, please let me know how you do it.

butters417 · Oct 11, 2014

Siphon out 10 gallons then pump 10 back in through the sump..on my 45 gallon.

rayn · Oct 11, 2014

Siphon out 20 from my sump, then pump 20 back in. Everything to the sump is off, including skimmer. Turn everything back on, wait on skimmer about a half hour or so.

gcrawford · Oct 11, 2014

Prep a brute trashcan of RODI with salt mix to 1.025 SG with submersible old skimmer pump to stir and heat to tank temp. Turn off all tank pumps, heaters, reactors and ATO. Pump out an entire brute trashcan full from display (I have two Brutes) and pump in fresh prepared salt water. Turn on all equipment and discard old water. Brute cans both have wheel dollies attached for transport. I have a single level house, so this works well for me.

-g

mike007 · Oct 11, 2014

I only do 10% a month. I just pour make up water in tank.

leptang · Oct 11, 2014

Im really curious because I hear to make a large change to fast could shock the water chemistry, does your alkalinity, calcium, magnesium of your system match the new batch of mixed salt? Or its not a worry?

gcrawford · Oct 11, 2014

I never change more than 25% of total water volume, and have never seen negative effects from a water change. I only pay attention to SG and temp, making sure that they are very close to tank parameters.

Reefkeepr1986 · Oct 11, 2014

I would do a 10% water change using RO/DI water weekly be sure to blast rocks with a small pump or Turkey baster before water is taken out then test parameters 1hour after the water change and I would log your Parameters and from there You can understand your systems chemistry after a couple of months of logged Tests!! Then you can do 20% bi-weekly!! (You must top off your tanks evaporated water with Fresh water to keep your salinity at 1.024-1.026)

ronnie · Oct 11, 2014

I change about 2/3 of a gallon per day broken into two water changes via my diy auto water change system. This is a dual head peristaltic pump that pumps new water in and old water out hooked to a controller.

leptang · Oct 11, 2014

ronnie said:
I change about 2/3 of a gallon per day broken into two water changes via my diy auto water change system. This is a dual head peristaltic pump that pumps new water in and old water out hooked to a controller.

Do you need to dose alk/ca/mag? Or does your water changes cover the loss of of your alk, and ca?

ronnie · Oct 11, 2014

I dose 15ml daily of ca and Alk to maintain parameters.

leptang · Oct 11, 2014

Thank younfor the reply Ronnie

Reefing Madness · Oct 12, 2014

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/re...-farley/152873-how-often-do-water-change.html
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/ne...45553-how-often-should-i-do-water-change.html

Eckolancer · Oct 12, 2014

I don't do water changes any more. Been since like may for the last one that was only 5 gallons on a 108 rimless. Corals are mostly sps that grow like weeds. Here is a tank shot right before I pulled out a couple large colonies.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413117535.779619.jpg

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 12, 2014

My system is similar to Ronnie's. I change about 1% daily using an automatic system (a dual head Reef Filler pump) on a timer. It changes it very slowly, in and out at the same time, for a bunch of 15 minute periods day and night.

I draw water from an 88 gallon reservoir (two 44 gallon Brute cans plumbed together) and send the exported water down a sink drain. The water is added to a sump, and withdrawn just upstream from tha tpoint in a different part of the sump.

With such a system, one does not need toheat the new water, nor even to match the tank salinity if you want to alter the tank salinity over time.

d2mini · Oct 12, 2014

Same here as Ronnie and Randy.
My Profilux controller changes out about 1% of my water twice per day.
All I have to do is mix up a new batch every 10 days or so.

ronnie · Oct 12, 2014

Eckolancer said:
I don't do water changes any more. Been since like may for the last one that was only 5 gallons on a 108 rimless. Corals are mostly sps that grow like weeds. Here is a tank shot right before I pulled out a couple large colonies.

How long have you gone? I've seen several tanks stop doing water changes only to crash down the road (one of mine included).

SeahorseKeeper · Oct 12, 2014

I do about 10-15% every other week.

fungia_fiend · Oct 12, 2014

I change 1-2% daily with a litermeter. In addition, I siphon detritus when the mood strikes me (frequently take a gallon or so of crud). However, I let the litermeter refill the lost water for me so this is really, really easy to take a tiny amount of detritus frequently (under 2 minutes).