My tank is currently undergoing its first fishless cycle. While I wait, I've been researching water changes.
It sounds like quite finicky work getting new RO water, salting and heating it to the same condition as the DT water, and then repeating the process every week.
It seems to me an easier way would be to have a fallow tank running with filter and heater. Then when its time for the DT water change, you measure the salinity and pH in the fallow tank and make any minor adjustments that are needed and then use that water for the change. Then top off the fallow tank with RO water and slowly over the week get it up to
This way you have a tank full of water that is already at pretty-close conditions, and which just needs a bit of tweaking.
This seems to me to be easier than starting the entire process from scratch of running tap water through an RO, adding salt - measure - add more - etc, etc, then heat and test, etc, and doing all of this in a single day. (with young kids, taking this much time for tank maintenance every week would be tough).
Am I missing something?
I realise it may just be my own personal schedule that makes the fallow tank method easier, and that many other people would find it harder, and a one-day full change is easier. So this question may be met with "Well, yeah, sure, obviously. Dumb question." But I've never seen this fallow tank method mentioned, so wasn't sure if I was missing something obviously wrong with it.
It sounds like quite finicky work getting new RO water, salting and heating it to the same condition as the DT water, and then repeating the process every week.
It seems to me an easier way would be to have a fallow tank running with filter and heater. Then when its time for the DT water change, you measure the salinity and pH in the fallow tank and make any minor adjustments that are needed and then use that water for the change. Then top off the fallow tank with RO water and slowly over the week get it up to
This way you have a tank full of water that is already at pretty-close conditions, and which just needs a bit of tweaking.
This seems to me to be easier than starting the entire process from scratch of running tap water through an RO, adding salt - measure - add more - etc, etc, then heat and test, etc, and doing all of this in a single day. (with young kids, taking this much time for tank maintenance every week would be tough).
Am I missing something?
I realise it may just be my own personal schedule that makes the fallow tank method easier, and that many other people would find it harder, and a one-day full change is easier. So this question may be met with "Well, yeah, sure, obviously. Dumb question." But I've never seen this fallow tank method mentioned, so wasn't sure if I was missing something obviously wrong with it.
