water changes

[Lionfish Lair]

Eek, this scares me. I am scheduled for back surgery 12/21.
I am in the process of getting things setup so my wife can takeover water change and topoff fills in the meantime.. But I wasn't thinking 2 years of her doing it.. Glad she is attached to the fish..

I wish you all the luck. It's not my back that kept me from doing it, so your recovery will be a lot faster. When I say this I want you to know I'm 1 in a million, but they screwed up my surgery and now I'm permanently disabled. I've decided I'm not giving them my hobby, so I'm taking it back! Just to ease your mind that they could mess you up to, they put the incision in the wrong place and caught a nerve that activates a group of muscles in my leg. That won't happen to you. It took them 7 months to figure it out, because it just doesn't happen.

But this is a good time to mention we should all have plans in place, in case something happens. It's great when you get a chance to prepare, but we all know life doesn't happen that way. I didn't have my husband step in, because quite frankly, he was doing more than enough for me. I couldn't ask for more.

 

[shred5]

How do you keep the salinity from rising in the fresh saltwater caused by evaporation?

Why would it affect salinity? It replaces the same amount of saltwater it takes out at the same time.. Allot of dosing pumps now have this feature built in.

This is the way allot of people do it that have a drain they can go too...

there are also units out there just for automatic water changes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

How do you keep the salinity from rising in the fresh saltwater caused by evaporation?

The fresh salt water is closed and doesn't evaporate.

The tank has an ATO to replace evaporated water, and since in and out is slow and even during water changes, the tank /sump levels never change due to the water changes and the ATO works just fine.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are you using peristaltic dosing style pumps? I want to get something like this set up on my new build.

Peristaltic pumps are a good choice, but mine is a diaphragm type of pump. Noisy (so not suited to a living room), but works well.

 

[Feet4Fish]

Peristaltic pumps are a good choice, but mine is a diaphragm type of pump. Noisy (so not suited to a living room), but works well.

Thanks. Will check out my options. Noise is not important as all my equipments is down I the basement.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I have read Randy's article on water changes and I have no problems with it. I went with an over sized skimmer and it runs 90% of the time without making skimate, but when I feed the tank it pulls out small amount of gunk for about 20 min and then stops. I had a smaller skimmer just like it and it ran continuously. The one thing I have learned is everyone has successes in different ways. I recently met someone and he said he gave up on SPS as he had no luck with them. I have always had poor luck with softies. He has too many nutrients, lack of light or not high enough water flow for SPS when I might be the opposite for softies.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I wish you all the luck. It's not my back that kept me from doing it, so your recovery will be a lot faster. When I say this I want you to know I'm 1 in a million, but they screwed up my surgery and now I'm permanently disabled. I've decided I'm not giving them my hobby, so I'm taking it back! Just to ease your mind that they could mess you up to, they put the incision in the wrong place and caught a nerve that activates a group of muscles in my leg. That won't happen to you. It took them 7 months to figure it out, because it just doesn't happen.

But this is a good time to mention we should all have plans in place, in case something happens. It's great when you get a chance to prepare, but we all know life doesn't happen that way. I didn't have my husband step in, because quite frankly, he was doing more than enough for me. I couldn't ask for more.

Nicking a nerve happens more than it should, I personally know 3 people that have had that happen to them. Make sure your surgeon has lots of experience.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

With my surgery, it wasn't even a risk. If they had of put the incision where they should have, they wouldn't have been near the nerve. It's a risk with some surgeries, but it shouldn't have been with mine. They actually caught it in the retracter throughout the whole surgery. They went through my stomach to get to the back. My surgeon was the main spine guy for my whole hospital. Poop happens, I guess.

Our hobby is SO hard on the back. Please please please be careful lifting those buckets around and bending over to clean and what not. You don't want to end up like me. I'm an example of how heavy this hobby actually is.

PROTECT YOUR BACK DURING WATER CHANGES!

 

[pdiehm]

10g on the 120, though after reading this, I may bump it up to 20g...performed weekly.

5g on the Biocube 29 performed weekly.

Would love to automate, but don't have the resources, or the room to set something up that's viable.

What I do know is, if something is working, no reason to change it. My cube is doing very well at 5g changes (volume is about 23g), corals appear to be happy, growing. The fish are doing well, and aside from the diatoms that still are stirring, I have some coraline algae growing in spots on the back wall.

The 120 shows no signs of green algae, though the rocks have this film all over them, but doesn't appear to be affecting anything. Parameters are where they need to be, albeit that I only test for nitrates at this time as there's just 2 clowns and a molly in the tank. Not overly concerned about ammonia or nitrites with that small of a bioload.

 

[malira]

Instead of buckets, I'm going to get a long hose to go from the sump, out of the bedroom, and into the bathroom. I'll put a 10g mark on the sump and so all I have to do is move the pump. Save my back.

 

[cmcoker]

With my surgery, it wasn't even a risk. If they had of put the incision where they should have, they wouldn't have been near the nerve. It's a risk with some surgeries, but it shouldn't have been with mine. They actually caught it in the retracter throughout the whole surgery. They went through my stomach to get to the back. My surgeon was the main spine guy for my whole hospital. Poop happens, I guess.

Our hobby is SO hard on the back. Please please please be careful lifting those buckets around and bending over to clean and what not. You don't want to end up like me. I'm an example of how heavy this hobby actually is.

PROTECT YOUR BACK DURING WATER CHANGES!

That is the surgery I am having. Anterior approach to L4-L5.
I know he uses another surgeon for the approach and neuromonitoring people who just monitor nerves during procedure. My vertebrae is collapsing in the front and he thinks the disk has to be removed and vertebrae fused or I will be back in 3 months in the same shape I am now.

Getting another opinion next Monday..

Hauling water doesn't help, but I have been a vet tech for 16yrs so lots of bending and lifting, wrestling large dogs. Restraining giant breeds with poor temperament is not fun!

Anyway, I agree, protect your backs people! Use buckets on casters and pump the water, don't lift and pour.

You only get one spine take care of it!

 

[cmcoker]

Instead of buckets, I'm going to get a long hose to go from the sump, out of the bedroom, and into the bathroom. I'll put a 10g mark on the sump and so all I have to do is move the pump. Save my back.

Good plan! you can get a mj1200 for cheap on amazon which provides plenty of flow for this, 1/2in interior diameter vinyl hose that will fit right on to a maxi jet pump($10 for 20ft at home depot.)
That's what I have. I am putting together a pvc setup that will only drain the same amount as my water bin holds. That goes to a hose to the nearest sink. So my SO doesn't even have to mess with moving a pump around. Pump will stay in water bin to mix water and add it to sump. Probably not ideal but will work while I am out of commission.

 

[Mikeb7467]

I use this to mix new salt, store to, and change. I try and do about 20 gallons every 2 weeks on about 250 gallons total.

 

[frogman_reefer]

30 gallons every two weeks. (125 gal tank)
Hardly ever dose anything other than Reef Plus and the occasional iodide.

I use 32 gallon trash cans with rollers and a 500gph pump to push water. Makes it really easy and little water mess for my wife. Makes her happier too. Notice, happier, not happy.

 

[sanchezkk]

No water changes. o. none. NA. noghto. negative. not needed.

Please explain how you get away with NO water changes?

 

[Dtackett]

Please explain how you get away with NO water changes?

its not as hard as you might think. to do it properly though, you have to dose several different things and have good nutrient export by means of macro/micro algaes, carbon dosing, reactors, and different medias. a lot of people view this to be a better and more stable setup, while others prefer water changes and view the simplicity of water changes to be more stable than relying on a dozen different devices/medias.

 

[thedove27]

Every 3 to 4 month 50 % water change

 

[Eckolancer]

I have done 3-5 gallon water changes in the last 2 years on my 108 gallon. Only reason was I sold major colonies of acros. These things bearly fit in a 5 gallon bucket. I grow about 1"+ on Most of my acros. What I do is a med skim (not to wet not to dry), add amino acids once a week if I remember (my coral growth slows when I forget), change filter sock about 2-3 times a week (I have a lot of flow with no sand to suspend the poop in the water to my sock), feed rods original and rinsed brine daily with algae in tank at all times, with that I run a small algae scrubber that doesn't have much algae each week (clean it twice a month), After selling corals and changing socks and skimmer water, I have to add about 2 cups of salt a month to maintain salinity. With that said 2 cups of salt makes about 3 gallons salt mixed to 35. So in a way I do monthly 3 gallon water changes.

This is a pic before selling the colonies

Here is a pic of the colony starting to grow back after a couple months.

 

[s2nhle]

I change mine every 2 weeks or sometime 3 weeks if I am busy.

 

[RudyB]

It depends on your needs. If you have a high nutrient tank then you need to have more water changes to lower the readings. If you have a well balanced system then all you need to do is add RO/DI water to account for evaporation and the additives that are being consumed by your tank inhabitants(corals) to keep them happy. Ether by auto dosser or manual. Just add what is being consumed on a daily basis. I do a 15% every two months just for good measures. By the way I have a 150g, 65g and a 40g (All reef tanks with fuges)