# water changes



## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

i know i have a ton of questions, i hope no one is getting mad at me yet. because im gonna have a ton more once i finally start this. im gettin alot of conflicting information on this. to do a saltwater-water change, i have to mix the water and let it sit until the salinity is alright. then suck out the old water and add new. with live rock and sand. i shouldnt have to do water changes as often? how ofter would someone generally have to do water changes? if the tank is set up perfectly is it possible to not have to do water changes? with my fresh water setups, i do weekly 20% changes. am i gonna have to buy enough distilled water to do that with the salt?


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

No tank is perfect so waterchanges are a must, especially in saltwater tanks. Add the recommended amount to reach the salinity you are striving for (not sure what that is). BE SURE TO TEST. Do not take the salt brand's word for it. Drain and add. Be sure temp is the same. For top offs just add R.O./D.I water. Salt doesn't evaporate and adding more will increase you salinity.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

yes thank you, but i really meant to ask how often are water changes needed commonly in salt water tanks? ive read eveything from once a week to once every couple of months... i know it varies on a tank to tank basis, but what is common? once a month?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

I do one 30% change every month. I should do more, but its all I can afford ... reef tanks = more water changes, more fish = more water changes, overfeeding = more water changes, tap water = more water changes (depending on where you live).


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

so with buying distilled water, keeping a decent amount of fish, having good filtration, live rock and such, i should be ok with a once a month scedule?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

yes... water changes are good for two things, replacing good nutrients, and getting bad nutrients out of the water. Good nutrients would include calcium, iodine, strodium, magnessium (all of these are in most synthetic salt mixes), bad nutrients would include phospates, nitrates, ammonia, nitrites.


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## Electric Monk (Sep 6, 2005)

leveldrummer said:


> i know i have a ton of questions, i hope no one is getting mad at me yet. because im gonna have a ton more once i finally start this. im gettin alot of conflicting information on this. to do a saltwater-water change, i have to mix the water and let it sit until the salinity is alright. then suck out the old water and add new. with live rock and sand. i shouldnt have to do water changes as often? how ofter would someone generally have to do water changes? if the tank is set up perfectly is it possible to not have to do water changes? with my fresh water setups, i do weekly 20% changes. am i gonna have to buy enough distilled water to do that with the salt?


Ask 100 people this question and you'll get different 101 answers  

I do a 20% water change every week. Start filling up my containers from the RO unit on saturday, mix the salt on sunday morning, heat the water throughout sunday and check the SG sunday evening. Then Monday evening i check the SG and temp again, both tank and container, then change the water.

Thats my way of doing it :fun: 

As for "if the tank is set up perfectly is it possible to not have to do water changes?" Not unless you buy some VERY small corks to stop yer fish from weeing/peeing/p*ssing in the tank :lol: (I'm just going to patent 'small corks'...hey, it's an idea!!!)


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

I also do 20 percent every weekend and my water is really clear because of it.

In the ocean fish have new water all the time and you want to somewhat mimic that. Im not saying everyday but once a week to every 3 weeks is usually best.

And fishfirst, i know somewhat where your coming from. When I set up my tank I bought out all the salt from the little lfs by me. I did water changes a lot and used it up, asked her if she had more of it and said no. So I got stuck without a water change for about a month. We went up to some store and they had salt but it was fricken expensive! So to quicken this up.. i got mad.... asked my lfs again...and again...shes finally orederd it...yay!

IT's a lot harder htough with a tank like fishfirsts, a 125 gallon tank with 20 oercent water change every week!?! Yeah I would go eith every 3 weeks with that one.....


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## N1z (Nov 21, 2005)

i do 10 to 15% a month because mines still lightly stocked however as it gets busier then it changes. tbh i work at a tropical and cold water FS and the amount of times i see ppl changing water to much completly ruins their water causign problems, unless of coarse they trying to fix the bad water quality.


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

I have to because mine is alittle overstocked right now. I have a 5 inch dwarf fuzzy lion in my tank so it makes a big mess.

Im sort of a water change freak. While I do it usually once a week or once every 2 weeks ,depending on if I have time or the salt, my couisn on all of his fw tanks does it maybe 1 every 6 months if he remembers lol.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

flamingonhot said:


> my couisn on all of his fw tanks does it maybe 1 every 6 months if he remembers lol.


 thats kinda disgusting, not only is it remarkable that the fish are alive, but after missing a month all my fw tanks start to smell a little. i couldnt imagine six months


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## N1z (Nov 21, 2005)

leveldrummer said:


> thats kinda disgusting, not only is it remarkable that the fish are alive, but after missing a month all my fw tanks start to smell a little. i couldnt imagine six months


lol but u remember ppl have carbon in their filters which cuts that out and it depends on wot stocked in it...


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