Making Weekly Water Changes Easier

[Sea Turtle]

Well, it has been about 2 months now and sure enough, I am getting a little sick of changing the water in my tank. I realize that it has to be done and I will always continue to do so. I am using the conventional method; syphon out 5-7 gallons, fill bucket with RO/DI water, add salt and dump into tank.... Tiring and hard work. Seeing that there are so many of you out there that must also change their water on a weekly basis, I though I might get some ideas that might make this esier on me. What are your methods for water changes.

Also, does anyone know exactly how much salt to use for a 5 gallon (19L) bucket to make it perfect (1.025 to 1.027) evertime?

 

[Musho3210]

skim a lot, water change less.

 

[SkiFletch]

Agree with Musho. I skim heavily, use UV and Ozone to try and keep water as clean as possible and just topup with RO and chemicals as-needed. I then do one BIG waterchange every month or so. 20-30 gallons. Ultimately this proves less time consuming for me and still has the same effect provided I stay on top of the skimmer.

 

[andywg]

Buy a rainwater butt and install it higher than your tank. Now you can mix 100+ litres at a time and as such you can just pump water out and then drain it straight in as needed.

 

[Sea Turtle]

Agree with Musho. I skim heavily, use UV and Ozone to try and keep water as clean as possible and just topup with RO and chemicals as-needed. I then do one BIG waterchange every month or so. 20-30 gallons. Ultimately this proves less time consuming for me and still has the same effect provided I stay on top of the skimmer.

What do you mean by UV and Ozone?

 

[SkiFletch]

UV (ultraviolet) filters kill waterborne organisms, most commonly bacteria, parasites, and waterborne algaes responsible for "green water". They don't necessarily stop diseases but do slow them down enough that in many cases a fish's immune system can handle them. Ozone is injected into my skimmer via an Ozonizer to help with dissolved organic removal. Many dissolved organics do not have the molecular/chemical structure to allow them to be skimmed out by a skimmer. Ozone is a POWERFUL oxidizer that breaks down these complex organics into smaller pieces that can then be skimmed out. It also does a number on "yellow water".

One word of caution, if you do decide to use Ozone, BE CAREFUL with it. You really need to read up about it before using it as Ozone used improperly can kill your entire tank and even hurt you...

 

[Sea Turtle]

Ok. Thanks. I will keep that in mind. My tank has that right now. The water will not get completely crystal clear. It has a green murky color to it. Almots a murky yellow. Is this that, or is this just algea and part of the cycling process? My tank has been up and running for about 2 months. Will this clear out on its own or will I have to eventually add in the UV and Ozone to clear it out completely?

Thnx

 

[SkiFletch]

Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesnt.