Doing water changes.

[Fender963]

I find doing water changes a pain in the butt. I must be doing something wrong. Can everyone tell me in detail how they do there water changes? Thank you! Kyle

[Physh1]

I could use your tank size, filter setup, livestock, feedings, and general water change routine to really help....

Going in blind I would say that a 20%-25% water change every 3-4 weeks would be fine given that all you filters were adequate and you were not overpopulated or overfeeding.

Should be pretty simple to do a water change. Mix your water (or buy it) and let it warm up to room temp or heat it to tank temp. Power down the tank for a short period (you may not even have to do this....my 7 nano can get one w/o powering it down) and drain out x gallons (my 7 gets a 1 gallon change every 3 weeks and my 20 gets a 4 gallon change every 4-6 weeks or so) and then replace x gallons and power back up....

If you post more info we can narrown down your problem spots and "tune" it for you...

Cameron

[dsb1829]

On my 7g I usually do a 3-5g change every 4-8 weeks. The new water is a mix of about 60% water from my 140g reef system and 40% mixed salt & RO/DI. This coupled with very light feeding leads to a nearly hands free nano. I haven't had to clean my glass in about 4 months. Only now do I have a little bit of algae on the glass from feeding the anemones that are on temporary housing. But I am also due for a water change. If you have a mature reef this method works great for nano stability.

ttt

[OscarBeast]

I am a bad person. I just take a gallon of water out, put my salt into a bucket, pour a gallon of fresh room temp water in, and stir the crap out of it with my clean hands. I agitate it with my hands until it becomes perfectly clear then just dump it in. It takes me 10 minutes tops to change out water, and I only do it every two weeks.

I will tell you right now that this isn't the right, or the best way to change water, but it works for me. If you have anything delicate in the tank, don't do it this way. It doesn't give the water enough time to balance out the pH or temperature.

[Fender963]

It is a 10g and right now it has 18 lbs lr, 15 lbs. ls and 3 turbo snails. I don't plan on adding fish for a long time but I plan on adding corals shortly and a shrimp.

It just has a powerhead and an aquaclear hob filter. Well I just did my first water change yesterday and like I said it was just a pain. I put the water in a bucket added salt until required sg was required and heated until same temp as tank was acquired. I then took out 10%-15%. Then added the water.

i thought on nano's it was good to do atleast weekly water changes. Am I wrong in saying this?

Kyle

[OscarBeast]

Normally it is best to do weekly water changes, especially when your tank is new. However, everything in my tank "looks" happier when I do it every two weeks, and it is a little more mature tank.

Every tank is an individual. You just have to follow your eyes and your water tests. They will let you know when it is time. Weekly is usually best, but you may be able to adjust your routine accordingly once your tank matures.

Just remember that just because it is a pain, it is not a good reason to do less frequent water changes. Your tank and livestock will suffer if you do.