Reuse water

[gunnwong]

Is it possible to reuse water.
Let say: put old water into a container and use power head and heater run.
Do you guy think the water will be good as new, if I do that for let said 2 weeks?
May be throw in mangrove or macro algae?
Thanks

[bromion]

No, you must replace what is used by your organisms. Water changes are not just for dilution of toxins, but also addition of necessary matter. There's no way around making new saltwater.

[gunnwong]

I thought we replace the water just because we want to lower amonia and nitrate?

[faded1004]

well in a reef, new water has all the trace elements. so every time we change the water it puts all that back in...

i think that is why some people are so picky about their salts. it helps them with dosing calcium and all those major items also.

[gunnwong]

So then it should be the same if I dose all the element back in to the reuse water? I'm not try to be a cheap @ss but just want to find out why it bad to reuse the water, if I can clear out all the nitrate and amonia.
Thanks

[reef_doug]

Here is a good article:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php

[laverda]

That kind of defeats the whole point of doing a water change. Circulating it in a bucket is not going to get ride of nitrates on phosphates or anything else. Also it is not going to add the elements that have been used up. There is a company that sells a fancy unit that is supposed to clean and refresh the water so you don't have to do water changes.

[bromion]

Ammonia and nitrite should be taken care of by your LR. Nitrate does need to be exported, as do phosphates and a variety of other biological wastes. Remember, the life in your tank is constantly changing the chemistry of the water. The most straightforward evidence of this is the daily pH cycle: low before daylight, then increasing, then decreasing after lights out.

You could "reuse" old water if you are very careful about removing all of the waste and adding back all of the beneficial components. But that would be a complicated process, and it's much easier and less expensive to simply make new water and dispose of the old.

[bergzy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11253269#post11253269 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by laverda
There is a company that sells a fancy unit that is supposed to clean and refresh the water so you don't have to do water changes.

http://www.seavisions.com/prod02.htm

http://www.seavisions.com/newparts1.htm

[epicfish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11254260#post11254260 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bergzy
http://www.seavisions.com/prod02.htm

http://www.seavisions.com/newparts1.htm


...does it work??

[bergzy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11254532#post11254532 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by epicfish
...does it work??

i 'hear' that's it's complicated though that is just what i 'hear'.

i would prefer to spend the money on di resin and good salt. that amount of cash for the system is a decent chunk of change to not want to do water changes...or at least minimize them.

it would take A LOT of di resin and salt to make up the difference.

[sharkdude]

Greg Ho, GHO, and maybe others with multiple tanks will have a sequence. i.e. water removed from the reef system, is used for a water change on his shark tank.

[Orochimaru]

I got a reef and a fish only tank. My reef tank's water change is used for fish tank's change. My reef is only 100 gal., so 10 gal. is used to change out my 40 gal. fish only tank = 25%...not too bad I think even if it is old water from my reef tank.

[bergzy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11256620#post11256620 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sharkdude
Greg Ho, GHO, and maybe others with multiple tanks will have a sequence. i.e. water removed from the reef system, is used for a water change on his shark tank.

this is what i do with my 180g sps reef water...it goes into my 110g softie/lps tank and the water from the 110g goes back to mother nature!