New 29g BioCube Water Change ADvice

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Squintyekalb

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
Messages
128
Just about to enter week 3 on my new 29g biocube, and Im feeling horribly unready for my first water change. I have no idea on exactly how much to change out or what to put back in or how much to put back in, etc. I know nothing on the water change subject. Any advice would be supremely appreciated
 
You should get a 2-3 pounds of live rock per gallon as that will help a lot.
Hmm.. I always changed 25% every week or two. Depending on nitrate level since you are cycling..

Some people say no water changes as it speeds the colonization of BB BUT the amount of BB you can have is self limiting regardless. Many people say to do a small water change (10% or so) every week or 25% every two weeks so that you replace trace minerals; etc. Make sure you are pH matching and using a reverse osmosis tap!

Good luck cycling! - Raymond
 
I have a 30 gallon tank and weekly do a 4-5 gallon water change. But if your still cycling I would hold off and do a big change at the end of the cycle.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
You should get a 2-3 pounds of live rock per gallon as that will help a lot.

Hmm.. I always changed 25% every week or two. Depending on nitrate level since you are cycling..



Some people say no water changes as it speeds the colonization of BB BUT the amount of BB you can have is self limiting regardless. Many people say to do a small water change (10% or so) every week or 25% every two weeks so that you replace trace minerals; etc. Make sure you are pH matching and using a reverse osmosis tap!



Good luck cycling! - Raymond


So I've got just under 32lbs of rock in right now along with live sand. Does the amount of rock affect how much water I should change?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
Well if you have more rock, during the cycle you should change the water less because you want to colonize them.

Later on, the live rock will crush your nitrates so a majority of why you water change in an established tank is to help reintroduce trace minerals and maintain proper pH etc.

So more live rock = less water change in cycle

Once established, more live rock = same water change schedule

Just personal preference on whether or not to change water. I would change 10-15% just to reintroduce minerals.
 
Well if you have more rock, during the cycle you should change the water less because you want to colonize them.



Later on, the live rock will crush your nitrates so a majority of why you water change in an established tank is to help reintroduce trace minerals and maintain proper pH etc.



So more live rock = less water change in cycle



Once established, more live rock = same water change schedule



Just personal preference on whether or not to change water. I would change 10-15% just to reintroduce minerals.


There's no correlation between amount of LR and wc schedule. And nitrates aren't reduced by LR either, they must be exported manually through filtration and wc's.
 
More live rock gives more area for the beneficial bacteria to grow on. They are your nitrate cycle, turning ammonia to nitrite and then nitrite to nitrate.
 
Sorry. Typo. I meant for it to say Nitrites.

If you have a lot of LR while you are cycling, you want to change the water less so the bacteria have more time to colonize as they have more room.

If you have less LR while you are cycling you can change the water to replace trace nutrients.

Pretty much, changing the water will slow the colonization of live rock but will replace trace minerals. However, the amount of BB you can have is limited anyways and that is why a lot of people change water during the cycle.

Another body of thought is that not changing the water will speed the colonization of the BB (as the nitrites and ammonia stay higher). Also true.

Either way your tank will cycle, just a preference between keepers.

Good luck, - Raymond
 
Other than pH matching, I should try to match my tank water with the new water. Right?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
Other than pH matching, I should try to match my tank water with the new water. Right?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Regarding what exactly? In terms of acclimating new livestock to your tank, yes that is what you are doing when you drip acclimate.
In terms of pH matching, you should never try to chase a number when it comes to pH. People, including myself at one point, have chased the magical number suggested in terms of pH with chemicals and only done harm to the tank's inhabitants. If it isn't broke, don't fix it.
 
Sniperhawk is right but it is good to be close, and if you aren't close, just change it slowly.

I don't use any of the chemicals in my tank and it does well.. My tap's pH is like 7.8-8 however so for hard water fish I don't need to.

If your tap is much more acidic, or you are keeping fish who like acidic water it may be in your benefit to research the pH, gH, kH triangle before you decide to alter anything.

However only do that for finicky fish. Most fish will adapt. Before I gave away my neons, I kept them at 7.6-8 for like 5 years before I gave them away. Plus the only disease they got was ich from when I first got them so just a testament on the adaptability of fish. (hopefully your fish will be of good stock like mine if you do this)
 
If you just doing a regular water change here is what I did with my 29g biocube. Eazy peezy

Get a 5g white painters bucket from home depot or lowes. They have the measurements on the side of how full the bucket is which is awesome. About $4
Would fill the bucket to 3g with ro.di water, at about 78degrees, I keep a heater and powerhead in my water barrels. :) Once the water is in add 3 half cups of salt mix, then do maybe a half of the half cup and you are set. this should give you about 1.025-1.026 salinity. The extra half cup gets it just to the right spot. I worked with 3g at a time due to being a small girl and anything more was just too heavy and would splash around. lol Before I mixed my salt water outside in trash cans I would use a long metal fish net to mix the water and salt. I would mix it alot in the beginning then every few minutes come back and mix it up more. I'd do this for like 2-3 hours lol. Depending on your salt mix it could take longer or shorter to get it mixed right. Or you could just drop a maxijet in the bucket for an hour and be good too.
Use a small maxijet pump ($15) and drop it in the tank. Pump out your 3g and then take the hose, drain it of any dirty water and drop the pump in your salt mixed water bucket. And pump away. I diffuse the water flow back into the tank by running it against a rock or the side glass. used to take me less than 10 minutes to do 6g water changes.
 
Would the salt mix have a recommended mix ratio on it? Just so I know how much to put in or is the mix something that depends on the tank or the reefer's opinion?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
Most will have recommended amounts that will usually get you close, and you'll learn how much exactly after a couple wc's.
 
Another thing that I don't like, but I'm not sure if it can be avoided, is when any sand gets stored up it takes a while for it all to settle back and clear up. Is there any way to stop or prevent it from stirring up?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
I use aragonite sand (boosts pH and buffers well) for my brackish tank

I don't think you can avoid it other than putting heavier (larger grained) sand next time. Or really small gravel...

Or just leave it. :) Remember to stir it up a little (also turn off the filter) so you don't create anaerobic pockets.
 
If it is because of the gravel vac, try to move it slightly over the sand to pick up debris and not the sand. Takes practice but useful once you get it, you never forget.

Good luck! - Raymond
 
If you have proper flow in a sw tank there is no need to vacuum the sand, since nothing should be settling there anyway. Op how/why is your sand being stirred up?
 
Just whenever I've added a new rock or frag or anything it just stirs a little and takes a while to settle down. Making everything look cloudy.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
Back
Top Bottom