Saltwater change question

[rnb62679]

I am a bit confused, I bought my 50 gal tank and the store that I bought it from sold me "saltwater" which I did not have to add any salt. Now that I want to do a water change, I have seen that almost evey article I read they buy the "RO/DI" and add the salt, should i buy the saltwater or should I buy the water and buy the salt and mix it together? Please help, thanks!

 

[Kio707]

Either way is fine. Test the saltwater and ensure the parameters are correct.

 

[rnb62679]

Perfect, thanks. So do you think I have to purchase that bacteria bottle every time i do a water change?

 

[Kio707]

bacteria bottle? what are you adding or testing?

 

[rnb62679]

I believe its a bottle of bacteria which they said was to speed up the cycle. Then when I asked about water changes they mentioned that I would need one every time I changed the water but I have been reading and reaserching and some people say its not safe. Would I be safe just testing my parameters without that bottle?

 

[Kio707]

Yes.... Never put anything in your tank you can't test for. What I mean by testing the saltwater is for pH and salinity. If you mix your own, you can control the salinity.

 

[NanoNerd]

All depends on what kinda of tank you have... Reef, Fish only, or Fish only with LR.

Unless you have a reef tank you could get by with just tap water and some type of salt mix of ur choice. It's nice to use RO or RODI water but it's not needed. Do your self and bank account a favor if it's not needed. Maybe take a water sample to a reputable SW store and have the test your tap for nitrates and phosphates.

And for this bacteria bottle lol, got to love fish stores... Lol. Drop it! Go for a natural cycle, it may be long but it's worth it. This hobby requires patience. Anything less brake your bank account.

Hope this helps

 

[Gregcoyote]

You'll want to learn to mix your own saltwater. Buy an inexpensive refractometer to measure salinity accurately. Will also need a ph tester of some kind. These instruments will pay for themselves by saving hundreds of dollars in live stock. A RO/DI filter is inexpensive, a nice addition to the household and easy to use as well.

The bacteria is not needed after seeding the tank the first time, in fact if you used cultured live rock, the bacteria was not necessary.

 

[rnb62679]

I will make sure I test the water before I add it into my tank thanks Kio707.....
I actually have fish and LR at the moment but thinking of getting some corals later on down the road. Yeah I will not buy that bottle which is $35.00 a pop, maybe that is why they keep mentioning it lol. Thanks for all the help, very helpful tips.

 

[Kio707]

There is a RO/DI portable system on craigslist for 69.