Is it more or less the same thing if I do a 5 gallon water change for 5 days in a row versus changing 25 gallons all at once? The reason that i ask is because for now, I am limited to taking my 5 gallon jug to the grocery store in order to buy their RO/DI water. I understand that in the future I would like to get an RO/DI unit, but I need a quick solution for now. So, will it work? Or should I just keep filling the jug and transfering it over to my 18 gallon tupperware container?
PWC question
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To me it does not matter I like smaller frequent PWC`s but if you do it the other way you are still removing excessive nutrients at a bigger whack just waiting longer and allowing a longer period for them to rebuild. To me 6 half dozen or the other. Here is a good article on PWC`s.
Water Changes in Reef Aquaria by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
Water Changes in Reef Aquaria by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
Fishguy2727
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In freshwater bigger is better. Because of the time between water changes allowing things to build up 5x10% does not equal 50%. However, in saltwater it is usually better to do the smaller water changes because saltwater inhabitants are more sensitive to even the most subtle changes a water change can produce (temp, salinity, pH, etc.). Because of this it is safer to do smaller water changes. The usual recommendation is 10% weekly. Keep this up and you will prevent 90% of the problems you will face.
I guess I should have also mentioned that my tank has just finished cycling and that is why I am trying to do such a large water change. I have a 55 gallon tank and I am going to change about 50% of the water. The nitrates are at around 40 ppm and I want to get it as low as possible. That is why I am trying to dilute the nitrates over the course of five days or so.
Fishguy2727
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That is different. With no livestock in yet you can go big like that. If you can only do 5 gallons at a time do them as often as possible until you get the nitrate down.
How much rock did you add?
How long has the tank been running?
How much rock did you add?
How long has the tank been running?
pat8you
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If you have no livestock i would say do one large change. If you do a bunch of small changes in a row each PWC after the first will be taking out a small percentage of the new water you just put in on the previous changes. Probably won't make that much of a difference in the end but that is the technical answer.
Ziggy953
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I agree with Pat. No live stock do a large PWC and get your levels down.
My tank has been running for two months exactly, to the day. unfortunatly, I cycled my tank with damsels, as per the advice of my LFS. And yes, I did get alot of grief about it. So, I do have livestock in my tank and that is why I need to get my nitrites down. I also have about 15 pounds of live rock and 7 pounds of base rock. Although some af my base rock has started growing coralline algea, so I guess its slowly starting to become live rock.
Ziggy953
Aquarium Advice Addict
I would still do a 25-30% PWC.
When doing a PWC you want to mix the SW up and let it stand (with a powerhead in it) for at least 24 hours. Heat the new SW to match that of the tank and do your water change. I usually let mine run for a couple of days in a 32g garbage can before doing my PWC.
I used to change 32+ gallons every other week on my system with no issues at all.
When doing a PWC you want to mix the SW up and let it stand (with a powerhead in it) for at least 24 hours. Heat the new SW to match that of the tank and do your water change. I usually let mine run for a couple of days in a 32g garbage can before doing my PWC.
I used to change 32+ gallons every other week on my system with no issues at all.
thincat
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Is this going to be a fish only with LR or a reef setup. If it's going to be a reef you will need more base rock for a total of 1-2#'s per gallon size of tank. So a 55 would need ~55#'s to110 #'s of rock to be your main filtering.
I think I'm going to stick with fish only with live rock for a long while( maybe 3 years). I do realize that I need more base rock and I would like a little more live rock as well. I usually pick up a couple of pounds of LR every other week(when I get paid). I have been trying to take things slow and I am in no hurry to buy a big bulk of LR. I also dont intend on having my LR be the main filtering device. I like LR because of its various colors and wonderful critters that come with it. I also like to get base rock because I like to see it change over time.
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