Water changes

[Jon]

My tank is two months old and is doing fairly well. It is a 65 gallon gallon reef tank with a 29 gallon sump. I have 40 lbs of live rock and 60 lbs of live sand. In my tank I have 5 small fish, a flower anemone, small leather coral, a coral banded shrimp and a few snails.

When my tank was five weeks old I did my first 20 gallon water change and everything looked fine. Two weeks later I did my second 20 gallon water change using a new salt mix. I started the tank with Instant Ocean salt and have moved on to Neo Marine salt. After completing my second water change, my skimmer has gone nuts, overflowing for a week straight and my leather coral has not had its polyps come out since than.

i think I may have stripped my bio load, by taking out too much water when it wasn’t necessary. Moving forward, I plan to do smaller water changes on a weekly basis Approximately 5 gallons a week. Once my tank gets more established I will probably do ten gallons a week maximum.

So here is the million dollar question: How long will salt water stay fresh in 5 gallon jugs. I plan on making 20 gallons of water at a time and than want to store about 10 gallons of it for the following week. The water will just be sitting in five gallon plastic jugs with no pumps or anything at all moving the water.

thanks

 

[Haus]

How long can I store saltwater after mixing? | BRStv Investigates

For those reefers mixing small batches of saltwater and using it rather quickly after mixing, worrying about the Alkalinity and Calcium parameters shifting is typically not a concern. A growing number of reefers are mixing large batches of saltwater, less frequently and use

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Do you really need heat and flow in your saltwater mixing station? - BRStv Investigates

So far on these BRStv Investigates saltwater storage and mixing experiments we’ve discovered two things. It takes longer to fully mix saltwater to the point of being visibly clear and presumably full dissolved than what most reefers may have thought. Adding heat and flow to the initial

www.bulkreefsupply.com

These videos and write-ups should give you info to decide. I have a 65 and I keep my extra saltwater in a 20-gallon brut with a pump for circulation, no heater. I typically change 5 gallons at a time or if I get lazy and don’t do it for a while I do 10. Good luck.

 

[Mrx7899x]

I do auto water changes and my saltwater sits for a month in my storage container.

 

[Jon]

I do auto water changes and my saltwater sits for a month in my storage container.

Do you do anything to keep the moving at all?

 

[Mrx7899x]

When I first make it I mix it for 48 hours then I shut the pumps off and it just sits covered till its empty which is 30 days.

 

[Hockeynut]

I do auto water changes and my saltwater sits for a month in my storage container.

I know a lot of really great reefs that are on auto water changes now. My question is if you still have to do that weekly and monthly maintenance don’t you get lazy and not do it? I am forced to stay up on my maintenance due to the fact I’m doing a weekly water change?

 

[Mrx7899x]

The only maintenance I really have is emptying my skimmer cup, cleaning the glass and changing out filter socks. The calcium reactor takes care of alk and calcium. I dont run gfo or carbon it's a pretty low maintenance setup.

 

[MadReefer]

Do you do anything to keep the moving at all?

Look at this way. PetCo and LFS sells saltwater already mixed and sits in the store for weeks.
I would assume as long as the salt mixed well initially not an issue.

 

[Paulie 069]

Look at this way. PetCo and LFS sells saltwater already mixed and sits in the store for weeks.
I would assume as long as the salt mixed well initially not an issue.

I fill one gallon milk jugs 20 all total about 13gal if ocean water and 7gal RODI and put in my closet till needed,, only thing I aerate is the buckets of ocean water in garage I have 12 five gallon buckets and do 6 at a time for 2 days and then rotate them every 2-3 days I have air pump on a timer moves water for 2hrs 4x a day. So far no problems knock on wood