This is my dilemma. I really don't want to spend the money on a RO/DI unit as I have a small reef tank. My LFS which is reputable sells premix at .89 a gallon. Once a month....15 gallon change....Do the math ....salt...two days waiting.... temperature change....It seems to me I would be better off just buying the premix. Buy the way they use Instant Ocean salts and everythings on par with what I've been running. I do like the Kent salt better but for the hassle?
Water quality?
- Thread starter jhenby
- Start date
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
well if you have a reef tank your going to want to do more frequent water changes, plus going back and forth your also paying for fuel that you wouldnt have to with an ro/di unit. and what about top off water, what do you do then if you only get water once a month? also what do you mean by waiting two days? also im not a fan of kent, i use it now but the calcium is just way too high, ill be switching soon
Well, In my system ,I really only need to do water changes once a month, I only change 25% ,which is maybe 20 gallons.My LFS is like 5 miles a way which gas is like nothing. What I meant for the two days is the waiting.....I premix my salt and let it set for a couple of days as fresh mixed saltwater is really caustic! I know this for a fact, and after setting for two days it is not up to the eighty degree temp my tank is at....so therefore I have to heat it to tank temp before adding!...Like I said the hassel seems to not be worth the while....!
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
salt water only needs to set for 30 minutes
cthegame
Reef enthusiast
I agree with dustin that 25% per month is not sufficient if you're doing a reef. Unless you are low stocked. But still, the minimum for 25% i would recommend is bi-weekly, not monthly. It is recommended that you do 10%-15% weekly so if you;re doing it once a month, you might run into problems eventually. The thing is that you only have a 46 gal. If you had a large tank (100 gal +), monthly would be more doable. But since you;re tank is small, water conditions will change faster and a supply of new water is more necessary. Just my :twocents:
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
also what do you do for top off? tap water im assuming
ccCapt
Reef Hacker
15g x 12 = 180g/year water change
$0.89 x 15 = $13.35/month
$13.35 x 12 = $160.20/year to buy premade water
Brand new RO/DI unit = $130
Instant Ocean 200g mix = $49
Your RO/DI and your salt = $179/year
Did YOU do the math? :) If you plan on keeping the tank longer than 1 year, what's the better deal?
JAG107
Reef enthusiast
Everyone has good points here. You only need to aerate your mixed saltwater for a half day or so with a powerhead to get your dissolved oxygen levels up and make sure all the salt is well mixed. Some brands like oceanic mix very quickly, others take a few hours. In my garage, I have my 5 gal buckets with my ro water, a little heater from my old FW setup and a couple little rio powerheads for mixing. It's a quick job. I also would reccomend boosting your changes to once a week, maybe 10-15%. Monthly is kinda pushing it, especially for a smaller system. A lot of garbage can build up in that time, and a lot of trace elements can be depleted. Just some thoughts....
mennazeher04
Reefing newb
Since were talking about water changes......Is it necessary to do water changes during new tank cycle? I have a 120 gal tank with 30 gallon sump with 120lbs of LR.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
It's not necessary. I would only recommend it if you already have animals in the tank. In that case, water changes will keep the ammonia and nitrite levels lower (and safer for the animals), but your cycle will take longer to complete.
