What’s Your Excuse for Skipping Water Changes?

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Excuses, excuses! When it comes to putting off those tedious maintenance chores, such as routine partial water changes, we hobbyists have a million of ‘em! But for every attempt we make to justify our indolence, there’s a more compelling counterargument for sticking with the regimen. Let’s look at some of the more common excuses we ... [Read More]

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I spent a fortune on salt for My new tank in the new house to find the parameters, Mg and Ca levels, lower than acceptable for a fowlr, I have spent 3/4 of that amount since to rectify the parameters, I now sit with a half a bucket of the salt that I am too scared to put into my tank in case it lowers my parameters, I have contacted the supplier but they refuse to admit any guilt based on the batch number of their product, thy want me the customer to send them a sample of the salt at my expense to their factory overseas, and have ignored my queries since stating that.
 
oh and the Salt is advised for use on reef tanks, mg levels were around 900 calc at 290...
 
zippy said:
oh and the Salt is advised for use on reef tanks, mg levels were around 900 calc at 290...
Click to expand...


Those Figures seems a bit low... But the ratio of Ca to Mg seems fine. Mg wil more or less be three times that of your Ca. So that looks good. The only problem I assume you have then is that if you were to simply add more salt to your mix the Salinty would be out.
 
I use the exact same salt and this is my parameters:

Sg 1.023
Alk 8.15 dkh
Ca 410 ppm
Mg 1050 ppm

I am mixing to a lower specific gravity to keep my alk levels around 8.
 
My excuse... Travelled to Taiwan for 10 days, and arranged someone to do a water change... But...... the individual didn't go get premixed water as they said that there apparently wasn't any... Cost me big time as 4 corals perished and my 2 banggai cardinals pegged... Not something nice to come home to... So last Friday when I returned, had to do some emergency tank treatments to sort out the parameters... Too add insult to injury, the individual also unplugged my skimmer whilst charging his phone, and forgot to plug it back in -.-

But now at least parameters are back in check and livestock is happy again...
 
Henkie said:
I use the exact same salt and this is my parameters:
Click to expand...

I keep telling them I must have got a bad batch, but I may as well be talking to the wall, I know many reefers that use the same stuff.
 
mine is not an excuse but a logical reason :)

each to their own
 
I have read and seen posts by some very experienced reefers on reefcentral that do a WC once a year, some never do one. Some have great looking tanks and some don't. EACH TO HIS OWN!
 
With my tank I've noticed that things look happier and system is much better when I don't do any water changes and just leave it alone ..... I do however believe that fish do grow faster with good regular water changes ... But. ..I still lean towards not doing them ...
 
I found on mine, my tank inhabitants were much happier with regular water changes. so i still stick to a 25l water change once every 2 weeks on my tl550. but everyone has said above each to their own.
 
My excuse for not doing water changes...... BIOCUBES:thumbup:
 
I do minimum 200L water change on a 1200L system per month.

When I get new fish, I do small 20L water changes every second day for 5 times. That is to do the bucket treatment. That is 100L.

Cleaning the QT and refilling it completely, that would be another 180L, but normally I do just the "display" or the sump. Not both at the same time.

I got 2*220L drums. Found it easier to mix the salt in one. Drain / pump 200L from the main display into the empty drum. Refill system from the mixed drum. Then I use the 200L old water for water changes on my 220L holding tank and the 90L QT.

Time taken for one 200L water change for main system, then another 100L for holding tank and another 100L for QT tank. Less than an hour for 3 water changes. (Should time myself next time).

From my thread....
Doing a 200L water change - without carrying a single drum...


First switch off the return, then pump out using a Water Blaster 5000L/h



into empty drum.


Full drum is right next to it, Fill empty drum until its water level is the same as the full drum

Remove the pump from the tank and fit it to the other end of the hose, in the full tank


And pump the new salt water back to the display


Thereafter, dump 100L directly out of the holding tank into drain. Fill the holding tank with the old water from the display.

Do the same to the quarantine system. Dumped 100L, OK and I cleaned the bioballs section in the sump, and used the last 100L old display water. To fill up the quarantine again.
 
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