Reef Aquarium - Water Change 101

[shelldrake1]

falseshock kip ... ur a little bitch

[faleshockjp]

First off your supposed to mix the water using a powerhead for 24 hours minimum. This will let the salt dislove completely in the water. You dont use your hand. Second your supposed to use a pump to put the water back into the tank after you syphon it out. This will cause less stress on your fish which in turn will get you more vibrant colors and most importantly healthy fish. SO next time you should do your reasearch. OH and next time dont make a corny video cause you look stupid.

[pezopeso]

gee thanks mr. 46 year old that acts like he's 7. Don't watch my videos and GIT.

[paroleviolator]

I used to do all the chemical stuff, then I started buying heated filtered sea water, NO mixn, NO chems, just perefct sea water. I did a 20% water change twice a month on a 200 gal tank.

[Runey00]

Sweet vid man! I am pretty new to the saltwater game, I have a 49 gal tank, how much do you suggest I change the water and how often?

[jacobknows]

Your tank is really nice!!!where do you get those test kits and how many fish you have?

[truellas]

how often do u recomdned a water change

[buckrandom]

every 2 weeks...it really depends on how much you want to change each time.

[buckrandom]

true...afterall it is saltwater :)

[dpalm3]

I have a 100 gal tank too. 5 gallons is nothing though. I usualy do 20-25 every two weeks. How often do you do 5 gallons?

[buckrandom]

weekly 5 gallon

[ZZMann33]

It about time. I responded to your video 2 months ago. Its all good though, better late then never.

[jpetrucci05]

Show em how its done

[buckrandom]

lol!

[ZZMann33]

Well done. I know what its like, i do that once a week maybe twice. Good Luck.

[buckrandom]

lol my tank is GONE!!!

[petarst]

what do you mean by that ?

[RapidCycling07]

incredible video...absolutely beautiful...i love the fish that look like Nemo...overall, the presentation is great...this puts me at peace

[blesson87]

hey do u have to let the water mature before you add it to the tank ? im just a beginner ... humble doubt of mine ...

[jeremys720]

It's good to let the salt dissolve and let the water clear before you put it in the tank.

[BiologyUsu]

Yeahhhh!!!! Now teach these brutalities over the world, junk head. thanks in the name of all nature.

[arcona7]

Sweet video buck. And sweet tank too. I love your coral. I am planning on starting my first marine aquarium and am wondering if I'm up to taking on a reef aquarium or if i should stick to a Fish only with live rock... any advice? by the way, what kind of filtration do you use?

[alteku]

hi what kind a water you used forr water changes???tap water or nutri sea water or water from the ocean

thank you for reply

[buckrandom]

reverse osmosis water (RODI). You can get it at a water supply store or install you're own RODI system.

[jay0360]

never use water from the ocean youll kill your tank

[jeremys720]

Not true, You can use ocean water. You just store it in a sealed bucket in a cool dark place for about a month.

[buckrandom]

true

[serenaf63]

hey Zach, why do u have to call him FF, I think he is cute and did a great job.

Buck way to go show some more!

[zachvonplato92688]

yeah but he is still a fucking fag, and he didnt messure his salt BEFORE putting it in water. so suck my nads hoe

[musho3210]

what the fuck is wrong with you, lay the fuck off this guy, he knows more than you you fucking dip-shit

[musho3210]

your fucking blind as well, wear some glasses or wipe that cum off your face you dirty ass mother fucker.

[Zealix]

zach ofc he did he just didnt show it you dumbfuck!

[zachvonplato92688]

nice chromis.... fag. you should messure your salt before dumping it in. your a retard, i hope your tank crashes

[oakleyguy882]

at 1:05 he did check his salinity before dumping it into the tank.

[slayer544]

ill tank man

[musho3210]

hey, are you involved in any fish forums?

[andrewtheguitarist]

i want a small 8g reef. My dad will get it for me. I have been a TRUE freshwater hobbyist for 5 years. In that time onlt 4 fish have died. =( I am only 11 do you reccomend an 8g reef aqwuarium for me? If so what fish?

[KraigD320]

8 gallons is pretty small, the bigger the tank the more room for area, if you want to get a saltwater nano tank, i would recomend a nano cube from jbj or oceanic or any other kind that comes with a protein skimmer.

[musho3210]

jbj and oceanic doesnt come with a skimmer

[KraigD320]

or, OR, OR , Or any other that comes with a protein skimmer musho3210, you can buy skimmers that fit into jbj and oceanics. Now what son

[musho3210]

i know... there called saphire skimmers..... with a little modding you can fit the tunze DOC 9002 into one of the chambers. But really, nanos dont need skimmers, weekly 15-20% water changes would do.

[KraigD320]

would it be ok to just put aqua safe into some tap water then add the salt or do you need distilled or RO Water?

[clopez0]

RO/DI will prevent any algae problems along the way.

[kent12394]

Very nice indeed, When I remove algae I take a "non sharp" approach. I don't like to use the razor blades if you don't do it correctly you can scratch the tank. I use scrubbing pads or algae be gone tank buddies. When getting water RO is a very good source but it is pricey , i use tap water and chemical load it for my hardy tanks. When pouring it in be careful not to upset the corals. If some corals get air in there system they die. I don't syphon my water out since i have such neat fish.

[iCONICAACINOCi]

beautiful, great job! with any luck/skill my reef will look as good as that in a couple of years, what is the name of that green anemone? thanks.

[UniversalBrother108]

nice work, good looking tank bro

[slickrick1608]

Great job. All you do is a 5 gallon water change every week or what?

[iamkewljk]

hey great vid! would you mind telling me what the name of this song is?

[microbius1]

reeftastic

[buckrandom]

thanks!

[lobo1991p]

hey, whats your lighting btw?

[buckrandom]

14k 250 W Phoenix double ended metal halides.

[buckrandom]

generally...yup!

[kyrieeleison1]

It's nothing new to me but you deserve a high rating because you're someone who takes pride in maintaining a beautiful saltwater reef aquarium. Well done!

[jasonsony735]

Wow sweet :) I want to Start a Marine Fist Tanks setup . Want to give me some Tips ? I have had Fresh Water Tank for over 4 years and want to move on to Marine fish now :)

[buckrandom]

hrmmm...lets just say....hrmmm...freshwater is carefree lol.

[StevieT]

Way to make a water change fun! I think Buck is employee of the month!

[buckrandom]

lol XD...burger shack can I help you?

[fishyzinga]

your tank is mad i just sold my discus tank and bought a 1000 litre marine tank pick it up 10 days ill send you vid

[buckrandom]

awesome...show us how you nitrogen cycle it.

[Kyrin01]

I use a turkey baster and gently blast all the rocks with the spray before i remove any water... just to help clear out a little more junk than the overflows regularly do...lots less foam in the skimmer!!!

[buckrandom]

I've read that somewhere...good lookin out.

[Cheeseman66666]

You should really heat up the water before you pour it in.

[buckrandom]

yea...I do in the winter...thanx.

[Sean117Ply]

WOW, your tank is amazing, you should do some more videos on saltwater tank maintenance for people like me. I am thnking about setting one up!!!

[buckrandom]

thanks...workin on it!

[MThomas23]

I use Instant ocean salt, they reccomend salinity at 1.023, i have Ph 8.2 and temp at 79/80.I have clownfish and a few damsels and a couple starfish. I dont us R.O water either- just tap water, but we dont have chloramine in UK water ,just chlorine, if water is areated for 48 hours before use the chlorine evaporates. But everyone does things slightly different.

[buckrandom]

wow hello to the UK! I was in London in February...froze my ass off...but great place to be. Post a vid of your tank. :D

[StevieT]

I'd say 77-78# is the temp to aim for. You have to watch out for copper in your tap water. RO water is the best, I use nothing but.

[buckrandom]

sounds good.

[lobo1991p]

when you test the parameters, you have to get the bucket water close to the parameters of the tank water, if something like the calcium or pH is off, how would you fix that? buffers?

[buckrandom]

the calcium of the mixed water should be fine because it hasn't been used...it's not like your organisms would die due to excess calcium. And depending on your tank size, the amount of water change should only be around 10-15 % bimonthly.

[Gangstersrbitches]

25 percent if you're replenishing with nutrients for filter feeders. Specific gravity levels are individual requirements. Stock fish and corals with like salinity recommendations. Check the Encyclopedia of Fishes and Marine Biology for exact SG requirements.

[Gangstersrbitches]

Also, you didn't vacuum the substrate when you changed the water. If you're going to stick to your 10-15 every other month water change regimen, please don't tell me about it. I feel for your animals, they are in harms way. Beautiful tank though! Nice choice of fish, mostly hard to kill. Do you test before and after your changes? Do you treat your new fish in a separate tank with copper?

[Gangstersrbitches]

The copper they might receive in the holding tanks won't kill the eggs on their bodies that hatch in the home tank.

[buckrandom]

i believe you're talking about quarentine tank for new specimens...I haven't had a new specimen in 2 years...but thanks for the recommendation to prevent ich.

[Gangstersrbitches]

Ich? That's what you got out of it? Clueless.

[buckrandom]

No, I also was able to determine dat you a ho biscuit.

[buckrandom]

10-15 every other week. I'm not tellin you nothin, u can click the back button anytime...this was just a fun video giving the gist what my BIMONTHLY (which means every 2 weeks FYI) water change entails. Everyone has different routines.

[buckrandom]

exact SG reqs would be better calculated with refractometers...but again this wasn't meant to be some advanced reefpro techniques. Percentage of water would change depending on the size of the tank wouldnt it? (i.e. Nano vs 1k tank.

[Gangstersrbitches]

No they wouldn't. Animals need a certain specific gravity. You can't change that. Dude, you're fucking stupid. Reef tanks 25-30 percent per month. Period. You have to vacuum the substrate.Period. You should never use powerheads. Period. Bacteria only feeds at a specific rate. Not according to how fast you flush waste over them. Period. I could go on. But you know everything.

[buckrandom]

"animals need a certain specific gravity"....ROFL

"Reef tanks 25-30% a month, its the LAW!" tell sea world.

"Bacteria only feeds at specific rate"...bioload.

[StevieT]

WOW. Now this is more than my opinion. I have a 12g nano for over a year now. 1. I use powerheads to create flow for all corals, why wouldn't you, that is natural.

2. I do a weekly 10% water change, it is specific to your size of tank. Larger tanks can handle 2 a month.

3. I rarely vaccum my live sand, my clean up crew does it for me daily.

4. Chill out, his tank is over 2 years old, i think he knows a thing or two.

[TheGreatAndMightyMe]

You have some cool critters in there. What do you do with them when you siphon out the water?

[buckrandom]

thanks...the critters go back the tank.

[Sandycheeks1968]

Water changes suck! But hey, whatchya gonna do?! :o) Good vid.

[buckrandom]

yea but sometimes its kinda meditative for me.

[Sandycheeks1968]

I can see that totally, well Im certainly glad one of us enjoys it even a little. I have an educational video in the works for salt tanks etc. Ill let you know when its up.

[buckrandom]

oh really? awesome, if you'd like, video respond to this video.

[Sandycheeks1968]

Yes and it should be very informative and helpful to those who need help for free. I know everyone does it differently but I think people will enjoy the video and I will definately do a video response. :o)

[Sean117Ply]

that sounds really cool

[Sandycheeks1968]

For now I posted one of my other fish tank videos, hope you like it. Mind you I did not put that much work into making my fish videos, they could have been done much better, but enjoy anyway! :o)

[Briant27]

AWESOME TANK!

[buckrandom]

thanks briant.

[fragfactory]

great job!

i really liked the vid and the tank of course ;)

[buckrandom]

thanks! where's your frag factory?

[fragfactory]

oh sorry buck

my nick has nothing to do with tanks :/ i´m a gamer

but i had tanks over years and i know how hard it is to keep it well and alive ;)

[buckrandom]

those pocilliporas (sps corals at the top) were one inch frags when i bought them. I am very suprised with their fast growth and ease of care.

[LarryjSarasota]

Beautiful Aquarium !! Congrats on a job well done.Super nice brain corals,dude.

[buckrandom]

thanks larry...you got a great nano setup..yea the brains were revived from some recession.

[filipeportugal21]

Thanks for the video!! Awesome video, music and tank!!!!

[buckrandom]

thanks.

[bracken222]

dope tank.

[SC0TTK1NM4RT1N]

Next, I personally highly recommend Python style hose-to-sink gravel syphons which allow easy removal/addition of water to aquariums. With hydrometers, I would add the tip of tapping it several times to remove air bubbles and allowing a more accurate reading. Slowly pouring water close to filter intake allows safe, stress-free dispursement of water.

[buckrandom]

nice and thoroughly said. *thumbs up*

[musho3210]

only problem with that is that you dont use tap water for saltwater tanks (so you would be using the python to remove, not add), his siphon is just fine i would say, maybe not that easy to start it but works fine, not worth the added expense of a python.

[buckrandom]

python?? wow I feel old school.

[SC0TTK1NM4RT1N]

Why couldn't you use tapwater? Of course RO water is better but tapwater could work just fine in most tanks (providing the salt is mixed in a bucket with some water first).

[Bolivian0ram]

tap water can contain phosphates and nitrates which lead to unwanted algae growth, tap water can also contain a very large amount of other bad stuff (copper, large amount of dissolved metals)

[SC0TTK1NM4RT1N]

Stress Coat removes chlorine, neutralizes chloramines and detoxifies heavy metals. I attest, you can use tapwater in most saltwater aquariums successfully. However, obviously using pre-cultured water or RO water is more beneficial.

[Bolivian0ram]

tap water has a heck of a lot more things than just chlorine, chloramine and it doesnt get rid of all heavy metals.

[Bolivian0ram]

Plus stress coat makes the skimmer go crazy

[SC0TTK1NM4RT1N]

Let me clarify. If you're setting up a reef tank, don't use tap water. If you've got a fish-only tank, tap water is acceptable. BUT, tap water should be second choice. There, better?

[buckrandom]

sounds good.

[buckrandom]

if tap is good for you, kudos! Cheaper and less work! But my protein skimmer doesn't handle those liquid additives.

[buckrandom]

Hey Scott! I've read that tapwater (depending on your location) has a lot of nutrients (i.e. phosphates, metals etc) that algae feed on...so it's a safe bet to use RO water to safegaurd from unwanted algae.

[SC0TTK1NM4RT1N]

Yeppers. Thanks for the info. :)

[StevieT]

A python is nice, i use one on my fresh water tank. But for my salt water it wouldn't work. It is nice to suck, but to add you still need buckets since you are adding salt and water. It would be cool to mount a hose and a pump from the premixed bucket.

[SC0TTK1NM4RT1N]

That would be cool.

[SC0TTK1NM4RT1N]

I wouldn't recommend stirring the water with your hand by reaching your arm in the tank. But if you do, be sure to mention washing them first. I also wouldn't recommend a razor for regular cleaning. They sell many Mag-Float type magnetic scrapers that work just fine for most maintenance. Besides, improper buck scraping can cause perminant scratches in aquariums that only create hard-to-remove algae.

[buckrandom]

awesome! thanks for the heads up...helps us all out.

[buckrandom]

yes...if you have a spare powerhead...you can place it in the bucket to mix the water and in addition, put a heater in it to match the temp of the tank. Always wash your hands! I haven't found a mag-float that removes coraline...:(. It's probably easier to scratch acrylic as opposed to glass.

[Gangstersrbitches]

Yes, the magnetic scraper is better than sliced bread. Also, you can jump from the front to the sides without putting your hands in the water because the thing will just jump acrosss the corner when you drag it.

[buckrandom]

I don't know any magnetic scrapers tough enough to scrape coralline.

[SC0TTK1NM4RT1N]

You're obviously doing things pretty good with a beautiful tank like that. But, can I make some suggestions for the video?....

[musho3210]

yay someone who knows what he's doing and actually takes care of the fish and corals and inverts, 5 stars. Only thing i would recommend is trying to get a higher ph, 8.0 is kinda low, shoot for maybe 8.3-8.4. Better for the corals.

Is that an AquaC skimmer i see?

[buckrandom]

you know it! HOB Remora. PH fluctuates night and day for me...7.9 - 8.3

[musho3210]

thats quite a fluctuate, what salt mix do you use, you might not have enough buffers to keep it stable.  Reef crystals is pretty good at buffering.

[buckrandom]

hrmmm well I think PH is supposed to be higher at night...as for salt...oceanic or instant ocean is the most accessible here in Los Angeles...so thats what I use...haha we should get some frag swaps goin here.

[maroonclown1]

very cool Great job !!! best looking tank i have seen in a long time very cool video well done what size is that tank

[buckrandom]

I like your tank too! The tank is 100 gallons.

[maroonclown1]

Thanks keep up the great work

[tangejoos]

I've always wondered how reef aquariums are maintained. Nice fishes :D.

[buckrandom]

well now you have the gist :).

[alpinerasty]

wow your corals are awesome dude...what kind of lighting do you use?

[buckrandom]

14k double ended metal halide phoenix bulbs.

[buckrandom]

Thanks! 3 years.

[werpNY64]

Beatiful tank! I want one. How long have you had the tank?