Hey, i think it should be said that if you misdose or something that one elements gets way to high, never remove it fast. The fast low to high and then fast back will more likely kill the corals then get slowly back down to normal. Always experiencd this with customers, never had problems if the overdosed element was removed slowly
A trick to avoid sucking a mouthful of water when starting a siphon is put the hose well deep into the tank, seal the dry end of the hose with your thumb and then lift most of the wet end out of the tank while lowering the dry end to start the siphon. No fuss. No mouthful of tank water. My grandfather taught me this for siphoning gas out of cars.
And if you got a trickier tank just hold a little aquarium pump to the submerged end of the pipe and while the other end is in a drain or bucket it will start to siphon and you can remove the pump.
I have been a fresh water guy for awhile now, I am now starting my first nano saltwater tank yes I know smaller can mean hard to maintain. I asked around on Facebook and other fish chats and everyone says I need to watch u guys so for the last 3 days I have watched this and the 52 weeks of reefing series I feel like I have a small understanding of what I am doing but I have made a lot of friends so I have many places to go for helpful information
@@juli8vdberg562 it went really good while I had time for it as long as you stick to just fish it’s not much harder then freshwater but if you want corals it requires a lot more work on keeping water quality
The % explanation is a great ADD to the hobby community. This was my number one conversation with in store-customers who were frustrated that their 20% water change did not make a significant impact to the 160ppms of Nitrates they were testing. A simple piece of paper and percentage break down would leave them with greater comprehension as to why a 20% water change was not the solution to see a significant impact in waste levels without proactively approaching the cause and effect and evaluating the equipment that was failing or missing entirely in consistent waste removal - most often a Protein Skimmer and a moderated feeding methodology.
Thanks guys; a great resource for reefers all over the world! Pretty fortunate in Western Australia, self collected high quality natural salt water then I can clean the rocks (if needed), siphon the sand and drain it out out using a large diameter anti kink hose. I pump it back in using a external pump. Nice and easy with some tunes and a couple of beers!
We have spent a lot of time designing our frag systems so that water changes and top offs are effortless. We all know that maintenance can be the reason we quit reefing so these points you bring up are great! It's not for everyone but definitely pay attention to a lot of what's discussed in this video.
I figured out #4 back when I had my 75g circa '04. Had a 2 story apartment, and I used the downstairs bathroom as a fish room. Bad water down the shower drain, and I had the new saltwater in a 55g bin in the same shower. A bit of kit bashing with the hoses, and I was able to refill the tank just by flipping a lever. That was such a huge time saver.
This is good. All great things we know, but often forget as try to cram this great hobby into our busy lives. Thanks for the great content! It sets you apart from the other retailers. I shop BRS consistently.
I've taken my water changes to a whole new level, when I drilled my 125 gallon tank I drilled an extra hole in the back of the tank half way down specifically for water changes. I have a drain pipe inside the tank set at the desired level I want the water to drain down to with a sieve on top to prevent any fish, snails etc going down the pipe, this is painted black so it's almost invisible against the black background. The drain outside the tank then goes through the floor of the house and connects into the plumbing of the house. I have 2 taps on the plumbing on the outside of the tank, 1 drains the tank into the plumbing of the house, once the water gets to the preset level inside the tank it breaks the siphon which takes hardly no time at all. The other tap I connect a reef safe 1" braided hose to, the other end of the hose gets connected to the mixing station and I can fill the tank through the same drain pipe in the back of the tank, which also takes hardly not much time. Over all my water change takes less than half an hour, excluding cleaning the tank and mixing saltwater the previous day, and it just involves opening and closing taps, and connecting the filler hose to refill the tank. Eventually I'll run pvc from the mixing station, under the house, and to the tank so i can eliminate the need for the filler hose altogether.
Sicce ultra zero pump is awesome! I have two of them. One always lives in my salt water mixing bin which bulls from the bottom and pushes up to the top. The drain down to 2mm of water! Great value pump!
Thank you for all these information. I want to do a nano coral aquarium. But I am doing research learning from you guys plus Matt, plus the other’s that work there, Thank you again.
I had not realized there were narrower versions of that siphon thingy. I use a python on my daughter's 20G FW tank (I missed the fine print where I was being retained indefinitely as the maintenance company) and its hard to get the nasty from the crowded spots. Will have to pick one of those up!
Great video guys 👍 I use a hang on the side, Power Gravel Cleaner, which has a fine mesh inside, so it traps the muck coming out of the tank and the clean water goes straight back into the tank, I think it’s one of the best bits of kit I have ever bought !
Mouthful? I've gotten tastes when starting acclimation drips, but who starts a water change siphon with their mouth? Fill the large tube with water, lift up above rim and turn upside down to start flow, resubmerge before running out of water in tube.
Great video, however i don’t 100% agree with the simple math of 10% 90%, if your doing a water swap (like auto water changes) and nothing else, then yeah it’s pretty much spot on. However, if you turkey baste the rocks, vacuum detritus from the sand bed, and change the filter socks that 10% water change will be potentially removing a lot more than 10% of the pollutants.
Exactly! There's way more involved here than just changing water. I can get the same or better benefits from a 5-10% 'aggressive' water change as opposed to a typical 10-30+% water change that removes only water...... Also, I dont do water changes unless its an ABSOLUTE must. I've only done a 10% aggressive change once in 6 months.
Nice video, really love it :) I'm a bit skeptical for the part "Using a filtration before it goes to your aquarium" You will lose a lot of mineral and what not no? Some time I turn my light also when I know lot of corals will be expose for long, I splash them with my wet hand to make sure they don't dries
Keeping in mind that a sediment filter captures larger particles... the salt/calcium/carbonate/magnesium/trace elements are not large enough to get filtered out. It's those larger unknown and undissolved particles and impurities that we are concerned with removing via a sediment filter.
Another great video - you guys continue to change the educational landscape for reefing, thank you! (As a side note, how can anyone give this video a thumbs down when it's free and valuable content? Can't figure that one out, lol!)
The idea of testing products to remove heavy metals is a good one Copper is well documented Tin isn’t and it’s a contaminant that keeps popping up on ICP tests, sources can be from the glass making process, Plasticisers in PVC pipes and electrical components that are failing This would be a great review
Great video, helps me as a beginner alot. What do you think about pre-mixing and storing Red Sea Reefer Coral Pro salt? I was thinking about premixing alot and i read in many forums that it's totally not recommended, but exactly as you say, if you have a busy time you might skip the change more often.....
Check out our BRStv Investigates Salt series. What we found is that as long as you keep stored with flow and heat, precipitation isn't an issue. That said, Red Sea doesn't recommend storing Coral Pro for longer than 4 hours, so just know that you may get different results than advertised if you stray from the manufacturer's recommendations.
20:42 can definitely sat that its from exposure to the air as soon as its dry its dead. they happened to me recently, and there were no lights and a cling wrapped the top as the back wall has a really large patch of gsp. coralline also dries out quickly, it seems.
I have it pretty easy with just an IM20. I buy natural marine water at my LFS. The guy who supplies it has been bringing water to stores in the Bay Area for 40 years. I change 5 gallons a week. Rain or shine. 5 gallons a week. This is easy to do, fast, and great for that nutrient transport we all want. I do not run a protein skimmer on such a small tank. I let the weekly 5 take of that.
You can use a small canister filter and hook a gravel cleaner to it to make cleaning your sand a lot more simple and effective and can be done in between w/c
You can get these big blue 75 gallon storage containers with sealing open tops for 50 - 75 dollars. After years I just set up two, one for rodi and one to mix salt in. They are connected so I can open a valve to send rodi to the other one to mix the salt. Both have a tap to fill buckets.. after watching this vid, definitely gonna setup the retractable hose reals .. 6 5gal buckets for a 20% water change is a pain in the buttox!!!
I have my pumps lights and heater all on one power strip. Switch the power strip off and bam ready for a water change. Anything else you have that doesnt need to be turned off can be put on a different power strip and leave on. Side note: interesting about the algae bleaching. Kind of makes sense maybe thats what happened. Temp difference in room to water maybe threw them off too? Shocked them or room temp was too high/low? who knows. Anyway, I always turn the lights off simply because I don't like bright lights in my face while working on the tank lol, but nice to know it may be beneficial in some way too!
I have found what's best for my glass cages 260 reef tank is 30% every 3 weeks and it thrives very well. It's like giving the fish and acropora a clean bath.😊
I was only able to get to a place where I could do minimal water changes after I set up a refugium with a healthy stock of microfauna. Due to the refugium the animals couldn't get to the breeding stock of my microfauna so that stock was what the coral fed upon too, mostly at night.
Jake Adams would probably disagree on the no water changes on new tanks 😆🙈😆 his red sea nano 1 day setup tank hasn't had a water change in 2 years from day 1
You all never tested fritz salt and it says heat water to tank temperature add salt and mix for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes it’s ready to use. Would like to see you guys test items that you don’t carry.
Yeah, I just moved to using Fritz after a bad batch of Instant Ocean. Fritz is awesome, its crystal clear in 5 minutes and the DKH isn't a crazy 11+ or stupid low Calcium like IO salt.
Im an islander i always use natural sea water in my saltwater tank Fish,liverock,corals all taken from the same source Its only cost filtration and the tank itself for me to build my saltwater tank no cycling needed been doing fine this last 3 years
Great video, but could have been so much better if you had done the countdown in the order that you do your water changes. 1) make up the water overnight... 2) check the parameters of the new water... 3) scrub/Remove algae 4) baste the rocks then onto the actual water change section... would have made way more sense (imo)
Not turning off the ATO when you're draining out the sump!! Done that a few times! 🤦♂️ I now have both ATO and Skimmer on a wifi socket and tell 'Alexa' to turn them off before I start my water change. Works for me.
Hahahaha first mistake I made on my first and I beoieve third water change. I now have a very strick checklist that starts with ATO going offline hahah
Lots of great tips! I ordered a bin from amazon last night on wheels that holds alot of water so I can premix it and just wheel it in to the tank but now think I will either get a pump or the phython and not even have to move it! Not sure if i can use the phyton into the bin though to take the water to the tank or is it the pump that would be best for that situation? I do have a big utility sink in the same room I am keeping the bin so I could drain it into there but cant fill it being its not fresh water. To bad I cant get full use out of it! I also thought about using my big cooler on wheels to drain water into and it has a plug you pull to release the water out. How would I change the alkalinity on a large water change? I dont dose being I do weekly water changes on my 10 gallon so now today I am doing my first change on my 36 gallon and I am going to do a 50 percent being it just finished cycling. Also when figuring percentage do you count sump as total water volume I suppose?
You'll need some sort of pump to pump your freshly mixed saltwater to your tank after you've drained it for a water change. If you need to adjust the alkalinity of your freshly mixed saltwater, we'd suggest using sodium bicarbonate. Unfortunately, you can't adjust it down, just up, so pick a salt mix that most closely matches your tank's water parameters.
@@BRStv Thanks for reply! I nearly killed myself with my first big water change last night and ended up flooding my sump! haha I couldnt figure out why when I got to the end of filling that it wouldnt fill! I moved the drain pipe down vertically just yesterday instead of keeping it horizontally so I suppose thats why! haha. Fun night! Now I am desperately wanting that pump you talked about. You mentioned cj. What is the name of that brand you showed that you can sit in sump?Also, regarding alkalinity and water change. A re there saltmixes that have different alkalinity's. I just bought a 5 gallon bucket, hope I got the right one
Hey BRS.. after talking about using water changes to clean sand, remove algae and detritus you then go on to advocate automatic water changes which does none of the above. I think it would have been wise to encourage a regular sand/rock cleaning schedule along with auto water changes otherwise buildup of nutrients will continue to build up despite the auto water changes.
Just because you have an auto water change system doesn't mean that you can't ever do an occasional manual water change to help clean up the rock and sand :)
Bulk Reef Supply absolutely! I was thinking it probably should have been worth mentioning in the video because it would easy to get complacent if you have auto water changes. Overall I think it was a great video though :)
Awsome..ii am new again to salt luv all that!!!!!!! Big help..I have 1 question. I have a 15 gal. Nano and have the sump in it (fluvol evo) and added diy wet dry.can I over filtrate
It's certainly possible to have too good of a filtration system. Most reefers will monitor nitrate and phosphate levels to give them an idea of how their filtration is performing. The goal is low, but not zero, nitrates and phosphates.
Could you mention, though, that some fish, like Tangs, like to eat that algae. Also, what is the harm of it if it is alive? Isn't is eating up nitrates? I can understand not wanting it on the front glass or sand, but my Tangs love to eat it and I think it looks cool.
hi great video I know your videos is more about saltwater aquariums but I have 1 question when I python the sand I don't always see the waste going up do that means I'm not cleaning I have no spill python water changer
thank you! Question: my aquarium is fully of bioload, he was doing great until yesterday! I added 50 small hermit crabs • for a sudden growth of brown algae around the tank, this morning some corals were looking with white spots and stressed. This is not the first time after adding a new organism, that's why I don't like to add any other animal to my tank but some people recommend me add more hermit and was only a cleaning crew. I did a water change 50% like I always do when this issue happens, 1 shot of nitrifying bacteria and activated carbon. Any comments regarding this issue?
i have 2 pumps and 2 conduits for water changes. 1 pump lives in my tank and my shrimp love to clean it and I use that to keep all the nasty with the nasty that way the clean water doesnt get polluted with what came out of the aquarium.
I have not had luck with preparing saltwater more than a few days out. I was regularly making a month worth of water, and then doing weekly changes. By the end of the month the water was green several times and had to throw away. Using a brute food safe trash can, heater, and powerhead.
It can be beneficial with some salt mixes to avoid precipitation issues, but even with AWC systems, the room temp water being exchanged with your tank water usually won't cause that big of a change in your tank's overall water temp.
Great video guys...but on #16, please understand that in natural coral reefs at low tides can leave corals high and dry for several hours....high tide is usually around 4pm and the sun is still very bright. I tend to think there was a different cause.
😅im guilty on water change almost lost a heater lucky i saw steam in time and cut the power ,so i leave it to cool before i could continue...😅 i plan beter now..😊
"That water is absolutely full of decaying food, fish poop, decaying tissue" also, most reef tank's water is so pristine that using dechlorinated tap water to make your salt water would contaminate it.
I think sensitive is a better word than pristine. It can handle fish shit and dead animal matter but a little bit of phosphate from tap water and here comes the drama.
@@bdawggification I just found it a bit of hyperbole to say you don't want to start a siphon because the water is so polluted. It's actually cleaner than most people's tap water. I wouldn't want to start the siphon by sucking on the tube either, but not because I'm worried about the contaminants.
@@siggyincr7447 It’s not cleaner than most peoples tap water. Fish poop and dead animal tissue is as bad for us as let’s say phosphate and nitrates can be to your fish tank. If you drink fish tank water minus the salinity of course it’s gonna kill you.
@@bdawggification We'll have to agree to disagree. The type of water that can support sustained SPS growth has next to no suspended fish waste. And I still maintain it's cleaner than tap water if you remove the salt. If it were had significant amounts of fish waste in it the nitrate and phosphate levels would rise in a matter of hours. But between the corals actively feeding on any suspended particles and protein skimming reef tank water is generally pristine. And no, drinking tank water would not kill you, though the salt will probably make you vomit.
@@siggyincr7447 I bet you’d start agreeing with me if you actually were presented a glass of desalinated tank water with all the good fixings left. You don’t need to consume a significant amount of fish waste to get sick just like a tank just needs bit of tap water to be f’d up. Yes you will die, assuming you don’t stop drinking it after it making you sick or by ingesting the right pathogen that’s possibly present for your first (and last) time , which in a reef tank wouldn’t be all that hard.
So number 20 - Autowater changes and you say you hate carrying buckets etc, how do you incorporate the sand vacuuming that you also recommend. I have my plumbing constructed so I can connect a garden hose fitting to the plumbing and turn on the tap so it empties 60 lts and the using the same connection and a submersible pump can pump in 60 ltrs. But every second week I do the empty via siphon and vacuum the gravel and i hate doing it. I haven;t worked out a better system yet to vacuum the tank.
Even on an auto water change setup, sometimes doing a quick manual water change to siphon out the sandbed is necessary. Alternatively, you can always hit the sandbed with a turkey baster to stir it up and remove it via a filter sock or other mechanical filtration method.
We use these little Carbon/GFO reactors with a 10"inch sediment filter in them. Easy as can be! www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-single.html
i been doing a water change due to having high nitrate level also i am running Refugium i do have sand and do gravel not sure what else do to, also i have a BioMaxx BioPellet Reactor I haven't been using it.
Make yourself a seachem denitrate reactor using a 1 gallon water jug from the grocery store.. full it with denitrate and run a pump that flows 20-30gph and youre peoblem will be solved. My 135 gallon has 5 tangs a foxface and other various fish and i feed then heavily 2-3x a day. I use 2 gallone of denitrate on my tank making my own reactors with 1 gallon water jugs and some barb hose fittings and silicone. And running at 28gph my nitrates can go from 80ppm to 40ppm to 10 ppm in 4 days if i dont feed my fish. It really does work. Feeding my fish it keeps my nitrates around 20-30ppm. And without it ny nitrates would get to over 80 in just a week
Went I do water change before do it I use the Turkey baster to clean the rocks the used a cheap power head to create micro bubble and all that stuff go to filter in the sump also the micro bubble clean the corals
What i do is make my water in one 24 hour day. First i mix it with a aquarium pump and heater that makes the water the same temp as the tank. Then i measure the salinity for the last time both in the tank and the mix. Keep in mind that water does evaporate and the salinity goes up.(this is almost neglectable in 24 hours but to be sure do measure it) because salt cant evaporate from your water. To keep the water level correct first turn off any eqipment that cant run un submerged. (I dont run a refugium.) Then take out the water in the same container you use to fill that way you no how mutch to put back in. If you have any problems with your tank measure before the water change or your measurements will be incorrect. Wait at least 24 hours before measuring again to see any changes (keep in mind that it will always be lower with just added water and some can even be higher due to suplements in the salt.)
Its posible not to do change water to a 30 gallon? I usually change water one in a weekend. I donr use skimmer, no activate carbon, only sump and bacteries to low phos and nitrates. Corals: duncan, pachiclavularie, goniophoras, kenia tree and xenia pulsating. Fishes: ocelaris, sinchiropus, bleny. Thx u and regards.
How many of these Top 20 Water Change Mistakes have you made?
More then I care to admit lol
Many. But the big one was shattering a heater.
Hey, i think it should be said that if you misdose or something that one elements gets way to high, never remove it fast. The fast low to high and then fast back will more likely kill the corals then get slowly back down to normal.
Always experiencd this with customers, never had problems if the overdosed element was removed slowly
20 :/
All of them, and proud to say I've made up some of my own.
A trick to avoid sucking a mouthful of water when starting a siphon is put the hose well deep into the tank, seal the dry end of the hose with your thumb and then lift most of the wet end out of the tank while lowering the dry end to start the siphon. No fuss. No mouthful of tank water. My grandfather taught me this for siphoning gas out of cars.
And if you got a trickier tank just hold a little aquarium pump to the submerged end of the pipe and while the other end is in a drain or bucket it will start to siphon and you can remove the pump.
Really good points. Great video 👍
Ayy, man I watch ur channel
I met u once ur nice but ur kinda stinky. Edit: as in u physically smell bad ur vids r good
George 😍
@@livinggarbage5168 what the fuck?😂
@@livinggarbage5168 hahahaha
The Wayne's World of reefing
I have been a fresh water guy for awhile now, I am now starting my first nano saltwater tank yes I know smaller can mean hard to maintain. I asked around on Facebook and other fish chats and everyone says I need to watch u guys so for the last 3 days I have watched this and the 52 weeks of reefing series I feel like I have a small understanding of what I am doing but I have made a lot of friends so I have many places to go for helpful information
How did it go with your nano SW tank?
@@juli8vdberg562 it went really good while I had time for it as long as you stick to just fish it’s not much harder then freshwater but if you want corals it requires a lot more work on keeping water quality
The % explanation is a great ADD to the hobby community. This was my number one conversation with in store-customers who were frustrated that their 20% water change did not make a significant impact to the 160ppms of Nitrates they were testing.
A simple piece of paper and percentage break down would leave them with greater comprehension as to why a 20% water change was not the solution to see a significant impact in waste levels without proactively approaching the cause and effect and evaluating the equipment that was failing or missing entirely in consistent waste removal - most often a Protein Skimmer and a moderated feeding methodology.
Thanks guys; a great resource for reefers all over the world!
Pretty fortunate in Western Australia, self collected high quality natural salt water then I can clean the rocks (if needed), siphon the sand and drain it out out using a large diameter anti kink hose. I pump it back in using a external pump. Nice and easy with some tunes and a couple of beers!
We have spent a lot of time designing our frag systems so that water changes and top offs are effortless. We all know that maintenance can be the reason we quit reefing so these points you bring up are great! It's not for everyone but definitely pay attention to a lot of what's discussed in this video.
Yes! I love vacuuming the gravel. It is very satisfying!
I figured out #4 back when I had my 75g circa '04. Had a 2 story apartment, and I used the downstairs bathroom as a fish room. Bad water down the shower drain, and I had the new saltwater in a 55g bin in the same shower. A bit of kit bashing with the hoses, and I was able to refill the tank just by flipping a lever. That was such a huge time saver.
I’d like to hear the full story.
Great info! Im getting back in after 20 years. I’ll be watching you guys as I get my stuff gathered up. Hopefully send some biz your way too.
This is good. All great things we know, but often forget as try to cram this great hobby into our busy lives. Thanks for the great content! It sets you apart from the other retailers. I shop BRS consistently.
I've taken my water changes to a whole new level, when I drilled my 125 gallon tank I drilled an extra hole in the back of the tank half way down specifically for water changes. I have a drain pipe inside the tank set at the desired level I want the water to drain down to with a sieve on top to prevent any fish, snails etc going down the pipe, this is painted black so it's almost invisible against the black background. The drain outside the tank then goes through the floor of the house and connects into the plumbing of the house. I have 2 taps on the plumbing on the outside of the tank, 1 drains the tank into the plumbing of the house, once the water gets to the preset level inside the tank it breaks the siphon which takes hardly no time at all. The other tap I connect a reef safe 1" braided hose to, the other end of the hose gets connected to the mixing station and I can fill the tank through the same drain pipe in the back of the tank, which also takes hardly not much time. Over all my water change takes less than half an hour, excluding cleaning the tank and mixing saltwater the previous day, and it just involves opening and closing taps, and connecting the filler hose to refill the tank. Eventually I'll run pvc from the mixing station, under the house, and to the tank so i can eliminate the need for the filler hose altogether.
Incredible 👍🏻
Great idea
@@meatrocket1
Thanks, water changes used to be such a chore, they're now so quick and easy on the 125 gallon tank
Sicce ultra zero pump is awesome! I have two of them. One always lives in my salt water mixing bin which bulls from the bottom and pushes up to the top. The drain down to 2mm of water! Great value pump!
Heck yes
Thank you for all these information. I want to do a nano coral aquarium. But I am doing research learning from you guys plus Matt, plus the other’s that work there, Thank you again.
Awesome information guys cheers
I had not realized there were narrower versions of that siphon thingy. I use a python on my daughter's 20G FW tank (I missed the fine print where I was being retained indefinitely as the maintenance company) and its hard to get the nasty from the crowded spots. Will have to pick one of those up!
Hi guys good morning from Germany. We love your clips and love too keep in touch with you guys. Best regards from Reef Buddies from Germany
Great video guys 👍 I use a hang on the side, Power Gravel Cleaner, which has a fine mesh inside, so it traps the muck coming out of the tank and the clean water goes straight back into the tank, I think it’s one of the best bits of kit I have ever bought !
is your power filter DIY or did you get from a store? do you hove a link or the name of it? or is Power Gravel Cleaner the name? lol
You’re not a reefer unless you’ve ever swallowed a mouthful of saltwater.
Lol
Hahahahaha, true. :(
I just did that acclimating my green spotted into saltwater.
Mouthful? I've gotten tastes when starting acclimation drips, but who starts a water change siphon with their mouth?
Fill the large tube with water, lift up above rim and turn upside down to start flow, resubmerge before running out of water in tube.
craz wolf The og’s
Very informative gentlemen! Great job
What brand is the black sand cleaner vac used in video?
Thanks
Great video, however i don’t 100% agree with the simple math of 10% 90%, if your doing a water swap (like auto water changes) and nothing else, then yeah it’s pretty much spot on. However, if you turkey baste the rocks, vacuum detritus from the sand bed, and change the filter socks that 10% water change will be potentially removing a lot more than 10% of the pollutants.
Exactly! There's way more involved here than just changing water. I can get the same or better benefits from a 5-10% 'aggressive' water change as opposed to a typical 10-30+% water change that removes only water...... Also, I dont do water changes unless its an ABSOLUTE must. I've only done a 10% aggressive change once in 6 months.
I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and the in-depth testing you guys do. Thanks from the UK
Nice video, really love it :)
I'm a bit skeptical for the part "Using a filtration before it goes to your aquarium" You will lose a lot of mineral and what not no?
Some time I turn my light also when I know lot of corals will be expose for long, I splash them with my wet hand to make sure they don't dries
Keeping in mind that a sediment filter captures larger particles... the salt/calcium/carbonate/magnesium/trace elements are not large enough to get filtered out. It's those larger unknown and undissolved particles and impurities that we are concerned with removing via a sediment filter.
Any sediment in the water wouldn't be a trace element, so there shouldn't be any concerns there.
@@BRStv Good to know, thank you
Another great video. This series of 'biggest mistake' videos is probably one of my favorite series from you guys.
Another great video - you guys continue to change the educational landscape for reefing, thank you! (As a side note, how can anyone give this video a thumbs down when it's free and valuable content? Can't figure that one out, lol!)
The idea of testing products to remove heavy metals is a good one
Copper is well documented
Tin isn’t and it’s a contaminant that keeps popping up on ICP tests, sources can be from the glass making process, Plasticisers in PVC pipes and electrical components that are failing
This would be a great review
Great video, helps me as a beginner alot. What do you think about pre-mixing and storing Red Sea Reefer Coral Pro salt? I was thinking about premixing alot and i read in many forums that it's totally not recommended, but exactly as you say, if you have a busy time you might skip the change more often.....
Check out our BRStv Investigates Salt series. What we found is that as long as you keep stored with flow and heat, precipitation isn't an issue. That said, Red Sea doesn't recommend storing Coral Pro for longer than 4 hours, so just know that you may get different results than advertised if you stray from the manufacturer's recommendations.
20:42 can definitely sat that its from exposure to the air as soon as its dry its dead. they happened to me recently, and there were no lights and a cling wrapped the top as the back wall has a really large patch of gsp. coralline also dries out quickly, it seems.
I have it pretty easy with just an IM20. I buy natural marine water at my LFS. The guy who supplies it has been bringing water to stores in the Bay Area for 40 years. I change 5 gallons a week. Rain or shine. 5 gallons a week. This is easy to do, fast, and great for that nutrient transport we all want. I do not run a protein skimmer on such a small tank. I let the weekly 5 take of that.
You can use a small canister filter and hook a gravel cleaner to it to make cleaning your sand a lot more simple and effective and can be done in between w/c
Cant wait!! Love you guys and the content!! Now try and get LED light prices down!! ha ha
Great video,keep it up!
Hi what brand of water jet were you using to blow algae etc off the rocks??
I have the skimmer, heater, power heads, and pump on the same power strip. I turn it off when doing water changes. Makes it easier.
Same here, but do my water change in sump rather then tank about once a month to 6 weeks.
Thanks so muchj for this video. As a newbie, it would be extremely helpful if you'd add links to the items you're mention. Thanks again!
I find using a cheap turkey basting squeeze bulb to start the syphon the cleanest way to go.
You can get these big blue 75 gallon storage containers with sealing open tops for 50 - 75 dollars. After years I just set up two, one for rodi and one to mix salt in. They are connected so I can open a valve to send rodi to the other one to mix the salt. Both have a tap to fill buckets.. after watching this vid, definitely gonna setup the retractable hose reals .. 6 5gal buckets for a 20% water change is a pain in the buttox!!!
Really good stuff. Only a couple of missed items, but made notes!
Great vidro. I am a big fa of you ! Regards
Thanks guys, good stuff!
Great idea on the sediment filter no. 11, thanks guys
I like to put two fluval 110s on my tank to polish the water while i clean the rock and sand, works wonders.
Nice! We use BRS GFO/carbon reactors loaded with RO sediment filters in the same capacity when we're deep cleaning the studio tanks.
I have my pumps lights and heater all on one power strip. Switch the power strip off and bam ready for a water change. Anything else you have that doesnt need to be turned off can be put on a different power strip and leave on. Side note: interesting about the algae bleaching. Kind of makes sense maybe thats what happened. Temp difference in room to water maybe threw them off too? Shocked them or room temp was too high/low? who knows. Anyway, I always turn the lights off simply because I don't like bright lights in my face while working on the tank lol, but nice to know it may be beneficial in some way too!
Awesome content guys, some really great ideas 👍
I have found what's best for my glass cages 260 reef tank is 30% every 3 weeks and it thrives very well. It's like giving the fish and acropora a clean bath.😊
I was only able to get to a place where I could do minimal water changes after I set up a refugium with a healthy stock of microfauna. Due to the refugium the animals couldn't get to the breeding stock of my microfauna so that stock was what the coral fed upon too, mostly at night.
Please do a video on the DIY Hose Reel!
@@MrChadVossen Did you buy one?
how did it work with the clear poly tubing?
Jake Adams would probably disagree on the no water changes on new tanks 😆🙈😆 his red sea nano 1 day setup tank hasn't had a water change in 2 years from day 1
You all never tested fritz salt and it says heat water to tank temperature add salt and mix for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes it’s ready to use. Would like to see you guys test items that you don’t carry.
Yeah, I just moved to using Fritz after a bad batch of Instant Ocean. Fritz is awesome, its crystal clear in 5 minutes and the DKH isn't a crazy 11+ or stupid low Calcium like IO salt.
What hose reels are you guys using?
Did you you ever make a video on the hose reel?
Should always add links to anything for buying :)
Im an islander i always use natural sea water in my saltwater tank
Fish,liverock,corals all taken from the same source
Its only cost filtration and the tank itself for me to build my saltwater tank no cycling needed been doing fine this last 3 years
Great video, but could have been so much better if you had done the countdown in the order that you do your water changes.
1) make up the water overnight...
2) check the parameters of the new water...
3) scrub/Remove algae
4) baste the rocks
then onto the actual water change section... would have made way more sense (imo)
I think if you have a smaller tank its harder to both clean the sand and maybe do algae
Not turning off the ATO when you're draining out the sump!! Done that a few times! 🤦♂️
I now have both ATO and Skimmer on a wifi socket and tell 'Alexa' to turn them off before I start my water change. Works for me.
This is a big one lol
Hahahaha first mistake I made on my first and I beoieve third water change. I now have a very strick checklist that starts with ATO going offline hahah
Merci pour cette vidéo !!! 👍👍👍
Lots of great tips! I ordered a bin from amazon last night on wheels that holds alot of water so I can premix it and just wheel it in to the tank but now think I will either get a pump or the phython and not even have to move it! Not sure if i can use the phyton into the bin though to take the water to the tank or is it the pump that would be best for that situation? I do have a big utility sink in the same room I am keeping the bin so I could drain it into there but cant fill it being its not fresh water. To bad I cant get full use out of it! I also thought about using my big cooler on wheels to drain water into and it has a plug you pull to release the water out. How would I change the alkalinity on a large water change? I dont dose being I do weekly water changes on my 10 gallon so now today I am doing my first change on my 36 gallon and I am going to do a 50 percent being it just finished cycling. Also when figuring percentage do you count sump as total water volume I suppose?
You'll need some sort of pump to pump your freshly mixed saltwater to your tank after you've drained it for a water change. If you need to adjust the alkalinity of your freshly mixed saltwater, we'd suggest using sodium bicarbonate. Unfortunately, you can't adjust it down, just up, so pick a salt mix that most closely matches your tank's water parameters.
@@BRStv Thanks for reply! I nearly killed myself with my first big water change last night and ended up flooding my sump! haha I couldnt figure out why when I got to the end of filling that it wouldnt fill! I moved the drain pipe down vertically just yesterday instead of keeping it horizontally so I suppose thats why! haha. Fun night! Now I am desperately wanting that pump you talked about. You mentioned cj. What is the name of that brand you showed that you can sit in sump?Also, regarding alkalinity and water change. A re there saltmixes that have different alkalinity's. I just bought a 5 gallon bucket, hope I got the right one
Where can you get the python detailer that there talking about.
Hey BRS.. after talking about using water changes to clean sand, remove algae and detritus you then go on to advocate automatic water changes which does none of the above. I think it would have been wise to encourage a regular sand/rock cleaning schedule along with auto water changes otherwise buildup of nutrients will continue to build up despite the auto water changes.
Just because you have an auto water change system doesn't mean that you can't ever do an occasional manual water change to help clean up the rock and sand :)
Bulk Reef Supply absolutely! I was thinking it probably should have been worth mentioning in the video because it would easy to get complacent if you have auto water changes. Overall I think it was a great video though :)
What is the PMUP(?) you were using to blow off the rocks?
Awsome..ii am new again to salt luv all that!!!!!!! Big help..I have 1 question. I have a 15 gal. Nano and have the sump in it (fluvol evo) and added diy wet dry.can I over filtrate
It's certainly possible to have too good of a filtration system. Most reefers will monitor nitrate and phosphate levels to give them an idea of how their filtration is performing. The goal is low, but not zero, nitrates and phosphates.
Could you mention, though, that some fish, like Tangs, like to eat that algae. Also, what is the harm of it if it is alive? Isn't is eating up nitrates? I can understand not wanting it on the front glass or sand, but my Tangs love to eat it and I think it looks cool.
hi great video I know your videos is more about saltwater aquariums but I have 1 question when I python the sand I don't always see the waste going up do that means I'm not cleaning I have no spill python water changer
thank you! Question: my aquarium is fully of bioload, he was doing great until yesterday! I added 50 small hermit crabs
• for a sudden growth of brown algae around the tank, this morning some corals were looking with white spots and stressed. This is not the first time after adding a new organism, that's why I don't like to add any other animal to my tank but some people recommend me add more hermit and was only a cleaning crew. I did a water change 50% like I always do when this issue happens, 1 shot of nitrifying bacteria and activated carbon. Any comments regarding this issue?
What salt stores the best? Thats a great idea storing it
Check out our BRStv Investigates Salt series 😉
You forgot one, related to turning off the heater. Forgetting to turn the heater back on again. D'oh!
i have 2 pumps and 2 conduits for water changes. 1 pump lives in my tank and my shrimp love to clean it and I use that to keep all the nasty with the nasty that way the clean water doesnt get polluted with what came out of the aquarium.
I am working on a similar system. So much easier than buckets haha
What is the water gun thing they use to clean the rocks at 23:33
That's a pmup pump from Neptune Systems :)
I have not had luck with preparing saltwater more than a few days out. I was regularly making a month worth of water, and then doing weekly changes. By the end of the month the water was green several times and had to throw away. Using a brute food safe trash can, heater, and powerhead.
How about plugging your heaters back in I don't run a saltwater tank but a freshwater tank
I notice you guys say garden hoses are not safe but have a clip of someone using one. So what way is it?
I get this white powdery film on the surface of my saltwater mix. Not sure what it is. I use the SeaChem salt.
would running a heater in your storage bin be beneficial? maybe more specifically if you are running an AWC?
It can be beneficial with some salt mixes to avoid precipitation issues, but even with AWC systems, the room temp water being exchanged with your tank water usually won't cause that big of a change in your tank's overall water temp.
I like brs 🐶
What is that water jet he is using to blow debris of the rocks?
Just a Neptune Systems PMUP pump on an acrylic rod :)
I dunno but it looks cool right?
Great video guys...but on #16, please understand that in natural coral reefs at low tides can leave corals high and dry for several hours....high tide is usually around 4pm and the sun is still very bright. I tend to think there was a different cause.
😅im guilty on water change almost lost a heater lucky i saw steam in time and cut the power ,so i leave it to cool before i could continue...😅 i plan beter now..😊
How many gallons is a 10% water change is it 10 gallons?
10% on a 250Liter aquarium is a 25Liter waterchange because:
25 (Liter) x 10 (%) = 250 (Liter).
Hey guys - what is the gravel vacuum used at 17:30? it doesn't look like one of the python ones..
That is an older shot of an Aqueon gravel cleaner we used to stock years ago. :)
I just got a biocube mother's day and but still have freshwater 🐟 3 in my tank but I want change it to saltwater
"That water is absolutely full of decaying food, fish poop, decaying tissue" also, most reef tank's water is so pristine that using dechlorinated tap water to make your salt water would contaminate it.
I think sensitive is a better word than pristine. It can handle fish shit and dead animal matter but a little bit of phosphate from tap water and here comes the drama.
@@bdawggification I just found it a bit of hyperbole to say you don't want to start a siphon because the water is so polluted. It's actually cleaner than most people's tap water. I wouldn't want to start the siphon by sucking on the tube either, but not because I'm worried about the contaminants.
@@siggyincr7447 It’s not cleaner than most peoples tap water. Fish poop and dead animal tissue is as bad for us as let’s say phosphate and nitrates can be to your fish tank. If you drink fish tank water minus the salinity of course it’s gonna kill you.
@@bdawggification We'll have to agree to disagree. The type of water that can support sustained SPS growth has next to no suspended fish waste. And I still maintain it's cleaner than tap water if you remove the salt. If it were had significant amounts of fish waste in it the nitrate and phosphate levels would rise in a matter of hours. But between the corals actively feeding on any suspended particles and protein skimming reef tank water is generally pristine. And no, drinking tank water would not kill you, though the salt will probably make you vomit.
@@siggyincr7447 I bet you’d start agreeing with me if you actually were presented a glass of desalinated tank water with all the good fixings left. You don’t need to consume a significant amount of fish waste to get sick just like a tank just needs bit of tap water to be f’d up. Yes you will die, assuming you don’t stop drinking it after it making you sick or by ingesting the right pathogen that’s possibly present for your first (and last) time , which in a reef tank wouldn’t be all that hard.
What is the coral that you zoomed up on @ 1:25 ?
Looks like you're seeing a Birdsnest coral. :)
do you guys use a water polishing pump to help when you do the water changes and suspend the gunk in the tank?
So number 20 - Autowater changes and you say you hate carrying buckets etc, how do you incorporate the sand vacuuming that you also recommend. I have my plumbing constructed so I can connect a garden hose fitting to the plumbing and turn on the tap so it empties 60 lts and the using the same connection and a submersible pump can pump in 60 ltrs. But every second week I do the empty via siphon and vacuum the gravel and i hate doing it. I haven;t worked out a better system yet to vacuum the tank.
Even on an auto water change setup, sometimes doing a quick manual water change to siphon out the sandbed is necessary. Alternatively, you can always hit the sandbed with a turkey baster to stir it up and remove it via a filter sock or other mechanical filtration method.
What sediment filter would you recommend for simplicity as a drop-in? Currently using a basic pump & Brute setup.
We use these little Carbon/GFO reactors with a 10"inch sediment filter in them. Easy as can be! www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-single.html
Which pump was used to blow those algea out?
i put a divert on my return pump and a long hose to a drain turn two valves and just pump out what i need for water changes
Chemi-pure blue resin works wonders as well as purigen
Thank u.
i been doing a water change due to having high nitrate level also i am running Refugium i do have sand and do gravel not sure what else do to, also i have a BioMaxx BioPellet Reactor I haven't been using it.
Make yourself a seachem denitrate reactor using a 1 gallon water jug from the grocery store.. full it with denitrate and run a pump that flows 20-30gph and youre peoblem will be solved. My 135 gallon has 5 tangs a foxface and other various fish and i feed then heavily 2-3x a day. I use 2 gallone of denitrate on my tank making my own reactors with 1 gallon water jugs and some barb hose fittings and silicone. And running at 28gph my nitrates can go from 80ppm to 40ppm to 10 ppm in 4 days if i dont feed my fish. It really does work. Feeding my fish it keeps my nitrates around 20-30ppm. And without it ny nitrates would get to over 80 in just a week
Should of added the topic of using RO water vs your tap water when mixing salt
I haven't made any major mistakes for my reef yet, but I've forgotten to dechlorinate for my freshwater tanks a few times.
When storing your water, do you turn it over or just let it sit in the containers without a pump???
You don't need a pump turning it while it's stored.
Went I do water change before do it I use the Turkey baster to clean the rocks the used a cheap power head to create micro bubble and all that stuff go to filter in the sump also the micro bubble clean the corals
What i do is make my water in one 24 hour day. First i mix it with a aquarium pump and heater that makes the water the same temp as the tank. Then i measure the salinity for the last time both in the tank and the mix. Keep in mind that water does evaporate and the salinity goes up.(this is almost neglectable in 24 hours but to be sure do measure it) because salt cant evaporate from your water. To keep the water level correct first turn off any eqipment that cant run un submerged. (I dont run a refugium.) Then take out the water in the same container you use to fill that way you no how mutch to put back in. If you have any problems with your tank measure before the water change or your measurements will be incorrect. Wait at least 24 hours before measuring again to see any changes (keep in mind that it will always be lower with just added water and some can even be higher due to suplements in the salt.)
Its posible not to do change water to a 30 gallon? I usually change water one in a weekend. I donr use skimmer, no activate carbon, only sump and bacteries to low phos and nitrates. Corals: duncan, pachiclavularie, goniophoras, kenia tree and xenia pulsating. Fishes: ocelaris, sinchiropus, bleny.
Thx u and regards.
While it's certainly possible to reduce the need for water changes, we do like to keep water changes in our maintenance schedule
What is the small gravel cleaner called
That's just a gravel vac from Python 🙂
@@BRStv thanks