How do you make your water?

[friendtothefish]

Hello all,

I wanted to see how you make your water for water changes.

What kind of filter you have? What kind of salt do you use? What do you add? What PH do you buff to? All that good stuff?

Thanks,
Friend

[roader247]

I run RO\DI water use reef crystals salt in a 30 trash can with a power head and heater

Mark

[arts007]

Same here.. Same salt.. which I just switched to from Oceanic and have not checked the pH of the new salt yet. I don't add anything to the make up water, I check the main tank.

5 gallon bucket, power head and heater..

I need to run that test on the reef crystals like I did on the Oceanic.. I had posted the results awhile ago and never got around to checking the reef crystals as of yet.

[alan214]

Wow, are we boring! I use the exact same salt and method as roader247. Can you tell we all read ReefCentral?

One thing I'd add is that I think it's better to mix the sand and RO/DI water at leat a couple of days ahead of time so it has a chance to stabilize a bit. Try to use a refractometer to get the salinity right.

[arts007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9929833#post9929833 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by alan214

One thing I'd add is that I think it's better to mix the sand and RO/DI

WOW is that the "new and improved" way of using make up water...SAND Cool!!! LOL:D

[three-spot]

Tap water (RO/DI as soon as I can get the $), prime, 2 air pumps + airstones, 5 gal bucket, red sea salt (next bag will be reef crystals).

[boxfishpooalot]

I mix it, check it with refractometer to 35ppt, check it again with pinpoint conductivity to 53mS/cm, put in my octopuss needle wheel skimmer pump, put lid on and let sit over night. Add a small heater and let the temp match the tank.

Next morning I match alkalinity with the tanks, and check if ph is good. If ph sux, I let the needle wheel go for another day pumping in 15l of air.

Then I suck out all the fish crap durring water changes I can find and pump the new water back into the tank.

[PrivateJoker64]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9929363#post9929363 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by roader247
I run RO\DI water use reef crystals salt in a 30 trash can with a power head and heater

Mark

Ditto.

[Myka]

I just switched from Reef Crystals to Instant Ocean since I can't find a good price on Reef Crystals locally. I use a 5 gallon bucket, fill it with R/O, put in a heater and powerhead, add 2 1/2 cups of salt. It runs like that for a week or two (however long between waterchanges). I always keep a bucket going and ready.

I've never checked pH...maybe I should.

[Bambalam]

RO water in a 5 gallon bucket with powerhead and heater mixed for 24 hours.
10% water change with Reef Crystals weekly (well, almost every week).

[SDguy]

RO/DI water (from work :) ) with Instant Ocean in a 32g trash can. Mag7 mixes and heats the water. I then add about 5 teaspoons turbo calcium and 1/2 cup magflake.

[cbeitel]

RO/DI water

Red Sea Salt

Powerhead

Heater

32g Rubbermaid Trashcan

[Tang Salad]

I buy bulk oxygen from a farm supply store and mix it with my mom's homemade hydrogen. It's cheaper this way.

JK- same as everyone else. RODI+saltmix (Tropic Marin Reef)+powehead and aeration.

[seansod]

35 gallon trash can with RO/DI and 1/2 Instant Ocean and 1/2 reef crystals. Then measure for salinty and pH and alk.

[tangy2]

Is it better to let the salt sit a few days?? I make up the salt content with Instant Ocean the same day I do my water changes.

[paran]

I tend to let my salt/water mix sit for at least 24 hours prior to adding it to the tank to make sure all the reactions are finished, and that the salt is fully dissolved.

(I'm the same.. Instant Ocean, H2O in a 20 gallon bucket, powerhead, aeration, followed by heater when it's time to add water to make sure they're at the same temp. Killed a shrimp once when I was too quick and threw my temp down to 69 degrees.. *stupid stupid!*)

[Joshua1023]

Five gallon buckets, needlewheel or meshwheel pumps, heaters, a cap full of Seachem Reef Complete, and Reef Crystals. Add to tank over a period of an hour or two.

[navipro1]

I just keep it simple, Ro/di with Reef Crystals mixed in large buckets for 24 hr, then into tank.

[tangy2]

I guess I should check the temp before I add the water, but it has never caused any harm to my tank. I also use RO/DI water.

[frederickk]

I use RO/DI water
That I mixed with
Red Sea Salt or Instant Ocean salt depend of the deal.
I use a Powerhead MJ1200 to mix it
and a Heater to keep it in touch.
All that in my
33g Rubbermaid Trashcan.

[Phoric]

I use a Kent RO/DI, which drips into a 30gal Rubbermaid Brute trashcan. I marked the inside of the can with various gallon levels (3g, 5g, 10g, etc). Once enough water is created I mix in the Instant Ocean salt with a MJ1200 and put a heater on the bottom to match my tank temperature, and let it sit like this for 24 hours or so. Siphon the old water into a 5g bucket, then use the MJ1200 hooked up to a vinyl hose to pump the new water back in.

[amphirion]

tap water for me. Works great; I keep softies, lps and sps

I use tropic marin salt

[frederickk]

Is all your params in check with tap water amphirion?

[CPT. MURPHY]

RO/DI to the 6 gal bucket then salt add my 2 powerheads and heater then wait 24hrs and add after I check the levels.

CPT.

[JokerGirl]

Here's my system. The top barrel is for straight RO/DI and the bottom barrel is for mixing saltwater. I use Reef Crystals as well with a powerhead/heater.

The barrels are kind of dirty on the outside from sitting around in a warehouse, but were completely sealed and are perfectly clean on the inside. It was too cold outside when we bought them to clean them off. :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

We just put the sump in the basement, so pretty soon here it's going to be hooked up to an ATO/Pump system so we won't have to lug 5g jugs upstairs anymore.

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s110/JokerGirlsPhotos/IMG_3731.jpg

[NealNano]

I use a power head han a 5 gallon bucket to mix my salt. I use Tropic Marin Pro Reef ,but am switching to Coral Life due to the cost. I used the Pro Reef on one tank and Coral Life on another. I saw better sps and coraline growth with the Coral Life. All other factors were the same but the salts.

[NealNano]

I use a power head and a 5 gallon bucket to mix my salt. I use Tropic Marin Pro Reef ,but am switching to Coral Life due to the cost. I used the Pro Reef on one tank and Coral Life on another. I saw better sps and coraline growth with the Coral Life. All other factors were the same but the salts.

[amphirion]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9942835#post9942835 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by frederickk
Is all your params in check with tap water amphirion?

Yeah everything stays stable and all the parameters are in check. Maybe I'm just lucky but I never had a problem with tap water. But I have to admit that the water in my area is good quality water.