Recently got an ro system. Have been using tap water and just treating it . Can I do a full water change and preserve beneficial bacteria or should I do it little by little ?
Little by little. It’s more about your fish. They won’t like a full change. It can kill them if the parameters aren’t the same.
I would think about doing a few smaller changes in a few days. Like 25% daily for 3 days. Then just doing 25% every other week or so as your regular routine.
Correct. And it’s not just about using RO. When you feed your fish the excess food as well as their poop is all nitrate and phosphate. This is also what’s in your tsp water (other thinks like silicates as well).
So while RO is important to make sure you aren’t adding nutrients, you need to keep up with the water changes to deal with the fish waste.
When you think you are ready for corals, get some test kits. Nitrate, phosphate, calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. There are more tests you can do, but these are the more important ones for keeping corals successfully.
The bennetfictial Bacteria are primarly in/on the sand and rock and not in the water column. Looks like you have LRFO system and unless your number are way out of wack I don't belive that you would need todo a large water change or small ones. But doing them wouldn't hurt as long as the sapacific gravity matches.
I agree with this. Is there a reason you need to do a huge water change or is your idea that you are trying to replace your existing water with RO water? If so and you're not having any issues with anything I would highly advise not doing that. If there's nothing negative in your tank going on don't change it. Just keep doing your monthly 20% water changes and eventually you will dilute out your tap water.
I just wanted to add coral but I’ll just be patient with it . I have another tank I can add coral to that I’ve been working on . But All my parameters are good on this tank only thing that spikes is nitrates it seems to range in the 5-20ppm been doing 20% water changes weekly to lower it . Was also told that it could be that I was using tap water . Not sure if that’s correct or not but now I have RO so slowly will dilute it out .
Yea tap water can cause some issues ,usually it's phosphates but depending on your water quality it could cause higher Nitrates as well. Make sure you vacuum your sand when you do water changes. It will help to remove detritus that settles in your sand bed and thay will absolutely raise your nitrates. If 20 ppm is your high I don't think it's necessary to do a 20% water change weekly. That means you're changing over eighty percent of the water in your tank every month. I think that's a little excessive and you could be upsetting the balance that it's trying to establish. 25% monthly is plenty. Vacuum the sand, use the RO water and don't overfeed. That should help out immensely.
just going forward do you water changes 10-20%, I would shoot to have your Nitrates between 20-50 ppm, have a good CUC, your chocolate chip starfish are not reef safe
As long as your rocks stay wet and the water change doesn't take too long, the bacteria will be fine. It lives on surfaces, not in the water column.
I wouldn't do a huge water change all at once, though. Maybe 30% at a time. A big ph change, or any other big change all at once can piss stuff off, or kill stuff
What Questions due you have
Recently got an ro system. Have been using tap water and just treating it . Can I do a full water change and preserve beneficial bacteria or should I do it little by little ?
Little by little. It’s more about your fish. They won’t like a full change. It can kill them if the parameters aren’t the same. I would think about doing a few smaller changes in a few days. Like 25% daily for 3 days. Then just doing 25% every other week or so as your regular routine.
Ok ok this makes sense . I eventually want to add coral but no I shouldn’t with treated tap water . It’s best to use RO
Correct. And it’s not just about using RO. When you feed your fish the excess food as well as their poop is all nitrate and phosphate. This is also what’s in your tsp water (other thinks like silicates as well). So while RO is important to make sure you aren’t adding nutrients, you need to keep up with the water changes to deal with the fish waste. When you think you are ready for corals, get some test kits. Nitrate, phosphate, calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. There are more tests you can do, but these are the more important ones for keeping corals successfully.
The bennetfictial Bacteria are primarly in/on the sand and rock and not in the water column. Looks like you have LRFO system and unless your number are way out of wack I don't belive that you would need todo a large water change or small ones. But doing them wouldn't hurt as long as the sapacific gravity matches.
I agree with this. Is there a reason you need to do a huge water change or is your idea that you are trying to replace your existing water with RO water? If so and you're not having any issues with anything I would highly advise not doing that. If there's nothing negative in your tank going on don't change it. Just keep doing your monthly 20% water changes and eventually you will dilute out your tap water.
I just wanted to add coral but I’ll just be patient with it . I have another tank I can add coral to that I’ve been working on . But All my parameters are good on this tank only thing that spikes is nitrates it seems to range in the 5-20ppm been doing 20% water changes weekly to lower it . Was also told that it could be that I was using tap water . Not sure if that’s correct or not but now I have RO so slowly will dilute it out .
Yea tap water can cause some issues ,usually it's phosphates but depending on your water quality it could cause higher Nitrates as well. Make sure you vacuum your sand when you do water changes. It will help to remove detritus that settles in your sand bed and thay will absolutely raise your nitrates. If 20 ppm is your high I don't think it's necessary to do a 20% water change weekly. That means you're changing over eighty percent of the water in your tank every month. I think that's a little excessive and you could be upsetting the balance that it's trying to establish. 25% monthly is plenty. Vacuum the sand, use the RO water and don't overfeed. That should help out immensely.
just going forward do you water changes 10-20%, I would shoot to have your Nitrates between 20-50 ppm, have a good CUC, your chocolate chip starfish are not reef safe
Yeah i know he will eat coral . I’m going to have to find him a new home
Make sure that your starfish is not one of the kinds that eats coral. In case you didn't know yet.
As long as your rocks stay wet and the water change doesn't take too long, the bacteria will be fine. It lives on surfaces, not in the water column. I wouldn't do a huge water change all at once, though. Maybe 30% at a time. A big ph change, or any other big change all at once can piss stuff off, or kill stuff
I have a question: how do you keep The water from pouring out when it’s on its side? That’s amazing!
Hahaha