The aquarium salt water will sooner or later have to be changed by you. Unfortunately the filters in any filtration system will be unable to fully extract every piece of waste material that is going to accumulate in your tank.
If left in the tank the waste materials will turn the water cloudy, or even yellow and can cause a buildup of algae on the aquarium's sides. Plus it can also prevent the fish and corals (if you have any in yours) from growing in the way that they should, along with causing them stress, and this in turn could lead to them becoming ill. So the question you should be asking yourself is not should I change the salt water in the aquarium, but when should it be changed?
When Is The Right Time To Change Aquarium Salt Water?
Ideally you shouldn't be leaving the tank until such a time (maybe several months) before you change the aquarium salt water and provide all the tropical fish and invertebrates within it, a new clean environment. The big problem is that many people choose to remove the tropical aquarium fish and invertebrates from the tank, and then clean out the water completely. Unfortunately this could do your tropical fish, invertebrates and the reef inside more harm than good.
Rather what one should be doing is change a small amount of the salt water on a regular basis, and keep the fish and invertebrates in the tank as you do it. Ideally the best ratio when it comes to changing the salt water is to remove about 1/3 of the water from the tank and replace with the same amount of water.
Simple Steps To Take When Changing Aquarium Salt Water
- First off you need to unplug every piece of electrical equipment, other than the light which is connected to the aquarium. The pumps and filters if left on, can actually overheat if they discover there is insufficient water in the tank. Also heater systems if left on when new water is added to the tank, may well cause the glass to crack (remember how much that tank initially cost and the price you will have to pay to replace it).
- Take an aquarium scrubber or scraper accessories and use this in order to clean the inside of the glass of the aquarium to help remove any buildup of algae or waste deposits that have come from the fish food on them. You need to do this very slowly and gently in order to prevent the fish species from becoming panicked.
- After scraping the glass you need to take out any plants within the tank and remove any dead or dying parts on them. Also stir up the gravel in the base (be careful as some fish like to bury themselves in it). As you do, bank some of it high towards the back corners of the aquarium and leave the levels lower in the middle and the front. Give the gravel time to settle and you will see waste deposits accumulate on top of the lower lying gravel.
- Now you are ready to siphon off some of the aquarium salt water (remember only to take away around a third of the tank's water and no more). As you siphon off the salt water using one of the specialist aquarium products that allows you to drain water from the tank at the same time as removing the water, try to remove as much of the debris that has accumulated as possible.
- Next you need to replace the water that has been removed and it is best to use aged rather than freshwater. This you can do by either letting it stand for some time or by adding certain salt mix products to it. You should only ever add aquarium salt to your water and never just sea salt. Also make sure that the temperature of the water you are putting into the tank is within 2 degrees Fahrenheit of the temperature of the water already in the tank. Then add some aquarium salt if you want.
Finally, all one now needs to do after changing the water in your tank is to plug back in and turn on the pieces of equipment that you originally turned off at the start. Also why not at this stage give the cover of your tank a cleaning and the light along with the outsides of your tank.
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