Water Change Mistakes to AVOID for an Awesome Reef Tank. No Really, Don't Do This!

Water changes on saltwater aquariums, we all have done them and many of us have made some mistakes along the way. Today Ryan and Randy share their Top 20 Water Change Mistakes so that you can avoid some of your own in the future!

We're regular reefers just like you and we make mistakes just like you. Learn from us and our whoopsies!

BRStv Community links!

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[BRStv]

How many of these Top 20 Water Change Mistakes have you made?

[waltervt]

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.

[charlessloop]

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

[TampaBayReefEnthusiasts]

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.

[RyanMichaels]

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.

[aussiemcgee]

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!

[ClockworkOuroborous]

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.

[stepfaniecoperude]

Yes! I love vacuuming the gravel. It is very satisfying!

[silverfaux]

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.

[michaelpachos]

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.

[ChrisNH]

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!

[koaleighhomestead]

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.

[jeffatkins]

You’re not a reefer unless you’ve ever swallowed a mouthful of saltwater.

[madshepsreef]

I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and the in-depth testing you guys do. Thanks from the UK

[_mal]

Another great video. This series of 'biggest mistake' videos is probably one of my favorite series from you guys.

[taryndeclyn]

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!

[alfst]

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 !

[AquaSplendor]

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

[-Gunnarsson-]

I think if you have a smaller tank its harder to both clean the sand and maybe do algae

[Clearwater]

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