Noob question:

[krg]

Hi guys,
Your replies have led me to ask another question..water changes..what exactly am I doing? I have some experience with freshwater tanks, and am used to vaccuuming the gravel when I do a water change. I was told with saltwater I don't want to siphon my substrate cause I have befeficial stuff there. So..am I just basically sucking up water and replacing it? Or am I just vaccuuming the parts of my Live Rock that I can vaccuum? I'm slightly confused on what to do to perform a 'proper' water change.
Thanks to anyone still reading and to anyone replying..I EXTREMELY appreciate it!!! Thanks to everyone who has replied. I look forward to learning some more!!! Take care,
Kennan

[mike31154]

I vacuum the substrate a little on every water change. Doing a small area a little deeper and everything reachable lightly every time will help keep the crud level down without disturbing all the beneficial stuff too much.

While you're out shopping have a look at some of the hang on back (HOB) skimmers available. I've been running a 77 gal sumpless for close to 4 years and went from FOWLR at the start to where I now have anemones, soft and LPS corals. My skimmer came with the used system and is an old school DIY counter current, wooden air stone unit. With a few of my own mods, it works very well. If the skimmer prices are a little hard to take, search the net for DIY plans and if you're handy you should be able to get something built relatively easily for less money. Even with a FOWLR, once you see the stuff a skimmer can remove from the water over time, you'll be convinced it's a good thing for your livestock and to ease your maintenance burden.

Further on the subject of water changes, it's recommended to use RO/DI or distilled water to prepare your mix. Can depend on your source water too, but long term you'll have better results with pure water than with treated tap water when running a salt water system.

[whatcaneyedo]

I dont vacume the substrate but I do use a turkey baster to blast some of the settled detritus off of my rock and coral when i do a water change. I also always give new saltwater at least overnight to completely dissolve with a powerhead in the bucket before I use it.

[krg]

Mike,
So you think a 'hang-over-the-side' skimmer is a good way to go?? I'll check into it! I actually just got back from my excursion to Calgary. I planned on going to Gold's but..he was closed. I actually caught him bringing stuff in. The lights were off but he told me I could go in and take a quick look around. From what I can see..it looks like a pretty decent store. I then went to Big Al's. It's a pretty big store, fairly impressive tanks. All of the tanks looked good, no algea or anything like that. No casualties, all around a good store. The only thing I kind of question is..A lot of younger adults working there(I'd say 18-24ish, just a guess), and I wonder about their knowledge. How much do they know? Are they going to blow smoke up my butt? I guess I shouldn't judge them, I'm just curious if they can answer any questions I may have. I noticed their prices are pretty close to here in Brooks so..I'll just buy some things locally(Powerheads, for example).
A question about mixing a batch of saltwater and letting it sit overnight. Are you just using a regular powerhead? Are you suctioning it to the pail, or magnet? That brings another question..I believe those are two of the types..magnet and suction..is one any better than the other? I believe the one I'm looking at here at home is a magnet, and the one I was looking at in Calgary is a suction-type. Which is the better way to go?
Back to Mike,
So, are you saying that since you hooked up a protein skimmer you are running corrals now, instead of FOWLR? Will a skimmer really do THAT much for me? I'm not sure if I want to have corrals in this tank but if a skimmer gives me the ability too..I'll buy one for sure. If for nothing else than to make my water quality that much better!!
My 60ga tank is a homade jobbie(not by me), and is pretty decent. I was thinking because I have room underneath(whereas with my 77ga I don't), I could maybe put a sump underneath. Now..is it true that I'll need holes drilled in the base of the tank for the sump? Is it possible to have a sump without drilling into the tank? If it's not possible I'll probably just leave the tank as-is and keep it a freshwater tank, and eventually buy a bigger tank set up for a sump. At least, that's the thought in mind.
Anyway, thanks for letting me ramble on. I look forward to more replies. In the meantime..I think I'm going to go to my LFS and see what's going on around there. Thanks again, everyone..take care!!!
Kennan