The buildup of any waste material in an aquarium could not only turn the water cloudy or yellow but also it will help with the production of algae in the tanks salt water. This build up can lead to problems affecting the growth of the fish and corals (if you have any) in the aquarium and this may well lead to them become ill as it could cause them to become stressed. The one question that you should therefore be asking yourself is "When should I be changing the salt water in my aquarium, rather than should I change it?"



When Is It The Right Time To Change The Aquarium Salt Water?

You should never be leaving the water in your aquarium until such a time that it has become so bad that the environment is not ideal for your fish and other marine life to live in. Although you can as many people do remove the fish, invertebrates and other items which make up a reef in the tank first and then replace the aquarium salt water in it completely. This is not actually a good idea as it could really cause untold harm to the marine life that is living in the aquarium.

Rather the best way to do it when changing aquarium salt water is to remove about 1/3 of the total amount in the tank on a regular basis and keep the saltwater fish, invertebrates and reef coral in it. Then after removing 1/3 of the total aquarium salt water you should then replace this with the same amount.

Changing Aquarium Salt Water - Some Steps For You To Follow

1. The first thing that you will need to do is turn off the filtration system and pump heaters and unplug these from their electrical outlet points. Because there is not going to be sufficient amounts of aquarium salt water in the tank then the chances of these pieces of aquarium equipment overheating are greatly increased. Also if you want to avoid the glass in your aquarium cracking then turning of the heater pump is crucial otherwise you are going to end up having to replace it, and you need to remember just how much you paid for that tank initially.

2. Next you need to get your aquarium scraper or scrubber in order to help remove the buildup of waste materials and algae on the sides of the tank glass inside. When you are using these kind of aquarium salt water tank accessories make sure that you do so very gently and slowly to avoid causing any stress or panic to the fish and other marine life in the tank.

3. After scrapping the insides of the tank glass you now need to remove any plants you have in the aquarium salt water and from these remove any parts which are dead or dying. Then once you have removed the plants you can spend time stirring up the gravel to help bring any waste deposits to the surface, but do so carefully as some species of salt water fish like to bury inside it. If you can put a large amount of the gravel towards the back of the tank and then leave the rest where it is so that the waste deposits can then settle on top of it.

4. After moving the gravel around you are now ready to siphon off some of the old aquarium salt water in order to replace it with fresh. Remember you should only ever remove about one third of the tanks water when changing it at any one time. The best way to remove the aquarium salt water is using a specialist aquarium siphon product. Not only can it remove the old water easily but also when used correctly can help to remove the waste that has accumulated in the aquarium salt water also.

5. You are now ready to replace the aquarium salt water which you have removed, but don't use freshwater rather replace with water to which you have added a specials salt mix product or which has been left to stand for several days. This will ensure that the chemical composition is almost in balance with the water you currently have in the aquarium. Please note that at no stage should you use ordinary sea salt for your aquarium but only ever a specialist aquarium salt. Also it is vital that the aquarium salt water being added to the tank is close to the temperature (no less than 2 degrees Fahrenheit difference) between it and the water already in the tank. Plus it is a good idea to test the aquarium salt water after the new has been added to make sure that you don't need to add any more aquarium salt into it to keep your fish and marine life happy.

The last thing that you need to do before you actually plug the filtration system and heater back in and turn them on after changing the aquarium salt water is clean the cover and the glass on the outside.