New RO/DI system

[ahiggins]

Good morning all!
Last night I performed my very first water change using RODI instead of tap with conditioner. So far everything is looking wonderful but my question is...
How many water changes will it take to see a difference? *Im looking for a change in algae buildup. Theres SO MUCH, I was cleaning the glass every other day.
I have a 25 gallon AIO, usually change 5 gal a week.

Secondary question. Is 4-5 gal every 2-3 days a bad way of doing maintenance? I dont want to overdo it but I dont want to dose anything (want to get all nutrients from WC). See below for specs.

25 gal AIO with skimmer.
Have palys, zoas, hammer, torch, some orange flat thing (still need ID on that one), and I just added my first SPS to the tank last night. I believe it is a purple/blue stylophora.
Have 2 baby snow clowns and 1 small orchid dottyback, some crabs/snails.
Use red sea coral pro salt

Thanks in advance for the help!!

 

[joshkirkland83]

You need to test water frequently and see how much mag,Cal,alk your tank uses in a week then base your water changes off of that. Otherwise you will have very high alk.

 

[AZDesertRat]

It is much more than just water changes. What is your cleaning and siphoning routine to remove the algae? What is your feeding schedule and amounts? Lighting and flow? Are you using carbon and/or GFO? Too many variables to give you a good answer. The RO/DI is going to be a big plus but other things enter into the equation too.

 

[ahiggins]

You need to test water frequently and see how much mag,Cal,alk your tank uses in a week then base your water changes off of that. Otherwise you will have very high alk.

Oh....Thats a great piece of advice!
If I was to test Mon, Wed, Fri...after a water change on sunday-would that give me a good idea?

 

[ahiggins]

It is much more than just water changes. What is your cleaning and siphoning routine to remove the algae? What is your feeding schedule and amounts? Lighting and flow? Are you using carbon and/or GFO? Too many variables to give you a good answer. The RO/DI is going to be a big plus but other things enter into the equation too.

Cleaning: 1x per week WC, scrape a siphon 2x per week of the algae off the glass. The rocks have buildup but I dont know how to clean them.
Feeding: 1x per day at night, about 1/8 of a cube of calanus (spelling?).
Lighting are just LEDs 10k blue/white.
I use chemipure only.

 

[joshkirkland83]

Oh....Thats a great piece of advice!
If I was to test Mon, Wed, Fri...after a water change on sunday-would that give me a good idea?

I just test day after water change and 6 days after to see how much consumed in a week. As you add new corals and rock this will change. AZdesertrat gave good advice on your other question. He is very knowledgeable, so take heed.

 

[ahiggins]

Thanks!!
I appreciate it!!

 

[ahiggins]

It is much more than just water changes. What is your cleaning and siphoning routine to remove the algae? What is your feeding schedule and amounts? Lighting and flow? Are you using carbon and/or GFO? Too many variables to give you a good answer. The RO/DI is going to be a big plus but other things enter into the equation too.

What would be the perfect parameters for mostly LPS and zoa/paly in my tank? I may keep the SPS, I may not. As far as alk, cal, mag goes anyway. Im going to start keeping a record of it...I should have done it ever since start up :/

 

[AZDesertRat]

I would ask that question in the Coral Discussion Forums and see how everyone responds.

 

[fab]

The rocks have buildup but I dont know how to clean them.

Don't be afraid to take the rocks out of your aquarium and scrub the algae off. Rinse each rock well in fresh tap water after you have scrubbed it. Then as a precautionary measure (I don't know how important it is) rinse each rock with a little with RODI water and return it to your display tank. That will help you get started in the algae battles.

 

[fab]

When you scrub the rocks you can add some H2O2, hydrogen peroxide, to your scrubbing after you have knocked off the algae.

Read this thread:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/reef2reef-pest-algae-challenge-thread-hydrogen-peroxide.187042/

And...
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/back-at-it-peroxide-vrs-cyanobacteria.241002/

 

[ahiggins]

Thanks everyone!

 

[AZDesertRat]

I would do a 5G water change and use the removed saltwater to scrub the rocks in so you don't kill the beneficial bacteria in the porous rock with tap water.

 

[ahiggins]

I would do a 5G water change and use the removed saltwater to scrub the rocks in so you don't kill the beneficial bacteria in the porous rock with tap water.

that makes a little more sense for me.
Thanks again!