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  WATER CHANGES ON YOUR SALT WATER TANK (PART 2)

  The best way to keep your tank healthy is to change your water. Gill's Marine carries both fresh saltwater and RO water for your tank. We also carry saltwater mixes. Performing regular water changes is one of the most efficient nitrate reduction methods. In most cases, frequent small water changes are better than infrequent large water changes. Most experts recommend changing about 10 percent of the water every two weeks. In a very large system, a monthly water change might do the trick, but a biweekly schedule is safer. Changing the water in a saltwater tank is a bit more complicated than changing the water in a freshwater tank. However, this task is much easier now than it was in the past. Previously, to add water to a saltwater aquarium, the hobbyist would have to attempt to mix up their own salt water concoction by combining various chemical elements, or they would have make a trip to the beach to collect natural salt water. Thanks to modern technology, saltwater changes today are not nearly so challenging. One-step salt mixes are widely available, making it easy and inexpensive to perform as many water changes as a tank requires. To change the water, you will first need to disconnect all power to your tank. Then, remove and clean the cover glass and clean any other glass panels that are due for a cleaning. Siphon at least 10 percent of the water out of the tank and into a bucket, and then rinse any filter media in the bucket. At this time you should also clean and rinse any pumps, hoses, or other attachments using aquarium water, and clean "salt creep" from the top edges of the aquarium. Using a commercial salt mix and dechlorinated tap water, mix a batch of new salt water. Once you’ve made sure the temperature and salinity of the new water match that of the current aquarium water, you can slowly add the replacement water into the tank. Finally, turn the power back on and return the cover glass.

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