KurtG wrote:
It's odd. I bought two plastic trash cans of the same size. I mix salt
water in one, and then siphon off water into the second of the same
amount. But, when I refill, I'm always 2-3 gallons short?



Evaporation???? I always end up adding more water back in than I remove
in both my Nano reef and all of my freshwater tanks....

My sand also tends to get mucky but my understanding is that the
substrate forms part of the "filtration" system so should be left well
alone - I do try and remove some of the more unsightly stuff that is on
the surface by hand or using a net - but don't know if I'm doing right
being very much a newbie....

Gill