water changes

[urban79]

I wanted to see how often ppl do water changes. Some one told my brother. that he would never have to do a water change. And the guy be bought the tank from said that he never did a water change in 5 years. So I just wanted to so him that they are needed.

thanks

[fishypets]

How often depends on what you are keeping IMO. If it is a fish only system with a good skimmer I suppose you could go for months or even longer between water changes. I keep sps corals and change water every 3-4 weeks. By doing this I remove nutrients and also replinish the trace elements found in salt for healthy corals.

A LFS owner I know has a 200 gal fish only system and he has never done a water change in the 10 years it has been set up. He says all his fish are healthy but I can't see his water being all that clear.

[urban79]

then I can see that. But still to me, changeing you water has to be better.

[lhoy]

I have a 30gallon lps and softies with fish that I do a 10% weekly (filtration is live rock, live sand, sponge), a 12 gallon with Leaffish/Purple Lobster that I change 10% every two weeks and a 2.5 gallon nano with weekly water change. I think one of the best keys to a healthy aquarium is regular changes. If people would do regular water changing, a lot of dosing would be meaningless.

Lee

[caferacermike]

I have to admit I don't do them. I have a 75 reef that is way overstocked with corals and a few fish. After 9 months of running the tank without even checking the water with a test kit I finally took a sample in to the lfs. They told my water was in excellent condition and when I told them I hadn't ever done a WC they did trace tests and CA tests. Said everything looked good there as well. I do dose with Reef Complete, Reef carbonate and kalk from time to time. So that night I did decide I was going to give it a try. I mixed up 10g using the salt left from setting up the tank and good RO/DI water. Matched the PH to the tanks using my pinpoint monitor, was good just from mixing. I let it sit for 2 hours with a powerhead running. Drained out 10g from sump and tank. Poured new mix into the sump and turned the pump back on. Slowly I continued dump in the remaining 5 gals or so until my bucket was empty. The next day my tank looked like it had crashed. All my corals were shriveled and just looking PO'd. I figured I had done something wrong and since the tank was looking spectacular before my attempt I never did another. It's been 3 months now since I tried.

I do wish to try again but I want to maybe do some things differently. I do believe that my coral might grow faster or look more brilliant if I did WC's. They'd have to. It's just common sense that the minerals and such get used up and you'd have to do a lot of dosing to keep the balance. I would recommmend WC's to anyone else. I also admit to having a soft spot for my big ol Euroreef skimmer. I think it helps remove a lot of what would be in my tank helping reduce the need for WC. Not a perfect plan by any means.

[brewercm]

I attempt to do at least around 25% every two to three weeks but often don't get it that often.

[hobogato]

man, you guys are making me feel bad. i do 10-20% every 2 or 3 months.

[JimD]

When I do a water change, my corals and fish always say thank you for the fresh air.

[fishcrazy]

135 gal. tank and I do a 30 gal change every month... or so.

[betiuminside]

100 gal. tank 30 gal sump. I do 10 gal. every week.
Soft and LPS corals.
No Calcium Reactor.

[alton]

To me it's it's cheaper and easier to do water changes than buy all the additives and test kits to keep your water in there parameters?

[Enigma13]

144 gallon tank and I do a 15 gallon change weekly.

[TexasTodd]

300 gal approx system volume.

During the cooler months I do about 70 gallons every other week.

During summer I'm really limited because my "vat" is in the garage and gets really hot. I'm more like 20-25 gallons 1x per month June through September..........BUT, I really notice a difference during this time of year.

TT