10% once a week or 20% a fortnight

[Dan7575]

So what do you do? I do 20% every two weeks but thinking of going to 10% every week to try and reduce the bigger swings.

 

[Doctorgori]

I make sure I try to answer questions like this because its really a math regression problem and this is one of those questions that confuse many (incl myself)...
Short answer: EVEN given the better stability; larger/fewer changes are better but only to a point, then you have to factor in stability/instability of water/params....
For example: 3%/day for 3 days IS NOT the same as 9% every 3 days which is not the same as 27% every 9 days....
If I had to pick a water change schedule I’d rather do 10-15% every few days as opposed to very small daily changes (which IMO are nearly useless) ...
Again, this might be more math/practicality than personal opinion

 

[KSUChemist]

I do 20% every other week along with filter changes and other maintenance stuff. I simply don't have time to do a 10% change every week.

 

[Doctorgori]

I do 20% every other week along with filter changes and other maintenance stuff. I simply don't have time to do a 10% change every week.

Yeah, Even less if I’m carrying buckets...although that Apex DOS and $300 may change all that tho ... I do about 25% maybe every 3-4 weeks or untill things look a lil funky

 

[Big E]

I do 10% a week but my tanks aren't big, so 90g and 60g total system volume. I can do the larger one in less than 10 minutes if I'm sucking up some detritus.

I don't get not having time............even with a 200g tank it shouln't take more than 15-20 minutes

You don't have to haul buckets.........pumps are easy to setup. There are also ways to setup automatic changers.

Randy has a good article on water changes.

Here's a calculator I like to use..........maybe see how doing other percentages may fit your needs.

Effective Water Change Calculator

Aquarium calculator; Estimate the effective water change amount of several combined smaller water changes.

www.hamzasreef.com

 

[Dragon174]

I do a 20% water change on my 120 gallon every other week.

 

[snowhite]

You don't have to haul buckets.........pumps are easy to setup. There are also ways to setup automatic changers.

Effective Water Change Calculator

Aquarium calculator; Estimate the effective water change amount of several combined smaller water changes.

www.hamzasreef.com

Homes on slabs are not real friendly for running ATO lines from water change systems, and running through walls or up into attics can be freeze issues in winter. So "hauling" is often a reality many just have to deal with.

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

I do a 40 gallon water change on my 295 gallon system, ~230 actual gallons.

 

[Super Fly]

Randy Holmes-Farley shows the effect of different ways of doing water changes here

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php

Basically says that 15-30% water change/month (whether carried out once a month, weekly or continuously) is the optimal.

 

[nereefpat]

Approximately 3.7% per week, but sometimes I go without.

 

[fish farmer]

I do a 15% WC every other week. 5 gallons on a 29 with a sump. I usually do other duties like scraping coralline, cleaning the skimmer, testing, etc, during this time as well.

 

[Potatohead]

Homes on slabs are not real friendly for running ATO lines from water change systems, and running through walls or up into attics can be freeze issues in winter. So "hauling" is often a reality many just have to deal with.

Buckets make no sense to me. Just use some soft hose attached to a pump and keep it coiled up near your mixing station.

 

[KSUChemist]

Buckets make no sense to me. Just use some soft hose attached to a pump and keep it coiled up near your mixing station.

Some of us just have buckets for our mixing stations and can't really afford extra pumps to make it a little easier at the moment...

 

[redfishbluefish]

When I first got into the hobby, I was a good little boy and did the prescribed 10% per week. What ended up happening is life! So I'd miss changes by a day or so, or more. So to help with my procrastination, I now do two changes per month of 20% each....first of the month and middle of the month, and it's worked out just fine. Been doing it this way for years now.

 

[Wampatom]

Carrying 5 gal buckets of salt water (or fermenting beer) is a good core exercise.