Frequency of Water Changes

[Pamela]

Sorry to be a pest with such a newb question, but -- how often should I do a partial water change? In my freshwater tank, I like to keep the water crystal clear with a 20% water change every Thursday. Works for me because my FW fishes are all gorgeous and healthy and because I'm a weirdo who really doesn't mind doing water changes. Is this too much, too often for a saltwater aquarium?

My tank is 55g with one little clown and one good-sized banded coral shrimp (so far).

 

[brandon429]

I feel that my reef has had more water changed through it than any reef. Up to twice weekly 100% water changes 2006 current

It's nano reef so water changes are easy, it allowed me to feed lots and then just export that which would waste

All corals fat and full

That many full changes...hundreds...tank often drained for 10 mins avg per time, like when a real tide rolls out (only that's hours)

Those that have fish or large tanks can't do full changes, but everything shy of them tolerates it long term and thrives.

The real risk is ever storing up waste due to choosing that mode of hands off reefing and then a big water change distributes it about as an evil ammonia cloud, which is then blamed on the water change. Exactly the same viewpoint as saying a skateboard skinned someone's knee

Water changes done on a perpetually clean reef simply flush out waste and sustain an indefinite lifespan and never, ever harm critical bacterial balances even if done 100% daily.

Fish, tank size practicality, laziness, and tank ability to store waste seemingly indefinitely make people choose large variations in water change percentage. I'm claiming you cannot do too many, but you can wait too long and do too little catchup while kicking up a cloud of consequence. Run the clean reef you are considering doing

Detritus export and non storage is more important than water changes since you can dose to maintain params while sinking waste is finite.

 

[brandon429]

Not saying your tank wouldn't run just fine for a year hands off low water changes, many choose that mode. I'm only preparing for what year six is like on most hands off tanks, a real doozie year. Makes one wish to be detritus free by year six, so I had to ask why even go past month nine with waste sinked anywhere in the tank. Clean is the trend, it's what's in though not all agree with bio trending. bio elitism

 

[jsker]

10% weekly is the average

 

[CodyRVA]

+1 @brandon429 , I also think it depends on your system and how you run it. I've got a monster skimmer thats over kill, large reactor, pellets, change filter socks every 3 days, etc and I haven't done a water change in 2 months and my acros are thriving. With that being said, I also have a doser to supplement my CA, ALK, and MG. I also dose the Red Sea coloration program for trace elements. IMO you should do water changes depending on your systems personality. If you see algae, do more, larger, water changes. If you don't, then it's possible you can do fewer, smaller, water changes. It all depends IMO.

 

[Pamela]

So if I just get the siphon down in there and suck out uneaten food and poo, that's more important that how much water gets changed?

I'll tell you, feeding one eensy clown is hard to do! I'm so used to pinching out fat ole fingersful of food for my FW babies and watching them wolf it down, and then giving them more, and more. Giving just the teensiest crumble feels so unnatural. I can't wait until can add more fishes to my SW aquarium and feed more food!

 

[Pamela]

10% weekly is the average

Thanks! That's what I'll do then.

 

[Pamela]

Not saying your tank wouldn't run just fine for a year hands off low water changes, many choose that mode. I'm only preparing for what year six is like on most hands off tanks, a real doozie year. Makes one wish to be detritus free by year six, so I had to ask why even go past month nine with waste sinked anywhere in the tank. Clean is the trend, it's what's in though not all agree with bio trending. bio elitism

Oh, no worries there! I'm not a hand-off kinda girl. I "like" to do water changes. I like spending time with my fish and keeping their home clean. I just didn't know if I should treat it the same as I do my FW aquarium.

 

[brandon429]

Some people ensure they don't store up whole waste particles by stocking lightly with fish and more on corals and inverts, that can lend less water changes like Cody mentioned- needs vary.

Systems that used crushed coral sandbeds vs fine sand have different needs as amplified by fish levels (larger bed grains allow more waste inclusion among grain spaces)

Systems that use plant filters, refugiums etc are usually employing them to offset whole waste degradation elsewhere in the tank, it's a less work setting

Then there are busy changers, exporters who don't have waste and enjoy those benefits but they work harder...various chemical additives make up for parameter drift but typically there's nothing to dose to offset literal constant storage of whole waste anywhere in a tank

If water changes allow you to prevent or remedy that condition, is ideal do as many as your needs require


My most important point is you will never do any act shy of meds or hard drying to your reef that limits, stuns, stalls or measurably kills the critical bacteria. They do not factor into anything you do in reefing as we have an over-abundance already, so much massive surface area to keep clean of detritus. nice to finally have the clean option


For all of the nineties it was said too much work kills bacteria, now we have multitudes of algae wrecked tanks to process.

 

[Wild1]

Probably not for everyone but for my 90gal mixed reef I do 1 (one) gal. per day, which, obviously gives me 30 or 31 gallon per month. my tank seems to like it so, i'm happy too.

 

[Pamela]

I don't have any corals at this point. I've only just started, and I have one fish and one shrimp with live sand and rock. Someday, I want to have corals (they're so amazing!), but it's important to me to understand how to take care of them before I get some. Right now, I'm completely clueless on their care or even what to do with one when it comes home from the store. The one thing I am doing is to make sure I choose animals who will be good to any corals in the future.

 

[Pamela]

Probably not for everyone but for my 90gal mixed reef I do 1 (one) gal. per day, which, obviously gives me 30 or 31 gallon per month. my tank seems to like it so, i'm happy too.

Wow, that's gorgeous!

 

[Wild1]

Pamela, this is a great site , with many knowledgeable people, who i'm sure will be more than willing to help you. Remember the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

 

[Pamela]

Pamela, this is a great site , with many knowledgeable people, who i'm sure will be more than willing to help you. Remember the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

That is so true, and I'm sure I'll be asking lots of questions as I go along. I do hope I will be able to have my SW tank run as smoothly and enjoyably as does my FW tank. It brings me a great deal of peace and happiness, and I want my watery little inhabitants to have joy, too.

 

[Wild1]

THE no. 1 rule of reef tanks...Patience, nothing good happens quickly! I had Ciclid tanks for many years, but SW has been a real learning experience

 

[Bunkinator]

I have a very good filtration / nutrient export system, and I do a 10% water change every Wednesday like clock work

 

[LuckyEd]

I do 10% water changes every ten days. I like a clean tank. I vacuum the sand, clean all the glass sides, including the black back wall. The tank looks like the first time I set it up.

 

[nport19]

I do weekly water changes on my system and everything seems to do good. My only problem i run into because I have a 29 gallon tank setup I tend to have problems with red alge, having to take all day to just run 20 gallons of RO water for top offs and changed and my salt readings constantly change due to my setup not having a good on it.

 

[Dave101]

That is so true, and I'm sure I'll be asking lots of questions as I go along. I do hope I will be able to have my SW tank run as smoothly and enjoyably as does my FW tank. It brings me a great deal of peace and happiness, and I want my watery little inhabitants to have joy, too.

Always ask questions if you don't know the answer and ALWAYS try to do your research. Research and asking questions helped me to have and keep a reef tank for over 3 years now. Working on a Nano tank, now.

 

[Reduck]

15% every two weeks has worked for me. Each tank has different demands. Complacency usually leads to issues so until you really know your tank, test test test, and test some more. Do the water changes based on your bio load, tank health and test results.