Frequency of Water Changes

[Pamela]

My previous reef tank never needed a water change after it reached 6 months old. It self maintained and the fish never needed feeding either. I used 2 canister filers, a trickle filter, uv steriliser, metal halide, denitrator, protein skimmer with ozone and auto top up. Everything flourished, corals grew, fish grew, it was like a perfectly balanced ecosystem and no additives were needed. So, in my opinion it depends on what equipment you have

Wow! Don't you miss feeding your fishes, though? That's such an enjoyable part of the hobby for me.

 

[dave76]

20% every three weeks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My previous reef tank never needed a water change after it reached 6 months old. It self maintained and the fish never needed feeding either. I used 2 canister filers, a trickle filter, uv steriliser, metal halide, denitrator, protein skimmer with ozone and auto top up. Everything flourished, corals grew, fish grew, it was like a perfectly balanced ecosystem and no additives were needed. So, in my opinion it depends on what equipment you have

Did you feed the corals or provide inorganic supplements such as nitrate and phosphate?

I'm curious how this can work since without some source of N and P and some trace elements (e.g., iron), since photosynthetic organisms like corals cannot keep growing without them being added somehow to the water.

 

[Ryengoth]

Did you feed the corals or provide inorganic supplements such as nitrate and phosphate?

I'm curious how this can work since without some source of N and P and some trace elements (e.g., iron), since photosynthetic organisms like corals cannot keep growing without them being added somehow to the water.

VOC carbon sources could have been causing bacterial growth that fed the system?

I do not do water changes. I have a large evaporation rate, though. I go through about 6G a week in ATO and supplement it with some salt and kalkwasser. My sump skimmer, pod population in the filtering media and algae mat keep things pretty clean.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

VOC carbon sources could have been causing bacterial growth that fed the system?

I do not do water changes. I have a large evaporation rate, though. I go through about 6G a week in ATO and supplement it with some salt and kalkwasser. My sump skimmer, pod population in the filtering media and algae mat keep things pretty clean.

Those can be a carbon source, and possibly N, but there's no volatile compounds we'd encounter in a home with P.

Do you use tap water?

 

[Ryengoth]

Those can be a carbon source, and possibly N, but there's no volatile compounds we'd encounter in a home with P.

Do you use tap water?

No, RO (no DI). I feed my fish, my coral, nem and the pods in the sump though.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

No, RO (no DI). I feed my fish, my coral, nem and the pods in the sump though.

Oh, OK, that will do it.