Inquiry: Water Changes In Large Tanks

[Bruce Burnett]

My system is about 300 gallons. I don't do water changes, I occasionally have to makeup for skimmer removal but not much else. ATO water does not count as water change as it is makeup only. I go through 3-5 gallons of ro/di a day.

 

[monkiboy]

i use stenner dual head pumps on most builds including 500g and run while not home. easy peezy.

 

[ycnibrc]

I have a total volume of 400g and I don't have a set water change schedule I test my salinity every sun and base on result I will add appropriate salt to keep my salinity at 1.026 otherwise I dose everything to keep up parameter

 

[Coronus]

I change out 15 percent every two weeks. I believe its very important. I dose cal, alk, mag, And K. But their are a great deal of trace elements depleted that do not get dosed, so waterchanges closes those gaps. If I slack on water changes, my tank (sps) , begins to lose that popping color. I hold very good color in my tank and I believe regular water changes help.
So yes, big tank, big water change.

 

[Reef_Pilot]

You: 46 years, 100% a year, that is 4600% over the life of your tank.
Me: 4.6 years, 1% a day, that is 1679% over the life of my tank. You still have done more water changing than me and I do 1% a day!

... Except his tank is 10x older, so 1679% x 10 = 16,790%. Expressed another way, 1679% / 4.6 or 1% x 365 = 365%/year, so you are actually changing 3.65 times as much water per year.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

You: 46 years, 100% a year, that is 4600% over the life of your tank.
Me: 4.6 years, 1% a day, that is 1679% over the life of my tank. You still have done more water changing than me and I do 1% a day!

1% a day is 365% percent a year or 3.65 times what Paul does. But knowing Paul it could sometimes be a little less or a little more. He uses a reverse undergravel filter and a few times a years he does a bit of gravel vacuuming. That is what I use to do but my current build is bare bottom.

 

[Labridaedicted]

In a big ol' tank, it's still advisable to do your regular 10 or 20% changes. It replenishes trace elements we don't normally test for but do get depleted over time. Even in a system where nutrients aren't an issue, you'll typically see corals open more and be (if nothing else, visibly) healthier.

In my old 90, I rarely did water changes and while it was a thriving and healthy system, things seemed to be "happier" (polyps more extended, better color, more benthic inverts) in the time right after a water change. Unless you plan to dose minor trace elements like strontium, iron, and the like, I would advise regular water changes to replenish these.

I have always liked the idea of constant water changes and think the ultimate effect is probably more forgiving on the inverts, a bulk 10 to 20% weekly or every other week change is still just as effective. It's more about consistency than anything else. In my new system, with a total of approximately 300 gallons, I plan on doing 10% per week (ish).

You'll find alot of opinions on this, but I ulimately find that the benefits are great enough to warrant the effort and (relatively) small cost to do them.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

In a big ol' tank, it's still advisable to do your regular 10 or 20% changes. It replenishes trace elements we don't normally test for but do get depleted over time. Even in a system where nutrients aren't an issue, you'll typically see corals open more and be (if nothing else, visibly) healthier.

In my old 90, I rarely did water changes and while it was a thriving and healthy system, things seemed to be "happier" (polyps more extended, better color, more benthic inverts) in the time right after a water change. Unless you plan to dose minor trace elements like strontium, iron, and the like, I would advise regular water changes to replenish these.

I have always liked the idea of constant water changes and think the ultimate effect is probably more forgiving on the inverts, a bulk 10 to 20% weekly or every other week change is still just as effective. It's more about consistency than anything else. In my new system, with a total of approximately 300 gallons, I plan on doing 10% per week (ish).
On a very fixed budget I would find doing 120 gallons a month between salt, and DI media expensive. I use a calcium reactor so many trace elements get replaced when the coral bones dissolve in reactor. Many people do water changes to help reduce nitrates and phosphates. I had to work to bring mine up from undetectable. Stability I think is the most important aspect to maintain.

You'll find alot of opinions on this, but I ulimately find that the benefits are great enough to warrant the effort and (relatively) small cost to do them.

In a big ol' tank, it's still advisable to do your regular 10 or 20% changes. It replenishes trace elements we don't normally test for but do get depleted over time. Even in a system where nutrients aren't an issue, you'll typically see corals open more and be (if nothing else, visibly) healthier.

In my old 90, I rarely did water changes and while it was a thriving and healthy system, things seemed to be "happier" (polyps more extended, better color, more benthic inverts) in the time right after a water change. Unless you plan to dose minor trace elements like strontium, iron, and the like, I would advise regular water changes to replenish these.

I have always liked the idea of constant water changes and think the ultimate effect is probably more forgiving on the inverts, a bulk 10 to 20% weekly or every other week change is still just as effective. It's more about consistency than anything else. In my new system, with a total of approximately 300 gallons, I plan on doing 10% per week (ish).

You'll find alot of opinions on this, but I ulimately find that the benefits are great enough to warrant the effort and (relatively) small cost to do them.

I am on a very tight fixed budget so doing 120 gallons of water change a month between cost of salt and DI media would be expensive to me. I use a calcium reactor with coral bones so most trace elements get replenished. Many people also do water changes to help control nitrates and phosphates but I had to work to bring mine up from undetectable. Some people have better luck with water changes but it seems the least I do the better my tank.

 

[Darbna]

So I have 300 gallons volume in my tank. I have been doing weekly water changes. My question is what is the harm in it? I've heard a few say it's detrimental? Not sure what that means but I dose cal, alk, and mag, along with a weekly iron and iodine dose. Corals Jst seem happier with the changes.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

So I have 300 gallons volume in my tank. I have been doing weekly water changes. My question is what is the harm in it? I've heard a few say it's detrimental? Not sure what that means but I dose cal, alk, and mag, along with a weekly iron and iodine dose. Corals Jst seem happier with the changes.

Small weekly water changes are fine, many people feel frequent large changes puts too much stress on some corals.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

I change out 15 percent every two weeks. I believe its very important. I dose cal, alk, mag, And K. But their are a great deal of trace elements depleted that do not get dosed, so waterchanges closes those gaps. If I slack on water changes, my tank (sps) , begins to lose that popping color. I hold very good color in my tank and I believe regular water changes help.
So yes, big tank, big water change.

I experienced the same thing with my SPS. My nutrients were always low so I never felt the need to perform WC. I only dosed Phol's and Coral Vit along with my calcium reactor. That's it! My colors were horrible and pale...I started dosing trace elements and then just started doing water changes often and everything looked fantastic. I still hate doing WC and avoid like the plague but I feel it's easier to replenish than guessing what dose of trace elements to put in my tank instead.

 

[Murica]

Fifty gallons every 45 days on my 240 display

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I experienced the same thing with my SPS. My nutrients were always low so I never felt the need to perform WC. I only dosed Phol's and Coral Vit along with my calcium reactor. That's it! My colors were horrible and pale...I started dosing trace elements and then just started doing water changes often and everything looked fantastic. I still hate doing WC and avoid like the plague but I feel it's easier to replenish than guessing what dose of trace elements to put in my tank instead.

If you use TLF reborn in your calcium reactor and this is you only real source of alkalinity and calcium you should need little to no supplementing of needed trace elements or smaller water changes you may still need to supplement magnesium. People need to do what works for them as everyone keeps different live stock, different lighting, different foods ect.

 

[Coronus]

I experienced the same thing with my SPS. My nutrients were always low so I never felt the need to perform WC. I only dosed Phol's and Coral Vit along with my calcium reactor. That's it! My colors were horrible and pale...I started dosing trace elements and then just started doing water changes often and everything looked fantastic. I still hate doing WC and avoid like the plague but I feel it's easier to replenish than guessing what dose of trace elements to put in my tank instead.

Same thing happened to my friends tank. Because of low nutrients he did WC once a month and sps corals just looked dull. Started a 2 week regimen and color came back. Yes wc suck, but it makes healthy thriving systems. I try to look at it this way. I dose about 60 ml a day of cal and alk, so I know if my system is pulling that from the water, The corals are def pulling a lot more trace elements.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

If you use TLF reborn in your calcium reactor and this is you only real source of alkalinity and calcium you should need little to no supplementing of needed trace elements or smaller water changes you may still need to supplement magnesium. People need to do what works for them as everyone keeps different live stock, different lighting, different foods ect.

I use ARM media, are you saying that reborn will replenish trace elements via the reactor media? Is it different than ARM course media in terms of trace elements?

 

[Reef2zach]

In my 300 gallon system I do 15 gallons every week. My water changes are pretty minimal though. I just run 15 gallons out of my overflow into 3 5 gallon pails. Then pump 15 gallons out of a trash can back in. Takes me at most 10 minutes. I also use that time to swap out filter socks and clean out the skimmer. Usually do it Sunday night right before bed. So like 15 minutes a week of maintenence.im a big believer in the idea of, the easier you make it for yourself the more often your going to be willing to do it

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If you use TLF reborn in your calcium reactor and this is you only real source of alkalinity and calcium you should need little to no supplementing of needed trace elements or smaller water changes you may still need to supplement magnesium.

Just on a theoretical basis, how can that be true?

That only accounts for trace elements that are deposited into skeletons, which is not likely the main sink for elements such as iron which are used in coral, algae, and other organism tissues.

 

[AlexG]

My system is going to total over 1600 gallons and I am not planning to keep a set water change schedule. Even 10% per month is going to get expensive really fast. Considering how long it will take to stock my tanks I am thinking after 6-8 months I might change 100-200 gallons. As long as the parameters are all in check and I see no ill effects in the tanks I will not be completing water changes very often.

 

[Reef2zach]

My system is going to total over 1600 gallons and I am not planning to keep a set water change schedule. Even 10% per month is going to get expensive really fast. Considering how long it will take to stock my tanks I am thinking after 6-8 months I might change 100-200 gallons. As long as the parameters are all in check and I see no ill effects in the tanks I will not be completing water changes very often.

Just topping off that system is gonna get spendy lol that's a lot RO/DI water

 

[Rick.45cal]

Constant water change machine. Or Dutch Synthetic reefing.

THIS!!!!