Let's get rid of water changes
- Thread starter scott cheek
- Start date
- Tagged users None
scott cheek
Community Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2017
- Messages
- 36
- Reaction score
- 11
The filtration is a sump the flow is 3 four inch filter socks into a bio pellet reactor that dumps into a 10inch reef octopus skimmer. The air is supplied by a pump through a CO2 scrubber. There is also a UV and a sulfur reactor I built that feeds the skimmer. I did this to stabilize the ph. I have managed to keep everything in check but Nitrate keep fluctuating between 10-40. I would be ok I think if I could keep it around 5-15 maybe 20.
Tank
PH 8.1-8.3
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Phosphate 0-.05
Nitrate 10-40
Calcium 440-460
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
Staff member
Super Moderator
Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
I'm not sure how to reconcile the title which suggests doing away with water changes and the posts which asks how to maintain a reef tank?
One can surely run a nice reef tank with few or no water changes, but in general I think water quality is usually better when doing changes. Here's my reasoning:
Water Changes in Reef Aquaria by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php
Conclusion
Water changes are a good way to help control certain processes that serve to drive reef aquarium water away from its starting purity. Some things build up in certain situations (organics, certain metals, sodium, chloride, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, etc.), and some things become depleted (calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, strontium, silica, etc.). Water changes can serve to help correct these imbalances, and in some cases may be the best way to deal with them. Water changes of 15-30% per month (whether carried out once a month, daily or continuously) have been shown in the graphs above to be useful in moderating the drift of these different seawater components from starting levels. For most reef aquaria, I recommend such changes as good aquarium husbandry. In general, the more the better, if carried out appropriately, and if the new salt water is of appropriate quality.
Calcium and alkalinity, being rapidly depleted in most reef aquaria, are not well controlled, or even significantly impacted by such small water changes. In order to maintain them with no other supplements, changes on the order of 30-50% PER DAY would be required. Nevertheless, that option may still be a good choice for very small aquaria, especially if the changes are slow and automatic.
One can surely run a nice reef tank with few or no water changes, but in general I think water quality is usually better when doing changes. Here's my reasoning:
Water Changes in Reef Aquaria by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php
Conclusion
Water changes are a good way to help control certain processes that serve to drive reef aquarium water away from its starting purity. Some things build up in certain situations (organics, certain metals, sodium, chloride, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, etc.), and some things become depleted (calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, strontium, silica, etc.). Water changes can serve to help correct these imbalances, and in some cases may be the best way to deal with them. Water changes of 15-30% per month (whether carried out once a month, daily or continuously) have been shown in the graphs above to be useful in moderating the drift of these different seawater components from starting levels. For most reef aquaria, I recommend such changes as good aquarium husbandry. In general, the more the better, if carried out appropriately, and if the new salt water is of appropriate quality.
Calcium and alkalinity, being rapidly depleted in most reef aquaria, are not well controlled, or even significantly impacted by such small water changes. In order to maintain them with no other supplements, changes on the order of 30-50% PER DAY would be required. Nevertheless, that option may still be a good choice for very small aquaria, especially if the changes are slow and automatic.
Flippers4pups
Fins up since 1993
Welcome to Reef2reef! Looks like you've done some serious research on keeping saltwater tanks. Your battles with NO3 could be linked to the size of fish your keeping for the size tank you have, feeding amounts and the way your rock work is arranged/amount of rock because of detritus settling in and around the rocks and frequency/amount of water changes.
What's the list of fish you have? And what lighting are you using?
What's the list of fish you have? And what lighting are you using?
scott cheek
Community Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2017
- Messages
- 36
- Reaction score
- 11
What I am getting at and well what I am sure we are all after is an aquarium that we are not bound to keep any certain amount of fish in. I am way way over stocked easy
Here is a list
10 inch Vlamingiitang
8 inch majestic Foxface
7 in Regal tang
3 5 in yellow tangs
4 Tomi I tang
5 in scopas tang
5 in sailfish tang
5 in Naso blonde
4 in powder blue and brown
4 in clown tang
12 percula clowns
1 maroon clown
1 Clarkii clown
3 matted file fish
20 different damselfish
And I am sure there are more
Feeding is three sheets of seaweed
Auto feeder with pellets and between 6-8 cubes of frozen food
My point is the filter is way more important than the tank. I have been doing tanks for years but I just found the holy grail with this sulfur reactor. I had heard of them before but never used one. I always thought it was a danger to the tank. I have to say I only wish I had started using one 20 years ago.
Here is a list
10 inch Vlamingiitang
8 inch majestic Foxface
7 in Regal tang
3 5 in yellow tangs
4 Tomi I tang
5 in scopas tang
5 in sailfish tang
5 in Naso blonde
4 in powder blue and brown
4 in clown tang
12 percula clowns
1 maroon clown
1 Clarkii clown
3 matted file fish
20 different damselfish
And I am sure there are more
Feeding is three sheets of seaweed
Auto feeder with pellets and between 6-8 cubes of frozen food
My point is the filter is way more important than the tank. I have been doing tanks for years but I just found the holy grail with this sulfur reactor. I had heard of them before but never used one. I always thought it was a danger to the tank. I have to say I only wish I had started using one 20 years ago.
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
Staff member
Super Moderator
Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
Most chemistry forum readers would agree that filtration of various types is critical.
A sulfur denitrator is a fine method, but has a couple of drawbacks, such as reducing alkalinity and not reducing phosphate very much.
I'm curious to see how the tank looks when some of those fish reach full size plus aggression issues as well. To each his own but personally I think your playing with fire. Keeping SPS might prove difficult. Nice tank nonetheless
PSLReefer
Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2017
- Messages
- 306
- Reaction score
- 283
- Location
- Port St. Lucie
- What state or country do you live in
- Florida
Not gonna have success with sps and that many fish, not gonna happen
PSLReefer
Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2017
- Messages
- 306
- Reaction score
- 283
- Location
- Port St. Lucie
- What state or country do you live in
- Florida
What about phosphate and alk. Nitrates are the least of your worries....
scott cheek
Community Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2017
- Messages
- 36
- Reaction score
- 11
DSC
Thank you for the compliment
I have been doing this along time and about 6 months ago just decided there has to be a better way than the 25 gallon water change. I have better water quality this way than I did with the water changes and it is scary how stable everything else is. It is just the nitrate that keeps swinging as low as 10-15 and as high as 35-40. I am just wondering if there is anything else besides another sulphur reactor that might get that 40 down and add room for more fish
Thank you for the compliment
I have been doing this along time and about 6 months ago just decided there has to be a better way than the 25 gallon water change. I have better water quality this way than I did with the water changes and it is scary how stable everything else is. It is just the nitrate that keeps swinging as low as 10-15 and as high as 35-40. I am just wondering if there is anything else besides another sulphur reactor that might get that 40 down and add room for more fish
