Water Changes or Not?

[Wildblue4]

I have had SW tanks since late 80's. I have always did a 25% water change monthly. This is when I only had Fish. I now have Softies, and SPS along with Anemones in my aquarium. I dose Alk, Cal, Mag on my Apex as well as weekly doses of AB+ and essential elements from Red Sea. I use a ATO with RODI water that adds about 15 gallons weekly in my 250 gallon tank.
All that to say my tank has never ran or looked better. It's stability is amazing. The Apex shows my chemical levels have very little movement with the Triton. I have not did a water change since September of last year. Folks that don't do monthly water changes, do you do them every few months or just dont do them at all? I just dont want to wake up to a crash. LOL Any help/Ideas would be great.

If this needs to be in a different discussion thread please move.

 

[Mical]

I was in the same boat, the less water changes the better the tank responded. I dose as you & monitor but maybe do a 10 gal water change maybe once a year. No socks, just skimmers and they are both thriving and have now for about 5 years.

 

[HB AL]

I haven't done one in over 4 years and everyone seems to be doing fine, pretty much for the same reasons you listed.

 

[Wildblue4]

I haven't done one in over 4 years and everyone seems to be doing fine, pretty much for the same reasons you listed.

Thats a beautiful Aquarium. Congratulations. So did you do water changes and then stopped? I am going to continue this way until i see something change, I guess. I do skim but took my socks off.

 

[HuduVudu]

Water changes do suck just from a stability stand point and getting away from them altogether or cutting them down really helps with the stability.

That said I would be doing regular ICP tests particularly if I was dosing two part or things that contribute sodium or chloride. Getting and keeping balance is really important, and some things take time to shift away from you and then bite you in the bum. Unfortunately when they have shifted that far it is really hard to gently bring them back.

You guys have nice big tanks. This helps a ton with the stability, but it can also have dangers in that shifts in balance because of complacency might go to far and when tanks that big have gone too far, bringing them back will have causalties.

Be safe my friends test periodically, and keep an eye out for problems.

 

[HB AL]

Thats a beautiful Aquarium. Congratulations. So did you do water changes and then stopped? I am going to continue this way until i see something change, I guess. I do skim but took my socks off.

I ran fowlr tanks with no water changes for years before and this is my 1st time running a reef tank with no water changes. Only difference is checking alk and calc more often and adding the required vitamins and trace elements.
Also its a little easier nowadays as far as nutrient removal and keeping nitrates and phosphates in line. Skimmers are more efficient now and not to long ago we didn't have nopox, phosgaurd, etc..... really helps keep things under control.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Try bi-monthly and if all is stable, then try quarterly. As in my case, I change water seldom as I let the fish and coral talk to me (meaning if something is off, I get the test kit out and do water change) which that too is seldom

 

[flagg37]

I would second the periodic ICP testing. If nothing is off then no sense trying to fix something that isn’t broken.

 

[WVNed]

I just do one every day. Well a machine does it for me.
What is best? I don't know. I have done them weekly, monthly and not at all. Now I do a small one daily.
Everybody's system is different. Mine is heavy with fish. I do what works for me. That doesn't mean it will work for anyone else.

 

[dvgyfresh]

I find that water changes make my aquarium “mad” , dinos bloom and Coraline starts to recede , the longer I go without WC the better the tank looks and Dino’s disappear