Water changes- When and how often?

[Gman83]

I do 10-15% weekly, every Saturday morning.

 

[kevgib67]

12.5% religiously every week.

 

[MrGisonni]

I added an anthias to a 30 mixed reef that loves mysis. The addition of the new fish and food has my Nitrate and phosphate in are elevates. I added Brightwell NO3 blocks to a chamber and they slowly decreasing NO3, but I don't want to bottom them out too quickly, so, no water change this week. So the answer is.... 10% 3 to 4 times a month depending on parameters.

 

[X-37B]

10% a month across 3 systems.
2g
6g
12g
20g' a month.
After years of weekly and once going 18 months without I now have done 10% a month for the last 2 years.
I also dose trace daily.

 

[codenfx]

I was doing them every two weeks but got lazy and did it once a month. Life got busy and I haven’t done it for 5 months (still dosing all for reef during this time) and I lost nearly all my corals, some of which were on the way out, that really hurts. Now that I have time again, I started doing wc every two weeks and my corals are coming back to life. Water change really do help.

 

[CoastalTownLayabout]

10 - 20% weekly in a 10g with NSW. Benefits vary with the season and currents.

From late summer to Autumn my collecting area is heavily influenced by warm East Australian Current pushing down from the Coral Sea and eddying in to the coast. Warm and clear, often rich in zooplankton. Occasional upwelling after strong onshore blows give cooler, greener water rich in phytoplankton.

Winter to Spring is a cooler Tasman Sea current. Moderate amounts of phytoplankton and zooplankton, generally consistently clear.

It’s all good stuff though, corals puff up nicely for days after.

Occasional heavy rain events force a week off. Doesn’t seem to make much of a difference.

 

[EugeneVan]

5% water change every 5 days. It only take 10 mins out of my busy life.

 

[Stephen8169301]

Weekly 5 gal I try for every Friday if it gets pushed a couple days I don’t stress about it I try to do it when the kids napping and wife’s at work so I don’t have to do it during family time

 

[steveschuerger]

I do approximately 9-12% weekly. So 5-7 gallons.

 

[ingchr1]

15% once every two weeks.

 

[apb03]

I change roughly 1.5% daily via AWC and usually do an additional 15% manual water change twice a month to clean up my rock/sandbed.

 

[Propane]

Im still feeling out my tank but im doing about 2 gallons on about 12 gallons of water volume. Was doing more when I didn’t have my feeding right and phosphates were higher than I wanted. It’s a pretty new tank and I’m still trying to find balance.

 

[mikey1958]

I do 15 gal in my 75 gallon tank every 2 weeks

 

[hexcolor reef]

i do like the idea of 2gal water changes/day. But question, what happens to established bacteria?

 

[vetteguy53081]

i do like the idea of 2gal water changes/day. But question, what happens to established bacteria?

I never disturb sandbed. I just exchange the water
When I do bi-monthly siphoning- then I go into sandbed but I spit siphon

 

[gbroadbridge]

i do like the idea of 2gal water changes/day. But question, what happens to established bacteria?

Bacteria live on surfaces, not in the water column, so water changes do not affect them.

 

[Reefahholic]

Never! Unless something looks really off. Like No PE, STN, colors fading out, etc.

 

[Garf]

Bacteria live on surfaces, not in the water column, so water changes do not affect them.

LOL, you haven’t seen the quarantine tank I dosed with vinegar, I assume.

 

[Nano_Man]

Every week with nsw for cold water tank and a tropical marine tank same water every thing does great

 

[Pistondog]

1% daily via awc, spread over 12 doses.