Water changes

[Gareth elliott]

Automated wc with the autoaqua aws.
using live aquaria salt mix.

Use a 15g barrel for the mixing station and the out goes to my drive way.

la salt was cheaper when i started, now its more when there is a sale.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

Weekly water changes due to it being a closed system hoping it will aid in long term nutrient control. Would like automatic water changes but the thought of making the system more complex and adding more parts that can fail has kept me from pulling the trigger

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This is the question I have with the time based approach.

Are those minor and trace elements in need of replenishment on a weekly basis and is the 10% water change replenishing them to where they need to be?

Every tank is going to be different and the same tank is going to change over time. Would one have to periodically send out samples for analysis to determine if what they are doing is enough or maybe extend out water change frequency?

some trace elements disappear too fast to be replenished by water changes (e.g., manganese), but many others are, at least in my tank.

 

[Fourstars]

In the process of finally automating my water changes and setting up a calcium reactor. 2020 is all about stability.

 

[Quietman]

I started out first 6 months doing 10% 2x/week. Now I'm doing 10% weekly as the tank matures. I doubt I go less than this.

I have smaller tank RSR170 so manual changes and doubt I ever find AWC worth the effort/cost for 5 gallons a week.

I tried a daily 2L water change for a while, that worked out well, too.

 

[ingchr1]

That is a great question of which the answer I don't exactly know as I don't have a way to test for minor and trace elements. I assume (bad I know) that the elements get replenished to the level they need to be with regular water changes, but i'm not sure. But another big reason I forgot to mention above is the weekly 10% is also for nutrient export to keep nitrate and phosphate down along with a refugium and a skimmer I keep my levels pretty low as my stocking is pretty high.

For nutrient export we can see when to perform a water change. Nutrient export could be required before element replenishment. Making the element replenishment a non factor in determining water change frequency.

Tanks out there may very well need 10% a week (possibly more), but my tank currently with four frags probably could go a lot longer before element replenishment is needed. Nutrient export may come first.

 

[Terry Mattson]

I changed water at about 1% daily to gently tug everything back to starting levels, whether they are things one might measure (e.g. potassium) or things one cannot (e.g. accumulating organics).

The article below shows exactly what can be accomplished with different size water changes:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php

I owned a 55 gallon tank in the 1990s for about 10 years. Did the 10% to 20% water change then. What a pain. So when I purchased a 91 gallion system a year ago I set up with changing .8 to 1 gallion of tank water a day. I have a pump and valve and a one red and one green gallion plastic container. Fill red with old water and green is new water. I mix 35 gallions of new saltwater using ro/di water in a heated circulation tank.

I dose kalkwisser daily along with phytoplankton, and feed 9 fish. Additionally, I dose iodine, iron, manganese, strontium, molybdenum weekly. Tank doing very well. Lps, mushrooms, zoas, Birdsnest, etc. Have yet to lose a coral. Most have multiplied.

SG 1.026
Ph 7.9 to 8.15
Calcium 450 steady dosing 360 ml of kalkwisser each day. 360/24 hours. I dose by the hour.
Dkh 7.8 to 8.5 dose about 15 to 20 ml of soda ash a week as needed. Target 8.0
Magnesium about every 3 months
Less Rock work and sand have 70 to 75 gallions of water volume, estimated based on dkh drop and results from adding soda ash.

Export of nutrients: refugium, filter socks, skimmer, and a little gfo. Once every 6 weeks carbon.

 

[mike550]

I’m about five months in on 120G. I change about 15% every two weeks, and monitor levels every three days. Would love to get to AWC but because of location I can’t locate fill / drain lines or storage.

 

[S2G]

I setup everything around the standard 10% weekly. I increase or decrease nutrient export around it. I just dont feel right not changing water every week.

I'm looking into awc but it's easy push button right now

 

[bar|none]

I changed water at about 1% daily to gently tug everything back to starting levels, whether they are things one might measure (e.g. potassium) or things one cannot (e.g. accumulating organics).

The article below shows exactly what can be accomplished with different size water changes:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php

That was a great article Randy! I think you've convinced me to try a continuous approach even if low volume over a long time. Thanks for the awesome analysis.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That was a great article Randy! I think you've convinced me to try a continuous approach even if low volume over a long time. Thanks for the awesome analysis.

you’re welcome and thanks.

Happy Reefing

 

[PrevieAriz]

I am so new to this, I doubt my input is of any use it even correct! I have a 75 gallon up and running since October 2019 and have never done a water change. Although my husband, who has 6 FRESH WATER aquariums is on my case about it. Lol. He does water changes weekly, like 10%. I also have a 14 gallon nano up and running for about 1 month, also no water changes. I check parameters weekly, clean skimmers twice a week, and nothing has ever changed. I supplements 2-3 times a week, feed my critters daily and the amenomes 2-3 times a week. Since everything is stable, I cannot convince myself to do a water change.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I am so new to this, I doubt my input is of any use it even correct! I have a 75 gallon up and running since October 2019 and have never done a water change. Although my husband, who has 6 FRESH WATER aquariums is on my case about it. Lol. He does water changes weekly, like 10%. I also have a 14 gallon nano up and running for about 1 month, also no water changes. I check parameters weekly, clean skimmers twice a week, and nothing has ever changed. I supplements 2-3 times a week, feed my critters daily and the amenomes 2-3 times a week. Since everything is stable, I cannot convince myself to do a water change.

just wait... winter is comming! lol

 

[BiggestE222]

So there are many, many different ways to maintain are aquariums and be successful. There are people that do water changes religiously or when they remember. There are also people that have automated them as well. And of course there are those that do them at all.

What I am curious about though, is those of you that do water changes, and what your methodology is behind why you so them the way that you do.

Do you do them as part of tour routine whether it be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc. Why do you do it this way?

Do you watch your parameters and let the chemistry tell you when to do water changes? Why if you don't mind?

Have you automated this process for a particular reason? Why?

Every salt mix mixes with different parameters that we find ideal or we use it that brand for other reasons, so what works for one person may not work for another. Mainly I am just looking for reasons and methods behind water changes. I think this could bring about some conversations as well.

Routinely just for trace elements but also if parameters get out to if wack. I had maintained ALK at 12 but an increase in kalk caused ALK to raise to 14. One of my sps corals appeared irritated. So I did a 25% change and stopped dosing.

 

[Cajun86]

I change 30gal every 2 weeks on a 120 gallon system using Instant Ocean Reef Crystal. All good for my mostly Soft, LPS going on a year now

 

[Bruttall]

I changed water at about 1% daily to gently tug everything back to starting levels, whether they are things one might measure (e.g. potassium) or things one cannot (e.g. accumulating organics).

The article below shows exactly what can be accomplished with different size water changes:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php

thank you for this!!

 

[UtahReefer]

I do automated water changes daily. I know there's several schools of thought on this, but I believe it's important. WC's accomplish two things. 1- They do replace some trace elements that get taken up by inhabitants, 2- If you have a slow build up of anything in your system over time that isn't good they help to routinely diminish this. Think about it, on a reef the water isn't stagnant, it's changing all the time. Nutrients and elements come in and go out.

 

[vlangel]

I do a 5-10% water change weekly and that has been the most stable reliable system for my high nutrient reef. Once a month or so I make large brute can full of mixed salt water using regular Instant Ocean. My water change system is in my basement next to a floor drain. I just syphon out water from the sump into the drain and then replace with the premixed salt water. It only takes me about 5 minutes.

 

[Northern Flicker]

Almost all of the most beautiful tanks I see on here and elsewhere swear by WC's, so I do mine routinely. I aim for 100% over the month, but usually it's closer to 20% per week. Small system, only 25g.

 

[Azael]

I change my water once at 6 weeks.