When to waterchange

Jekyl · Jan 13, 2022

Dom said:
@Uncle99 - In terms of stability, don't you think it would better to do water changes weekly?

Water changes are meant to remove or replenish nutrients. If they are in acceptable ranges then it isn't necessary. I always refer to the people with massive tanks. In a 1200g system they're not doing 120g a week. Instead better export and dosing methods are used.

Dom · Jan 13, 2022

Jekyl said:
Water changes are meant to remove or replenish nutrients. If they are in acceptable ranges then it isn't necessary. I always refer to the people with massive tanks. In a 1200g system they're not doing 120g a week. Instead better export and dosing methods are used.

People with large tanks typically use the Dutch Synthetic Reefing method.

Jekyl · Jan 13, 2022

Dom said:
People with large tanks typically use the Dutch Synthetic Reefing method.

Just a fancy name for dosing isn't it though?

PeterEde · Jan 13, 2022

As a newbie who's tank cycled using live rock and stability in 3 weeks I am still wondering the reason for water changes if parameters are stable.

If it's to replenish lost elements isn't that why people dose, run calcium reactors etc?
I thought water changes were for nutrient export if things go a miss for an unknown reason?

Having said that I am still doing 10% 3x month and 20% 1x a month

Dom · Jan 13, 2022

Jekyl said:
Just a fancy name for dosing isn't it though?

Yeah.... it is. LOL

PeterEde · Jan 13, 2022

DSR sound a more realist method and less stress of tank life?

Mikosreef · Jan 13, 2022

Most new reefers are always going on about water changes being so important... and yes it is, because they continuously do things they shouldnt in the tank... Overfeed, dose, kill corals, kill fish, kill inverts, switch salts, salinity spikes, continuously try to keep up with the latest and greatest trend... water changes help minimize the impact of these things.

As you become experienced, read up, research, learn, grow, observe, slow down, not put your hands into the tank every chance you get, you realize that water changes can be minimized or avoided. You only need to remove what you put in.... you can remove some of that via water changes (regular is better but is not necessary).... if you can export it with other methods and organisms using what you put in, then you create an ecosystem that has found its equilibrium.

JNalley · Jan 13, 2022

Uriken said:
I know many reefers dislike water changes yet I agree with "stability" of water parameters being the key to the hobby. For me part of maintaining that stability is doing a 10% water change each week. The same time each week using RODI and the same salt mix. I have had success keeping my levels in check and maintain growth within the fish and coral by doing so. The dosing options like "All For Reef" I have read many reefers having success yet with the routine water changes and testing to maintain PH & ALK I'm getting the same result as the salt mix has much of what is in the additives even though it gets consumed and drops off as days go by. I'm sure many would ask "Why do a water change if nothing is wrong?". Yet stable maintenance in my opinion just supports the stability and avoid the possible avenue for things to go wrong and then in turn have to try and correct.

Pretty sure that this is at the heart of the debate of water change vs no water change, and it's going to boil down to personal preference. That being said, from my side, where you see stability, I see water changes as invasive and not stable, if I'm a fish, in a tank, and all of a sudden my flow goes away, and the water level starts changing, and then it goes back up, and the temperature rises and falls and then rises by a few degrees, and then the flow comes back, I'm viewing the world for that 5-10 minutes as utter chaos, sure, it might be consistently operated chaos, but it's chaos none the less, and don't even get me started with people dumping a bucket into the display, sheer madness. Whereas, if there's a dosing pump replacing the things that are lost in my water, in a sump return chamber, I am none the wiser, my day goes just like every other day... Some of that was tongue-in-cheek but it's a nice existential problem to ponder over...

I currently perform water changes on an as-needed basis... slowly working towards next to never, because if I don't have to fiddle with the tank, and I can just watch it and enjoy it, my inhabitants are likely feeling the same way.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 14, 2022

JNalley said:
That being said, from my side, where you see stability, I see water changes as invasive and not stable, if I'm a fish, in a tank, and all of a sudden my flow goes away, and the water level starts changing, and then it goes back up, and the temperature rises and falls and then rises by a few degrees, and then the flow comes back, I'm viewing the world for that 5-10 minutes as utter chaos, sure, it might be consistently operated chaos, but it's chaos none the less, and don't even get me started with people dumping a bucket into the display, sheer madness. W

Water changes do not require any of that, or cause any instability, if done slowly. When I changed water 24 times each day over 15 minutes each time, there was no more instability than dosing a supplement spread out over the same degree.

So blast away at large sudden water changes, but don't tar the entire concept by one embodiment that you don't like.

JNalley · Jan 14, 2022

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Water changes do not require any of that, or cause any instability, if done slowly.

Sure, I can buy that.

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
When I changed water 24 times each day over 15 minutes each time, there was no more instability than dosing a supplement spread out over the same degree.

Would you say that this method is in the minority or majority of how reefers perform water changes?