Reef Central Online Community

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community > General Interest Forums > New to the Hobby
Blogs FAQ Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

View Poll Results: Do you do water changes?
Regularly 94 74.02%
Only when needed (ie high nutrients / replenish elements) 10 7.87%
Whenever I remember to 18 14.17%
Never 5 3.94%
Voters: 127. You may not vote on this poll

User Tag List

Reply
Thread Tools
Unread 11/04/2017, 01:00 AM   #1
Jon0807
Registered Member
 
Jon0807's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 293
Who still does water changes?

How many of you actually do water changes? With all the different systems, dosing, testing, filtration, reactors, etc, I wonder, are regular water changes still necessary? I've watched so many videos on youtube and read so much about people moving away from regular water changes, it just makes sense to me that water changes are a pretty inefficient way of exporting nutrients and replenishing elements. I realize with nanos, water changes are the best way to do these things, but with bigger systems, its got to be pretty cumbersome and is the only reason why we do water changes because that's what we were told to do for years?


__________________
40g breeder DT, 40g breeder sump
Jon0807 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/04/2017, 02:26 AM   #2
homer1475
Registered Member
 
homer1475's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 5,313
Most with large systems, do automatic daily water changes.

I still do a weekly 10G religiously on my 80G.

And yes water changes is still the best and most efficient way to manage water chemistry.

It's much easier when all you have to do is flip a couple valves and your done. It's best to think of things like this when setting up the tank, and getting it all setup so all you have to do is flip a couple valves.

Remember, the solution to pollution is dilution.


__________________
80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256

Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht:

"He's just taking his lunch to work"
homer1475 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/04/2017, 02:52 AM   #3
Karbonoffee
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: NYC
Posts: 3
I'm not going to lie and say I do water changes often. I try to do them when I get the chance to haha


Karbonoffee is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/04/2017, 06:36 AM   #4
ReefNomad
Registered Member
 
ReefNomad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Posts: 130
Change water every week! I can't bring myself to give it up.


ReefNomad is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/04/2017, 07:00 AM   #5
LeJeune981
Registered Member
 
LeJeune981's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 747
When I had my 150 up as a freshwater tank.. I had bluegill/sunfish/rock bass/a plecostomis/clown loach/and a channel cat... all were cought out of Lake Erie (except the pleco and loach)
Anyways. I had that system up for 5 years.. 2 huge hob filters (I forget who made them.. but they were 250 each 15 years ago)

Anyways.. long story short... my bluegill/sunfish/rock bass grew to over state record size... I was feeding the fish 200 feeder gold fish a week..

I never did a single water change in those 5 years.. and never once had bad water..or even smelly water....

I did change the filters a few times... mostly I just cleaned them and reused them...

My pan fish were all state records when released.. channel cat was 5 lbs..
Pleco weight in at around 3 lbs and so did the loach... all were cought or purchased tiny.. less than an inch long

Sent from my SM-S907VL using Tapatalk


LeJeune981 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/04/2017, 07:05 AM   #6
Tom39
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Spotsylvania, Virginia
Posts: 435
I make it my goal to do them once a month and try and change out 20% of the water volume. Sometimes though, other activities like vacation and household chores get in the way and every month turns into every 6 or 8 weeks.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


__________________
150g cube, 40g sump, Rapid led, Neptune controller, LR, sandbed, ATS, PS

Current Tank Info: 150g Marineland Cube
Tom39 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/04/2017, 07:31 AM   #7
abrooks12376
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 135
Quote:
Originally Posted by LeJeune981 View Post
When I had my 150 up as a freshwater tank.. I had bluegill/sunfish/rock bass/a plecostomis/clown loach/and a channel cat... all were cought out of Lake Erie (except the pleco and loach)
Anyways. I had that system up for 5 years.. 2 huge hob filters (I forget who made them.. but they were 250 each 15 years ago)

Anyways.. long story short... my bluegill/sunfish/rock bass grew to over state record size... I was feeding the fish 200 feeder gold fish a week..

I never did a single water change in those 5 years.. and never once had bad water..or even smelly water....

I did change the filters a few times... mostly I just cleaned them and reused them...

My pan fish were all state records when released.. channel cat was 5 lbs..
Pleco weight in at around 3 lbs and so did the loach... all were cought or purchased tiny.. less than an inch long

Sent from my SM-S907VL using Tapatalk
You just incriminated yourself, definitely cannot go releasing aquarium kept fish into the wild. Fish and game anyone...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


abrooks12376 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/04/2017, 08:25 AM   #8
LeJeune981
Registered Member
 
LeJeune981's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 747
I'm an outlaw!!!!

I figured I released my fish in the same location I cought them...

Not like I released a foreign or evasive species...

My loach and pleco are still on display at the small town lfs I purchased them from...and are GIGANTIC now

Sent from my SM-S907VL using Tapatalk


LeJeune981 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/04/2017, 09:35 AM   #9
Tcox
Registered Member
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 149
Following the BRS160. I have a hard time keeping chaeto alive. If that wasn’t an issue I might consider going to the Triton method. Currently I’m doing about 30% ever other week.


Tcox is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/04/2017, 01:20 PM   #10
JUNBUG361
Registered Member
 
JUNBUG361's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Antioch,CALIFORNIA
Posts: 1,091
10-15 gallons every 2 weeks


JUNBUG361 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/04/2017, 02:32 PM   #11
ROB2005
Reefing Is My Passion!
 
ROB2005's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Miami, FL
Posts: 719
Change 5 gallons weekly, for sole purpose of trace element replenishment not administered by dosing.


__________________
If at first you don't succeed at reefing, break it down and set back up😁

Current Tank Info: 75 gallon corner overflow, 4-54W T-5 , dozen blue hermits, tiger pistol/yellow watchman goby, royal gramma, banghai and pajama cardinals
ROB2005 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/04/2017, 08:50 PM   #12
zheka757
Registered Member
 
zheka757's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: North Port Florida
Posts: 283
i still do once i a while. but honestly, i do it not because i have bad test readings, just because. about ones every 2 month.


zheka757 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/05/2017, 04:38 AM   #13
Bpb
Registered Member
 
Bpb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,148
12% weekly as best as I can. Sometimes the lengths people go to in order to avoid water changes are far more expensive and labor intensive than the water changes themselves. I suppose your tank volume will settle that. For anything in the small to medium category I cannot see how an ultra high light refugium which needs to be trimmed and cleaned weekly, $200 in ICP testing every year, plus dosing 4+ additional elements daily to the tank (potentially needing to automate them), is in any way cheaper or easier than a bottle of vodka, a box of salt, and 5 minutes a week. But...to each their own. Sometimes the "fix" for a simple task is overly complicated and cost inefficient.

On a large tank I think a calcium reactor with carbon dosing is much cheaper or easier than any other trace addition/nutrient export method that could potentially lessen the need for water changes.


Bpb is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/05/2017, 07:56 AM   #14
EMeyer
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 173
Water changes are the single easiest maintenance task in keeping a saltwater tank.

In principle you can get away without water changes. But water changes are such as easy step that in one fell swoop accomplishes many good things for the aquarium.
nutrient export
replenish trace minerals
removal of refractory DOM
stabilize salinity
stabilize alkalinity

all these without the need for tedious and error prone testing, in a simple 5-10 minutes of siphoning and turning pumps on and off.

A more interesting question for a poll, in my mind, would be: if you dont do water changes, why not? Not saying people who don't are wrong -- you can definitely keep a beautiful tank with no WC -- but I'd be curious what people are perceiving as the benefit.


EMeyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/06/2017, 07:45 AM   #15
SycoCell
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 187
I do about 25 gallons every 2-3 weeks in my 125g. I daily dose automatically, but it gives me the "fresh" feeling when it's done. Tank always looks happier when I do it.


__________________
125g long DT, RS-200 Sump, Reef Octo 150 Skimmer, Full apex automation
*PS, I'm a newb so take my suggestions with a grain of reef salt*
SycoCell is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/06/2017, 08:00 AM   #16
MrsReefK
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 981
I have my DOS setup to change 1.5-2% per day on our 625 gallon system.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


MrsReefK is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/06/2017, 08:00 AM   #17
Dmorty217
Saltwater Addict
 
Dmorty217's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Vandalia OHIO
Posts: 11,624
I might do a water change every 6 months or so but not anywhere close to once a month.


__________________
Fish are not disposable commodities, but a worthwhile investment that can be maintained and enjoyed for many years, providing one is willing to take the time to understand their requirements and needs

Current Tank Info: 625g, 220g sump, RD3 230w, Vectra L1 on a closed loop, 3 MP60s, MP40. Several QTs
Dmorty217 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/06/2017, 08:08 AM   #18
RobZilla04
Registered Member
 
RobZilla04's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: St. Augustine, FL
Posts: 1,857
Spread mine out to once a month. Trying to spread them even farther but depends on nuisance nutrient levels. Just installed a chaeto reactor to help.


__________________
90g Mixed Reef
RobZilla04 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/06/2017, 09:25 AM   #19
eastlake
Registered Member
 
eastlake's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: willoughby
Posts: 648
I do 15 gallons out of my 150 gallon every week. Not only is it a routine at this point, which feels weird when I stray from it, but the corals tend to look nicer after the water change, which I like to see. I can't say I see the same immediate appreciation from the fish, but, I have a pair of shark nose gobies and allenii damsels that breed regularly and I'll take that as a thank you for the effort


eastlake is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/06/2017, 09:43 AM   #20
Jekerry
Registered Member
 
Jekerry's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Rochester NY
Posts: 205
We just did our first at week 4. All the corals look happier. Even though our numbers did not indicate anything wrong, we noticed an immediate change. We did 10 gallon change in our 54 gallon tank. We plan on doing it monthly. It was pretty easy to do.


Jekerry is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/07/2017, 09:14 AM   #21
monkeysee1
Registered Member
 
monkeysee1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: MERRIMACK NH
Posts: 423
Every OTHER week here (usually on Saturday), my friend - and a 20-25% change.


__________________
Your "fair share" is not in my wallet; it's in my fish tank!!
Current tank info: 90 Gallon saltwater 10 fish with a few inverts; NO CORALS!
Tried to go reef; didn't work out so hot; FOWLR's for me!
monkeysee1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/07/2017, 09:27 AM   #22
jayball
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Maryland
Posts: 1,671
Every time I start neglecting water changes my LPS start going downhill. I just did a 20% and a 5% after a couple months of not and all my euphyllia look better. It seems that long established CA-RX systems with no or minimal soft coral does better with no water changes than mixed reef with other supplementation. (Just my observation from reading threads and my own aquariums/ other locals)


jayball is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/08/2017, 06:41 AM   #23
cincyjim
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 1,147
I do water changes on a continious water change system. My friend though who has been keeping saltwater for years has gone to the Triton method (no water changes). I guess we'll see the true results in a year or two how that goes for him.


__________________
Jim

Current Tank Info: SCA 150G, 5 inch sand bed, 2 Tunze 6095s, ReefBreeders v2+ 50" with 2 all Blue Reefbrites, and Continuous Water Change System
cincyjim is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/08/2017, 08:50 PM   #24
rocsec1
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Medina oh
Posts: 1,782
I do 10% every week.


rocsec1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11/08/2017, 09:57 PM   #25
Jeramirez85
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Houston
Posts: 50
I try to do 10% every week if I can’t then I make sure at the second week I do around 15%


Jeramirez85 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:51 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef CentralTM Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2022
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.