first water change (in a 9-year old tank!!)

[beaslbob]

I did my first water change today.

You think my system will crash? :sad:

 

[ReefMadScientist]

Why would your tank crash? A water change allows you to rid the excess Nitrates, Phosphates from your tank and replenish your tank with clean saltwater with the essential elements needed to keep your tank going :)

 

[NanaReefer]

Did you do something wrong? What makes you ask this question? Water changes are never bad! :)

 

[beaslbob]

FWIW and to those who may be unfamiliar with my tanks, I never change water. So this is the first water change in 9 years.

 

[NanaReefer]

Wow!! Welcome!! Still don't believe changing your water will hurt anything. But I'm sure your livestock will be surprised if not grateful :)

 

[Paul B]

I doubt your tank will crash but you may possably lose some livestock. Animals get used to water even if it is bad water and sometimes get upset if you change it. As long as you didn't change all of your water at once, I don't think anything will happen.

 

[beaslbob]

I doubt your tank will crash but you may possably lose some livestock. Animals get used to water even if it is bad water and sometimes get upset if you change it. As long as you didn't change all of your water at once, I don't think anything will happen.

wow

Even Paul B answered.

I much appreciate that.

for those who don't know:

Paul, your tank had been running how many years? Something like 41 or so? And you change water 2-3 times per year or so?

I guess you fish have just aclimated to those 'nasty' conditions.

 

[Paul B]

I think it is 43 years old and I change some water 4 or 5 times a year. :fear:

 

[ReefMadScientist]

I think it is 43 years old and I change some water 4 or 5 times a year. :fear:

What is thy secret? Vodka?

 

[beaslbob]

What is thy secret? Vodka?

no secret.

Can't speak for Paul B. He does that here:

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-discussion/55423-tank-birthday-40-years.html

For me the important thing is to balance out and stabilize tank operation so water changes are irrelevant and in fact can only degrade the system.

I do that with macro algaes and dosing the diy 2 part.

Of course water changes only result in:

value before water change=amount in replacement water+[(changes between water changes)/(fraction of water change)]

Assuming everything is constant with a constant change, the stuff is a linear measure, and sufficient water changes for been conducted so that the value before the water change is constant water change to water change.

So if something is building up a 1ppm/day, there are 30ppm in the replacement water and you conduct a 10% water change every 10 days you have:

before water change=[(1ppm/day*10days)/(1/10)]+30=130ppm

but by getting the rate of change down you can have 0ppm.

just my .02

 

[Paul B]

Originally Posted by ReefMadScientist
What is thy secret? Vodka?



no secret.

Can't speak for Paul B. He does that here:

Tank birthday, 40 years

I don't dose Vodka, But I dose it to myself almost every night. That or Merlot. If somewhere in that many years long thread I said I dosed Vodka, I was either drinking to much of it or just used it as an experiment a couple of times.

Of course water changes only result in:

value before water change=amount in replacement water+[(changes between water changes)/(fraction of water change)]

Assuming everything is constant with a constant change, the stuff is a linear measure, and sufficient water changes for been conducted so that the value before the water change is constant water change to water change.

So if something is building up a 1ppm/day, there are 30ppm in the replacement water and you conduct a 10% water change every 10 days you have:

before water change=[(1ppm/day*10days)/(1/10)]+30=130ppm

but by getting the rate of change down you can have 0ppm.

just my .02

Beaslbob, the rest of your post, I have no idea what all that means.

 

[Acro]

Wow! Definitely some veterans here!

I'm familiar with both your tanks, and I've always wanted to be able to keep everything simple to no water changes. But of course I'm still doing the once a week change and don't even know where to begin to not! Lmbo

 

[beaslbob]

I don't dose Vodka, But I dose it to myself almost every night.

Awwwww that explains it.

Beaslbob, the rest of your post, I have no idea what all that means.

Nor do you have to. 43 years speaks for itself.

regardless of what this ole nerdy engineer has for equations.

 

[beaslbob]

Wow! Definitely some veterans here!

I'm familiar with both your tanks, and I've always wanted to be able to keep everything simple to no water changes. But of course I'm still doing the once a week change and don't even know where to begin to not! Lmbo

Understand completely.

and keep doing the water changes if you want.

But perhaps. Just perhaps. on the far outside chance. the water changes are not maintaing your tank as much as you think. It's all the other stuff you're doing that make the big difference.


Pass the vodka please.

 

[Paul B]

I am a simple person with a simple tank. I just think simpler than most people and it seems to work out fine. I feel that seawater is very stable and will get along just fine as long as you don't mess with it. As soon as you start fiddling with it by testing every five minutes and adding kalk, or tweaking the pH, worrying about the Alk or ORP and any and all silly abbreviations that's when you have problems. Just leave the thing alone, feed some good food, not "high quality" dry food whatever that is, but some live food such as worms and you will be fine. I have had a fish tank every day of my life from about 1955 or so and so far, I have never, not even once had to change the pH. I wonder why.
I have no idea what my nitrates read and I don't want to know and neither do my fish and corals because as soon as I know, I will want to change them or lower them because an "expert" in Guantamamo, Guatal Canal, Guyana, Georgia, Ganamede or the Grand Canyon, will advise me that that is the way to go. If my fish has hemorids, cataracts, gall stones, lepracy, or a social disease someone will ask what my parameters are. I am American of Italian decent, born in Brooklyn, those are my parameters.

 

[beaslbob]

I am a simple person with a simple tank. I just think simpler than most people and it seems to work out fine. I feel that seawater is very stable and will get along just fine as long as you don't mess with it. As soon as you start fiddling with it by testing every five minutes and adding kalk, or tweaking the pH, worrying about the Alk or ORP and any and all silly abbreviations that's when you have problems. Just leave the thing alone, feed some good food, not "high quality" dry food whatever that is, but some live food such as worms and you will be fine. I have had a fish tank every day of my life from about 1955 or so and so far, I have never, not even once had to change the pH. I wonder why.
I have no idea what my nitrates read and I don't want to know and neither do my fish and corals because as soon as I know, I will want to change them or lower them because an "expert" in Guantamamo, Guatal Canal, Guyana, Georgia, Ganamede or the Grand Canyon, will advise me that that is the way to go. If my fish has hemorids, cataracts, gall stones, lepracy, or a social disease someone will ask what my parameters are. I am American of Italian decent, born in Brooklyn, those are my parameters.

+1

well I'm some kind of european from Iowa but otherwise agree.

 

[markkazdad]

no secret.

Of course water changes only result in:

value before water change=amount in replacement water+[(changes between water changes)/(fraction of water change)]

Assuming everything is constant with a constant change, the stuff is a linear measure, and sufficient water changes for been conducted so that the value before the water change is constant water change to water change.

So if something is building up a 1ppm/day, there are 30ppm in the replacement water and you conduct a 10% water change every 10 days you have:

before water change=[(1ppm/day*10days)/(1/10)]+30=130ppm

but by getting the rate of change down you can have 0ppm.

just my .02

So if something is building up at 1 ppm/day, there are 30ppm in the replacement water and you conduct a 100% water change every 10 days you have:

value before water change = 30 ppm +[(0)/(1)] ?

 

[fishroomlady]

the math is killing me here. Paul - perfect advice.

 

[beaslbob]

So if something is building up at 1 ppm/day, there are 30ppm in the replacement water and you conduct a 100% water change every 10 days you have:

value before water change = 30 ppm +[(0)/(1)] ?

no

its 30ppm +[(1*10)/(1/10)]=30+10/(1/10)=30+10*10=130.

The reason this is so is because in order to have the same before water values, the water change must precisley and completely remove all the buildup between changes.

In this case we have a 10ppm buildup between changes and are doing a 10% or 1/10 water change. That 1/10 must remove 10ppm built up so the tank has to start at 100ppm then go down to 90ppm after the change then back up to 100pm for the next change. the 30ppm is just added each change and with enough changes and no build up that is where the tank would wind up. So you compine the two for 130ppm

So when you hear a post gee I do weekly water changes and still have 70ppm nitrates. you can now get a rough idea of what is going on in the tank.

 

[Paul B]

its 30ppm +[(1*10)/(1/10)]=30+10/(1/10)=30+10*10=130.

I totally agree with this. :pray: