Are water changes over rated?

[VintageReefer]

Algae scrubber. Which is a natural form of carbon dosing ;)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Algae scrubber. Which is a natural form of carbon dosing ;)

lol

Both are natural processes. :)

 

[Troylee]

So I'm currently doing the no water change method on my LPS only tank and nitrates are now 50ppm.

Which route should I got to export this nutrient?

ATS
Cheato reactor
Display Refugium 10G
Carbon dosing

I currently dose Alk with ESV and hand dose Cal,MG when needed. I plan on switching to 1+2+3+ for the trace elements.

Change the water it’s the best method hands down lol…

 

[VintageReefer]

lol

Both are natural processes. :)

Agreed

Didn’t mean to imply anything otherwise

 

[Koty]

So I'm currently doing the no water change method on my LPS only tank and nitrates are now 50ppm.

Which route should I got to export this nutrient?

ATS
Cheato reactor
Display Refugium 10G
Carbon dosing

I currently dose Alk with ESV and hand dose Cal,MG when needed. I plan on switching to 1+2+3+ for the trace elements.

I recommend that you use all export methods. Skimmer, (heavy) carbon and cheato. 50 ppm Nitrate IMO & E is high and spells that your water is too dirty. I also recommend UV.
I use the TM Three part and their A & K elements.

 

[Troylee]

So I'm currently doing the no water change method on my LPS only tank and nitrates are now 50ppm.

Which route should I got to export this nutrient?

ATS
Cheato reactor
Display Refugium 10G
Carbon dosing

I currently dose Alk with ESV and hand dose Cal,MG when needed. I plan on switching to 1+2+3+ for the trace elements.

What made you go the anti water change route? It’s so much easier and healthier for your tank to change water and add stuff to dirty it up if you want than to try and get it out.. is it the price of salt? I don’t think I’ll ever understand the no water change method unless you’re on the moonshine and trying to keep every single element in perfect line which is impossible without spending tons of money on icp and by the time you get those results something is off lol…

 

[VintageReefer]

What made you go the anti water change route? It’s so much easier and healthier for your tank to change water and add stuff to dirty it up if you want than to try and get it out.. is it the price of salt? I don’t think I’ll ever understand the no water change method unless you’re on the moonshine and trying to keep every single element in perfect line which is impossible without spending tons of money on icp and by the time you get those results something is off lol…

I’m no water change I don’t moonshine and I keep basic parameters in line and stable. I do supplement manganese and my calcium product contains some trace. I don’t run a skimmer and I don’t run any mechanical filtration - no socks, floss, or fleece rollers.

Why don’t I water change? Because I’ve been keeping reefs for 23-24 years, and around 12 years ago I figured out how to keep reefs without needing them. Saves me time and money and if I need to be away from the tank from a while I have comfort knowing water changes aren’t needed to keep my tank stable and healthy.

 

[Big E]

I’m no water change I don’t moonshine and I keep basic parameters in line and stable. I do supplement manganese and my calcium product contains some trace. I don’t run a skimmer and I don’t run any mechanical filtration - no socks, floss, or fleece rollers.

Why don’t I water change? Because I’ve been keeping reefs for 23-24 years, and around 12 years ago I figured out how to keep reefs without needing them. Saves me time and money and if I need to be away from the tank from a while I have comfort knowing water changes aren’t needed to keep my tank stable and healthy.

I understand you're a vet, but that system is nothing but a bunch of frags. Not sure why this is any kind of testimonial for no water changes.

 

[Garf]

I’m no water change I don’t moonshine and I keep basic parameters in line and stable. I do supplement manganese and my calcium product contains some trace. I don’t run a skimmer and I don’t run any mechanical filtration - no socks, floss, or fleece rollers.

Why don’t I water change? Because I’ve been keeping reefs for 23-24 years, and around 12 years ago I figured out how to keep reefs without needing them. Saves me time and money and if I need to be away from the tank from a while I have comfort knowing water changes aren’t needed to keep my tank stable and healthy.

Didn't you post stuff a few weeks back with extremely iffy ICP test results?

 

[Reef Puncher]

So I'm currently doing the no water change method on my LPS only tank and nitrates are now 50ppm.

Which route should I got to export this nutrient?

ATS
Cheato reactor
Display Refugium 10G
Carbon dosing

I currently dose Alk with ESV and hand dose Cal,MG when needed. I plan on switching to 1+2+3+ for the trace elements.

first i had a refugium. it worked ok. but then tried a chaeto reactor. i didnt love it. mainly because a green algae grew all over the reactor, blocking light to the chaeto, making it so i had to clean it too frequently, it was annoying. now i am trying a turf scrubber, im 2 weeks in and its just starting to grow. ill report back if its the best option yet.

Also i bought some bacto balance...its just sitting in my closet, not sure if i should start as i dont have a high nutrient problem.

 

[BryanM]

I'm looking forward to using an ATS soon... and I'm already an almost no water changes guy. I have to do small ones sometimes to bring salinity back up from what the scrubber takes away. Maybe once every 6 weeks, and only 3-5 gallons.

 

[Troylee]

No water changes is like driving a car with just your feet! It can be done but it’s not a good idea! I’ve been lazy and not done water changes for awhile and the tank does look great but then say hey let’s finally change that water and boom! Night and day difference in my sps if you pay close attention to your corals you can see a night and day difference without testing and know exactly what you need to do. I have a decent sized tank and I’m impatient just like everyone else and want it full but I ain’t got 50k to drop on colonies! My tanks 18 months old and filled in really nicely from 1” frags! I wouldn’t have the sucsess I do without water changes… sure it would grow and look okay but I want it to thrive and that’s what water changes can do for you! Haha!

 

[Koty]

Water change is too much work, so I chose a different strategy. IMO, WC is the #1 reason why people do not survive the hobby. My tank has been around for over three years: no WC, ICP, or moonshiners. I do add trace elements from TM and Potassium. I regularly test Alk, Ca, Mg, PO4, NO3, PH, and K.

 

[GARRIGA]

Water changes only re-balance that removed therefore if an element was at 80% (for example) and one performs a 50% change then only half get re-balanced back to 100%. Tank remains with that element now at 90%. In other words, its imperfect at best and likely improvement more about what was removed or diluted that was not needed or detrimental what really improved. Perhaps figuring out what that was and solving it better time spent then carrying buckets and assuming change for the sake of change why life improved.

Without identifying what ails then it will never be solved. Water changes will just continue as band-aids vs an actual correction.

 

[Troylee]

Water change is too much work, so I chose a different strategy. IMO, WC is the #1 reason why people do not survive the hobby. My tank has been around for over three years: no WC, ICP, or moonshiners. I do add trace elements from TM and Potassium. I regularly test Alk, Ca, Mg, PO4, NO3, PH, and K.

Doesn’t look bad but could look much better! A water change is only a hassle if you make it one! I invested $500 Into a station and that’s the best investment I feel I ever made for my tank! I can change out 120 gallons in less than 20 minutes and I’m actually excited to do them when I do because I know the rewards of it! I hated them when it was chore and slacked on them! Make it simple and it will change your ways.. I don’t test or do icp or anything and I see great results in my sparkly clean tank! It’s honestly blown every local away how fast I can grow acros in my tank and it’s barely 18 months old.

 

[GARRIGA]

Wasn't trying to be funny but glad I amused :thinking-face:

 

[iReefer12]

Water changes are “Big Salt’s” ploy to increase sales :rolling-on-the-floor-laughing:

Joking aside, I don’t do them, at all, albeit, I run a big skimmer and a CaRx to replenish all the elements that you would likely replace when doing water changes.

 

[Koty]

I do not have an option for WC as my tank is in the living room :cool: . I am a scientist, so I am okay with testing, which I do not do too often anyway. I agree that WC is ideal, but only if you do everything accurately. Rapid growth is not my goal, as it compromises stability. I have many fish, Zoas, LPS, a few SPS, softies (and one Gorgonian), and most grow nicely. Initially, I did not think that SPS coral would survive in my tank, but the ones I do grow relatively fast. Xenia is the only coral that I cannot grow. I do make a great effort to keep NO3 and PO4 as low as possible using all the abovementioned export methods (I forgot to mention filter wool that is in my sump and activated carbon)

 

[Troylee]

Wasn't trying to be funny but glad I amused :thinking-face:

The visual of carrying buckets of water and sloshing it all over the floor! Invest in a mixing station and save yourself time! I pull a garden hose to my tank flip 2 valves and flip a switch on my pump.. 100 gallon change in 10 minutes and no mess! I have better things to spend my time on then trying to figure out why I have this problem or that problem and what’s gonna cure it! Water changes keep a tank healthy and has been the back bone of reefing since day one! Yep it’s the duct tape “band aid” of reef keeping and fixes most problems!

 

[VintageReefer]

Didn't you post stuff a few weeks back with extremely iffy ICP test results?

My only takeaway from it was to stop/slow a iodine additive and increase manganese dosing. I’m not taking any other actions