No water change methods

[Newtybar]

Getting a bit tired of water changes and wanted to pick some folks brain on the preferred no water change methods out there. The two main I see are the Triton and ATI Essentials.

Does anyone have a preference for one or the other and why?

Additionally, what filtration do you need? Skimmer, Carbon Reactor to remove contaminants? Macro Algae refugium?

 

[Newtybar]

Bonus #1: Subscribe to YouTube done.

Will do the others when I get home (some sites are blocked at work)

 

[alex77619]

Here's my tank with 10 month no water change.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-120-gal-no-water-change-deep-sand-bed-mixed-reef-tank.426499/

 

[marinesnow]

Here’s my reef. I’ve run ATI essentials since January. I use a skimmer and refugium for nutrient control. With ICP testing done every 3 months I’ve only had to do two water changes this year. And I did them primarily to switch salts.

MarineSnow’s 120G Ridgeline Reef
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...ow’s-120G-Ridgeline-Reef.451508/&share_type=t

That’ll be one million dollars ATI... [emoji13]

 

[Danj]

I have been secretly hoping that Tropic Marin's Balling system could be a no water change contender if paired with a decently sized refugium and skimmer for nutrient export. I've been running some numbers and it looks like it'd be almost a full order of magnitude less expensive than Triton. Too good to be true?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I would just add that if the reason is just that you are tired of them, an alternative to no water changes is automatic water changes. Mine took less than 10 minutes once a month to make new salt water. Then a pump on a timer changes the water slowly and steadily each day. I aimed for about 1% daily.

 

[Danj]

Speaking just for myself here, as someone who does have an AWC setup, I’m looking to decouple automated trace element management from my water change schedule, without having to buy more dosing pumps. Then my water changes will just be done as needed when testing (icp, etc) indicates i have issues that are best corrected using that method. And they’ll be super easy so I’ll have no excuse not to perform them. Really, this is just managing the laziness of my future self. Can’t trust that guy at all.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Speaking just for myself here, as someone who does have an AWC setup, I’m looking to decouple automated trace element management from my water change schedule, without having to buy more dosing pumps. Then my water changes will just be done as needed when testing (icp, etc) indicates i have issues that are best corrected using that method. And they’ll be super easy so I’ll have no excuse not to perform them. Really, this is just managing the laziness of my future self. Can’t trust that guy at all.

That's certainly a fine plan, but ignores the aspect of water changes that export potentially accumulating organics in the water. :)

 

[Danj]

That's certainly a fine plan, but ignores the aspect of water changes that export potentially accumulating organics in the water. :)

Appreciate the advice, Randy. Are you saying that there are organics that we should be concerned about but which wouldn’t show up in regular ICP, phosphate and nitrate testing? Don’t mean that defensively, I’m always legitimately looking to push my knowledge horizons [emoji4] . My eventual plan, and hopefully this is a useful conversation for the OP, is to only do water changes when testing indicates things are accumulating more than my other export mechanisms (livestock growth, live rock/sand, chaeto refugium, skimmer, carbon, etc) can cope with - or when non-biologically useful contaminants are building up.