No water changes

[Reef-_-Noob]

So my tank is now going on 8 months. It is 100 gallon display and about a 20 gallon sump. I bought a skimmer about 1.5 months ago.

Before the skimmer i was using filter socks and some granulated carbon in a bag placed down in the sump. The socks became expensive and a burden to be constantly changing out. Also, i needed to perform water changes every 2 weeks.

I decided to buy the skimmer and placed in the sump. I removed the filter socks so now my tank only has the skimmer , the carbon, and a bag of phos guard.

What a difference! The fish always seem happy now! The tank is clean, and no more filter socks!!

In the 1.5 months of having the skimmer i have not performed a water change! When i setup the skimmer the tank actually needed a water change but i decided to test the skimmer out and it did its job for sure!

My worry now is do i need to perform a water change? Is there some unforeseen problem that can creep up? Seems kind of eerie that everything is stable and happy for so long without water changes.

I started 2 part dosing manually when i bought the skimmer. I need about 5 ml of both parts every 3 days to keep Alk around 8.8

Nitrates have stayed steady in the 20 ppm
Phosphates steady in the .25 range
Ca 480 range
And mag 1450-1480

I need to test again as its been 2 weeks since testing but the 1st month i was testing everyday monitoring the levels.

I am also dosing aquavitro fuel every 2 days.

Corals are doing well giving me some good growth.

I do not want to chase the low nitrate/phosphate numbers at the moment during the holidays , i prefer the smooth sailing at the moment.

I am really wondering if i should mix a 10% water change, im sure the corals may perk up, but will there be a risk to interrupt this harmony?

Coralline algae has started to grow back on the rocks.

Should i just keeping riding no water changes until i notice a problem??? Will this be better for the stability everyone preaches?

 

[Reef-_-Noob]

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[Reef-_-Noob]

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[prcardinal91]

As the corals and organisms grow in your tank they will consume calcium, alk, and mag as well as trace elements. Larger corals and more life = faster consumption. Water changes help replace what is being consumed, but some elements may be depleted quicker than what water changes can do. This is why many people who do not do water changes implement strategies such as Triton or Reef Moonshiners to replace any elements that are being depleted.

Waiting to see a problem can be damaging in the long run.

 

[t5Nitro]

I'm running All For Reef as a 1 part solution to replace the big 3 but also has trace elements. I dont ICP test. Havent changed water in over a year and that includes a tank move.

 

[bakbay]

My tank just turned 2 years and I have not performed a WC. It's a SPS-dominated tank and things are still happy! I run a CaRx, kalk in ATO, and CO2 scrubber. I can get rid of the kalk & CO2 scrubber if I stop chasing pH but it's fun! ha

 

[Susan Edwards]

I have a 240 gal tank 1 year old. I did 1 water change after using chemiclean. And some smaller, 5 gal at a time awc's for a week after using reef flux. Otherwise, I dose Red Sea's trace colors, ab+, and the main 3 plus nopox. I find the tank stays much more stable by not doing big water changes. I think this method prob. works better for larger tanks.

 

[Rovert]

I have heard about reefers who have never changed their water in years, and other reefers who swear that it's an absolute necessity once per month. I tend toward the former, because water changes for me (due to tank placement) is such a PITA. My next water change of 20% will be somewhere around six months since the previous. So far, so good...

 

[TnFishwater98]

I have a 240 gal tank 1 year old. I did 1 water change after using chemiclean. And some smaller, 5 gal at a time awc's for a week after using reef flux. Otherwise, I dose Red Sea's trace colors, ab+, and the main 3 plus nopox. I find the tank stays much more stable by not doing big water changes. I think this method prob. works better for larger tanks.

Hate to admit it but a couple of years ago I went months without a filter or sump, everything did fine. I did do water changes but not many. I think it’s good for a aquarium to get a little dirty

 

[Paul B]

I think to many people get hung up on water changes. I think it is good to change some water but new water is actually lousy. Have you ever seen a really nice tank that was started last week with all New ASW?

Fish and corals hate new water and older water is much healthier...up to a point.

I change about 20% of my water maybe 4 times a year and my tank is fifty years old.
Water changes are over rated but more important in a very new tank where the bacteria have not matured enough yet which may take a year or more.

I also think you should "not" add anything including carbon except for calcium and alk.

 

[mdb_talon]

I personally think WC can be overrated at times, but at the same time also be blamed too often for a disruption. a 10% WC should not significantly impact anything in your tank. It will be minor reduction in nutrients and a very minor change to the rest of your parameters also.

 

[14 foot reef]

As the corals and organisms grow in your tank they will consume calcium, alk, and mag as well as trace elements. Larger corals and more life = faster consumption. Water changes help replace what is being consumed, but some elements may be depleted quicker than what water changes can do. This is why many people who do not do water changes implement strategies such as Triton or Reef Moonshiners to replace any elements that are being depleted.

Waiting to see a problem can be damaging in the long run.

This is very solid strong advise here. Bravo @prcardinal91

 

[nuxx]

I was the total opposite of you...

I'm super lazy, so I setup a Neptune DOS to do small water changes once a day.

Think I was doing around 10 gallons a day. I do think I could have done a better job with my rock and sandbed, but that's a different story...

 

[14 foot reef]

My 850 GAllon reef is now set up on auto water changes through Apex and DOS. I have to contribute the current status and success mostly on the Auto Water Change

 

[nuxx]

My 850 GAllon reef is now set up on auto water changes through Apex and DOS. I have to contribute the current status and success mostly on the Auto Water Change

It really is the way to go.

If I get back into the hobby, I'd probably do a much much smaller tank, but still have EVERYTHING automated, esp. with a smaller water volume.

It's funny going from over 600 gallons of total volume to something small. Just really want to do a small species only tank, but don't even know if keeping the species is possible yet. We'll see.

 

[HB AL]

I havnt done a water change in 6 years in my current system but you gotta find a good regimen for dosing necessary elements and keeping nutrients under control, not waiting till something is out of whack. It takes a little trial and error at the beginning but I started experimenting with no water change systems around 15 years ago. I've learned alot in that time about maintaining simple successful reef tank/fowlr systems over the years.

 

[Gatorpa]

I’ve always been in the no need to do WC camp.
Never had issues with NO3 or PO4.

However there are many trace elements that are hard to follow and will over time get depleted. All depends on what live stock is in the set up.

Heavy SPS LpS systems will need these.

Doing an ICP can help guide those trace elements that you can’t or wouldn’t buy a test kit for. Managing those are up to you.