Ponder Water: How often do you do water changes?

[Formulator]

I don’t do them unless I’m trying to fix a major problem. I use reef moonshiners for trace elements, have a large fuge with chaeto for nutrient export, sometimes supplemented with GFO for PO4.

Before reef moonshiners it was once/month.

 

[Wild1]

Biweekly for me, i have a 90 gallon semi mixed reef, mostly LPS. i change 20 gallons every other week.

 

[Bob Weigant]

I do every 2 weeks about 10%

 

[Neptune1707]

To change my water or not to change my water. Some people think it's absolutely essential. Others shrug their shoulders and leave the tank to do its own thing. But one thing is for sure: There are lots of varying factors and opinions when it comes to this topic. Let's discuss it!

How often do you do water changes, and why? If you're not doing water changes, why is that?

yes, many factors are in play. As an example, I have a mixed reef, 135g with about 6 fish, 2 of them being large tangs that I feed heavily with seaweed. As much as stay on top of my skimmer, filter pads, dose NoPox...I find it very hard in the size tank to keep my nitrates under 10ppm. Currently they run at 18.5ppm most weeks. There are some other corals I'd like to keep, but I know they won't be happy with the elevated nitrates. So I find doing 2 30g water changes a month, keeps things in check and I'm hoping to get down below 10ppm to keep more delicate colorful corals. Per several ICP water tests, the rest of my parameters are on spot on give or take a point.

 

[Ocean BLou]

I don’t have any equipment that everyone else has just a canister filter with a UV light in it . A wave maker and a bunch of different lights cause I can’t afford one good one so I do a monthly water change using premade Pacific Ocean water even tho my readings are all good

 

[VintageReefer]

about once every 2-4 years ill change 5g from my 75g tank

 

[MONTANTK]

For those of you that do daily, how often are you mixing? What are you storing water in?

 

[Reef Puncher]

how is every 2 weeks not an option. haha thats what i aim for. sometimes a week slips by though. i do it for nitrate reduction and trace element additions.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

how is every 2 weeks not an option. haha thats what i aim for. sometimes a week slips by though. i do it for nitrate reduction and trace element additions.

That is usually the goal for me when I remember to do it haha

 

[Paul B]

I change 40 gallons in my 125 gallon 4 or 5 times a year.

 

[Jasongtr]

15% weekly, but the tank is only 18 months old and just started to add some lps corals plus zoas, so water changes are to replace what they are starting to take out, soon be moving to every 2 weeks and possibly dropping a bit of AFR to compensate

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

For those of you that do daily, how often are you mixing? What are you storing water in?

I mixed up 88 gallons at a time in 2 brute cans plumbed together, then used it over a month or two. It mixes once, then not again till a new batch was made.

 

[sunshinesea]

Every 3 weeks works well.

 

[rc8t6353]

Bi-weekly about 20 percent

 

[I never finish anythi]

Every week, without fail .

 

[Aquariumaddictuk]

Weekly.i enjoy the tinkering aspect as much as the corals so I'm very hands on