Who is doing a water change this weekend?

[Squishie89]

Did my water change yesterday (Saturday). ~15% every other week. I actually forgot to measure the salinity of the new saltwater until I was putting it into the tank, and so I measured it as it was going in, and I had it very very close to 1.025. Felt like a boss.

 

[danka-cedium]

Did mine yesterday too. 85 gallons. Gotta love it!

Sent from my DROIDX using Reef2Reef Aquarium Forum mobile app

 

[byronious]

What percentage is too much & how often is too often?

Opinions?

Sent from my DROID X2

 

[gmoney243]

In the ocean the reefs get a 100% water change several times a day. You could do the same but that would get expensive as long as temp and params matched.

Sent from my VS930 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

[uniquecorals]

I'm very impressed by the frequency and quantity of water changes many of you are performing!

To answer byronious' question- In my opinion, you probably can't change too much water in an aquarium. However, the argument could be made that, if your water parameters are not consistent from barth to batch, you could be causing more stress with massive daily water changes...All in all, the simplistic answer, IMO, is to make small, but frequent water changes. I have long employed two 5% water changes per week in my systems, and I have enjoyed great stability and really no downside. Small, more frequent water changes give you a few advantages, including:

1) You are never more than a few days from a water change!
2) Less likelihood of severe depletion of trace elements, etc. (notice I said "less likely, because it depends on lots of factors!)
3) If your consistent with your prepared water parameters, you'll create consistent water quality for your changes
4) The more frequently you are actively engaged with your aquarium, the more likely you are to note any trends and catch any potential problems before they manifest or morph into something more severe.
5) Accumulation of dissolved organics is slowed somewhat by the regular exchanges of water. Granted, you need to employ other good husbandry practices (i.e.; careful feeding, cautious supplementation, and proper stocking), but water changes will contribute to a healthier, more stable system over time, IMO.

There are many other advantages to smaller, more frequent water changes, but at teh risk of "beating a dead horse" (awful expression, huh?), I'll leave it alone for now! Suffice it to say that, when you're performing regular water changes on your reef aquarium, you are doing one of the best things that you can do to assure health and long term success with your animals.

Thanks for the great input everyone!

Regards,

Scott Fellman
Unique Corals

 

[danka-cedium]

+100,000,000. If i had the time I'd do more than once a week.

Sent from my DROIDX using Reef2Reef Aquarium Forum mobile app

 

[jt17]

Just did a 20% change last Wednesday, but I'm installing my liter meter this weekend for daily automated water changes. May not finish before the Super Bowl but will get it done in tomorrow.

 

[typicalwhiteazn]

My GF is 80 miles away for College. Her College (UCSD) is huge on marine research and provides free NSW for anyone so I load my truck up with 50-80 gallons every week or so when I visit. I basically use whatever I bring back for my 120 system.

...... heck yeah it gives me incentives to visit her.

 

[specvjeff]

Ha you can get free water from Scripps without her!

SDMAS B.O.D. Member
Sent from my Droid RAZR MAXX using Tapatalk 2

 

[fragmatic]

I wasn't doing a water change. BUT, I checked calibration on my refractometer and it was off. My salinity was .03 low. Well, I took advantage of the opportunity and drained my sump, and shop vacuumed it out. So, my reef got it's water change with a salinity boost and a "car wash". Oh, my two refugiums are not in my sump, but you figured that out.

 

[typicalwhiteazn]

She's got 4 months til graduation and moving back to LA.. :-(.. which means no more NSW runs and back to mixing synthetic salts again

Ha you can get free water from Scripps without her!

SDMAS B.O.D. Member
Sent from my Droid RAZR MAXX using Tapatalk 2

 

[jdpiii3]

I do 1-2% daily on my 400gl system, stable water parameters equals a happy flourishing reef tank. Plus it only takes 5 minutes.