Got water change?

[myjohnson]

So in a question to keep my water change to once a week instead of two times a week....I ran across this article.

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/t_brightbill_wc.html

[freespool]

my head hurts after reading that. Good info thou.

[cichlid1409]

just like with FW. a minimum ~20% WC is just about useless.

[soymilk]

I think it depends on the system and the inhabitants sensitivity level. For my tank, I do weekly 5-10% water changes. I generally don't have a problem with nitrate of phosphate. For me its replenishment of trace minerals. I run my alk low, 7dKH. My salt mix run about 9dKH, if I do a 50% water change, then my dkh jumps up to 8dKH. This sudden jump has caused my sps to show burnt tips. So I usually don't do that big of a water change.

if i was running a lps or softie tank....and had a prob with excess nutrients.... big water changes prob the way to go.

[RocketSurgeon]

Water change? what's that? I replenish 10% of my water weekly through evaporation. A balanced system with Excellent filtration along with limited imports of phosphates/tds = lower number of actual WATER changes.

I have a 75 gallon setup.

My water is replaced after I vacuum detrius from the system. The more detrius found, the more water required to remove it. I do not base water change levels on gallons or a percentage of volume. When I finish removing detrius, I'm finished removing water. If I can do this with only 2 or 3 gallons, great! If it takes 5 or 6 gallons, not so great. If it takes more than 7 gallons, I have to question if I have a balanced system. Am I overfeeding? Is the skimmer working?

I had a problem with nitrates. Water changes alone could not keep up with it. Once you find a balance in your system, actual WATER changes become less important. Detrius and other toxins still must be removed. Trace elements must still be replaced. Many of these can be performed through water changes if properly executed.

A balanced system, think of it as a farmer with his crop. If he plants corn season after season, year after year, he loses the properties in the ground corn needs to grow. He then spends lots of money on fertilizer to replace those elements. They found out if they grow peanuts during the off season, these elements are naturally replaced, instead of spraying more fertilizer. They have found a balance. Do they still fertilize their crops? Yes.

For those not running skimmers, water changes may be inevitable to help in detrius and toxin removal. Currently, I don't have a small skimmerless system. I don't know how I will be effected once I get my 10 gallon up and running. Maybe I'll have more to share in the coming weeks.