Water changes, how often should I really be doing them

So should it even be a half point off? I just have had bad luck with them. I am sure people have good luck with them just I have not yet.

 

Respectfully.........I do not believe any salt mix can adequately sustain Iodine in the amount needed for tanks requiring it. If someone does monthly water changes, depending also on how much they change out, the slight amount of Iodine in a few gallons of new water will not significantly raise the Iodine to bring it to proper saturation usable by the creatures requiring it and sustain this for a month until the next change. Smaller weekly changes will do even less. To further prove this, if water changes could raise Iodine levels to any significance, everyone should be testing for Iodine. Is everyone? No, hardly anyone is. Who mixes a batch of water and then tests their tank for Iodine and the batch to make sure they aren't overdosing?
To burst a myth believed by many, water changes have their place but in no way contribute to over all water quality as much as the biological filtration of the tank and sustaining the elements required by supplementation when needed.

Weekly small water changes do little to dilute the volume of water, if that was your aim. Substantial rock and other biological filtration i.e. Bio balls, ceramics, Bio bale etc. are what purify the water more efficiently.

 

Funny - I think I was also
I recall it was 5% weekly or 10% every other week, or 20% per month
depending on what itinerary most suited

When I got back into the hobby, I confused these old guidelines
and have been doing 10% weekly for almost 2 years now - No harm done
just a bit extravagent probably

My parameters are good, so I am going to move to 10% fortnightly now

Steve

 

I also do 10% water changes every week. I think it's excessive, but I'm too nervous to cut it down. I will eventually though.

 

hey mirandacollc what size pump are you running on you skimmer? I also have a PM bullet 2 and am currently running a mag 12 thinking of up-grading to a mag 16 let know what what you run and what you think of the upgrade

 

I have a mag 18. I would not use a mag again thought. they dont have a good enough push. They are great pumps but when put under pressure they dont push. I like the 18 all and all but I would do something else!

 

i have a little giant pump! that might work

 

I think I am WAY the exception to the rule. I change 10-15% of water about one every other month. Now I don't have a bunch of "expensive" corals, actually just switched to reef from FOWLR (6 months ago). My params are constantly very good (I do dose calcium, mag, and stro/iodine)....I am running a canister filter and no sump or protein skimmer (getting one for Christmas though). I change my media (and phos buster/ carbon) out every 3 weeks or so to keep nitrates down (I know that the floss is a nitrate heaven, that is why....oh and I run zero's in Phos and Nitrates). So needless to say, it can be done, and successfully. I have Nems that are harder to keep then some difficult corals, so I know that what I am doing is working.

Now I am not trying to "brag" about all of this....to be honest, I did it this way for a long time because I didn't know any better, and never suffered the consequences of not doing it the way others who are successful do.

I have plans to build a sump and like I said, get a skimmer (I want to get nicer coral and do it "right")....but for now, things are great the way I have it set up. My tank is a 45 with 3 large nems (LTA - 6 in, BTA - 6 in, Condy- 4 in), 6 fish (2 Percula, 1 Foxface, 1 Electric Damsel, 2 green chromis), as well as Candy Cane Coral, Purple Rim Green Monti, Tyree Grape Monti, a ton of Zoas, a small favia (that has tripled in size in 3 months) and a few other frags (sps and lps) I got for free from a local guy tearing down his tank.

Anyway, the whole point of this was to say, do what works for YOU and your tank.....because when I tell people how often I change water and that I am not running a skimmer and have no sump, they tell me it is a matter of time before my tank, well...tanks!! Test your params and watch your livestock and corals for signs of stress or change, and you really can't go wrong...in my opinion.

 

EEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!

Newbies please dont read this post.... ha ha ha

 

i change about 25 gallons a month out of my 125. But I also skim at all times, and have a refugium that eats up anything that tends to elevate. I honestly am a believer in having around 10 ppm of nitrates, it is said to help with coral coloring and zoa growth.