Water Changes Needed or Not. Please Vote!

Discussion in 'Water Chemistry' started by ComputerJohn, Jul 11, 2011.

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How often do you do a water change?

  1. I have NEVER done a water change.

    2 vote(s)
    3.7%
  2. I do one once a week.

    24 vote(s)
    44.4%
  3. I do one once every two weeks.

    12 vote(s)
    22.2%
  4. I do one once every three weeks.

    1 vote(s)
    1.9%
  5. I do one once every month.

    6 vote(s)
    11.1%
  6. I do one once every three months.

    7 vote(s)
    13.0%
  7. I do one once every six months.

    2 vote(s)
    3.7%
  8. I do one once a year.

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. brettwest

    brettwest Spaghetti Worm

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    I recently visited inland aquatics and they say with their ATS system they haven't changed water since 1993.
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  3. SAY

    SAY Ocellaris Clown

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    In this hobby with situations like this where there isn't any concrete proof one way or the other, i just go with my gut feel. For this one, my gut feel is that a tank full of corals will benefit from a frequent infusion of "fresh" salt water (oxymoron). However, i have never tried it without doing water changes so.....
     
  4. elwolfe

    elwolfe Coral Banded Shrimp

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Castle Rock,Colorado
    I'm currently on about a 3 gal WC every other week schedule on a 29G BioCube. I've been doing it mostly because [STRIKE]everyone[/STRIKE] most people say it's tantamount to fishicide not to do so.

    I have wondered what the science is behind the water change and have made the assumption that it's essentially to replace trace elements... Is there any research or hard data that spells it out anywhere?
     
  5. m2434

    m2434 Giant Squid

    Joined:
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    Messages:
    3,471
    Yes, there is quite a bit. These are some hobby level articles, related to filtration and water changes. These describe some of this research and science and should provide additional links and references if you are motivated to do a lot of reading.... These describe both the good and bad BTW.

    Water Changes in Reef Aquaria by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

    http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/4/short

    http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/9/aafeature

    Down the Drain, Exports from Reef Aquaria by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

    What is Skimming? by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

    Feature Article: The "Old Tank" Syndrome — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

    Feature Article: Old Tank Syndrome — Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

    Edit: another good one that may not have been referenced elsewhere:
    http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/12/aafeature
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  6. insanespain

    insanespain Ocellaris Clown

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    I don't think that you should NEVER change it, but very rarely. I have 2 tanks that maybe get a 10% every couple months. People say its more "stable" with regular wc, but how can it be stable when you introduce water that could be off in ph, temp, etc.? Lol

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  7. reefmonkey

    reefmonkey Giant Squid

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    SE South Dakota
    I share the opinion of enough biological filtration and a skimmer take the need of water changes almost completely away. I never changed the water in my 46, I hardly ran the skimmer either. But it did have 80+ lbs of rock and a DSB in the display with a fuge containing another 4" DSB and 15lbs of rock. I would dose the minimum of Kent's Coral-Vite once a week and dripped kalk. I had perfectly normal, if not above average growth of all SPS the entire life of the system.

    This is a subject that boils down to personal preference and choices. What works for one person will probably not work for another. For the beginner I will always recommend either 10% weekly or 20% bi-monthly w/c.
     
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  9. elwolfe

    elwolfe Coral Banded Shrimp

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    Thanks M. Commencing reading....
     
  10. SAY

    SAY Ocellaris Clown

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    You test the water to make sure that it is not off in ph, temp, etc. before you add it.
     
  11. insanespain

    insanespain Ocellaris Clown

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    Yes I know this. But how many people ACTUALLY test their new water? My guess is most people don't. And even if you do, can u match the ph EXACTLY? Does everyone get the temp within a tenth of a degree? My point is when you do water changes you can attempt to match the water in your tank, but if you don't do a water change at all, you avoid any swing in tank parameters at all. So that's why I don't agree with people saying regular water changes help keep your tank stable when actually its just introducing a variable.

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  12. SAY

    SAY Ocellaris Clown

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    i think that you have swings in your parameters whether you do water changes or not. Are you telling me that your PH does not change at all throughout the day?