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. Pastey

    Pastey Ritteri Anemone

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2011
    Messages:
    638
    I test my water before I use it. If it's within the parameters that my tank sees at any point during the day, I go ahead and change it. It's really NOT difficult. Extra work? Yes. Hard? Not in the least bit.
     
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  3. insanespain

    insanespain Ocellaris Clown

    Joined:
    May 3, 2011
    Messages:
    1,479
    Location:
    Illinois
    I honestly don't know because I maybe test it once a month just for grins and giggles. I haven't used a test kit on either of my fowlrs for over a month. They just take care of themselves with regular top offs.

    Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
     
  4. blackraven1425

    blackraven1425 Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2010
    Messages:
    4,780
    I hardly ever do water changes, maybe once every 2-3 months. I run carbon and have a very large refugium relative to the size of my tank to absorb nutrients, packed with fast-growing chaeto.
     
  5. Doratus

    Doratus Teardrop Maxima Clam

    Joined:
    Dec 15, 2010
    Messages:
    807
    Location:
    California
    When you change the water you are not only exporting nutrients but you are also importing trace elements. Unless you dose your tank with calcium and all the others I would suspect that your tank may be lacking certain elements.

    I'm sure this has already been mentioned, I simply don't have the time to read every reply.

    For me personally, I have high nitrates, so water changes are a must for me. Plus, I know that for my small 40g I don't really have to dose anything as long as a keep up my water changes. It's more convenient for me to do a water change than not.

    Edit: someone said something about a LFS not changing their water since 1993... well be careful throwing statements like that around because now lots of folks will see that and think it's okay to never change their water. Running a tank for 20 years without any water changes would require some serious maintenance, much more than that of regular water changes. Also, I don't know how big this system is but I'm assuming its very large and therefore the chemistry is completely different than what must of us have experience with.
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2011
  6. proreefer

    proreefer Feather Star

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2011
    Messages:
    776
    Location:
    georgia
    i took a very light green book marker and drew a line on a card and taped it on the back of my tank if the green becomes hard to see i run carbon and do a water change. james
     
  7. Nvizn

    Nvizn Montipora Digitata

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2010
    Messages:
    1,079
    Location:
    Newport News, VA.
    Quite interesting concept. =)
     
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  9. wasitgreen

    wasitgreen Feather Duster

    Joined:
    May 30, 2011
    Messages:
    203
    Location:
    St. Louis
    I don't water change yet all my params read 0, I do however keep an eye on them and am ready to change whenever the need arises.