water changes

i've noticed in some pics, sps and lps corals are located at the top of the tank. when you do a water change, due you drain the water and pump in water simultaneously? or do you drain first, then pump in water? in my 265gal ref, i'm afraid of stocking too close to the surface because of water changes....what is the recommended approach to w/c?

 

I have some sps at the top too, but my water changes don't go below that level. Sps can be taken out of the water for periods of time, so if you do it quick enough, they should be fine. If you are really concerned you can try smaller, more frequent water changes, or do half from the sump and half from your DT.

 

Unless there is a huge problem, I don't do water changes. I have been on both sides of the fence with one...Yes or No to water changes, but I do add additives every week and check my Mg, Ca and dKH twice weekly.

 

I'm in the same boat...i really don't do water changes. I try to get one in about every month or so. Other than that, I try to keep up with my testing and dosing...

 

I pump out the contents of the return area of my sump - about five gallons. I pump water out until just before the pump loses prime. Then refill. I do this once or twice a week.

This is my noob routine. It will surely evolve.

 

bUMP

 

if/when i do a water change...i make sure that i make it count since they are done few and far between I have a 40 gallon reservoir for my RO/DI that has a pump, solenoid, relay for auto top off. Then just add salt to that resevoir and have a mag 9 pump to mix the salt in the RO/DI res as well as a smaller pump that normally handles the FW top offs. Both pumps are plumbed together with valves to bypass one pump or the other. Then i just drain out the 40 gallons from my display tank, switch the bypass on the mixing res to the larger pump and let the tank automatically top itself off. Then i flip the bypass back to the smaller pump for standard FW auto top off.

Since it is a 90 gallon display...dropping 40 gallons out exposes the coral for a short time...never had any issues. I have actually accidently left acros sit on top of my coffee table for at least an entire day while i was cutting frags and forget to put the mother colony back in the water. The next day i saw it still sitting there, just put it back in the tank and it was fine after a few weeks of recovery.

 

I have always had a habit of doing water changes when the tank lights have been out an hour or 2 , that way most of the inhabitants are in closed up state and thus those that do end up being high and dry for a short period, do so when fully closed up