water changes Vs no water changes

[georgiaboy013]

Ok heres the question....my 34 gal reef is doing super great I only ad water as needed.... in the past when I did do a water change it seemed it hurt everything more all the corals got mad and slimed it just did not go good.....

what does everyone else do

 

[fishguy56]

georgiaboy013;248640 wrote: Ok heres the question....my 34 gal reef is doing super great I only ad water as needed.... in the past when I did do a water change it seemed it hurt everything more all the corals got mad and slimed it just did not go good.....

what does everyone else do

My corals seem to love a water change, you may have done to large of a water chage anddddddddd r u using RO/DI water for the water change??

TF

 

[rostato]

Just take your time getting the new water ready. Make all your paramaters match perfectly, and your corals won't even know you did a water change.

 

[nickskains]

I do 18g every 2 weeks on a 120g system. I let the water mix for about 2 or 3 days, making sure its at the right Temp, Sal, Ph, etc. Everything seems to not even notice I did one.

 

[stickx911]

and don't do a bucket over the top method, get a small pump and hose. That improved the w/c system for me. (unless you can remove from a sump, but I can''t tell if you have one or not)

 

[rostato]

I use a shop vac to suck up the water in my sump and refill from there, and the just start the system back up. This way I can keep the powerheads running in the display, and noone in the display even knows what happend.

 

[drnecropolis]

I do a 10 gallon WC every week on my 120.. 2 10 gallon containers. One with clean water and one for waste water...Hose on a Maxijet 900 and Im done in about 15 minutes..

 

[skriz]

Nothing beats a water change...nothing!

 

[mfliin]

30 gal water change once a month on the 120
30 gal change on the 125 wall
30 gal change on the 135 as well
so I get one week off from water changes! Actually I have only 2 mandarins in the reef so I usually take that water and use it in one of the other tanks instead of tossing it.

 

[FutureInterest]

How long are you mixing the water before doing the water change?

It sounds like you're just mixing it till its clear and then doing the change... Freshly mixed saltwater is very caustic and can physically burn corals to some degree causing them to slime in defense.

 

[darren24]

Agree with Jin. I let mine mix at least 24 hours (most of the time longer) and then adjust the temp depending on the season. I do 5-10G water change every 5 days or so on my 95.

Darren

 

[lees]

I do a 20% change every week. I mix the salt and add Prime the night before. Crucify me but I do not use R/O. I areate the water as well. I'm only changing about 3 gallons though since my actual volume is only about 14 gallons. Water changes are a must IMO. My fish absolutely love it.




20L Mostly softies

 

[jtshack]

I don't do water changes as often as I should. I'm down to one tank now (120g) and I do a water change about every six weeks (typically 30g). I mix my water in a large trash can with a pump and a heater to thoroughly mix the salt and attempt to meet the temp of my tank as close as I can. (BTW, the trash can is used ONLY for mixing my water - no trash EVER.) And like LeeS, I don't use R/O (well water). I've been known to let my water mix like that for a week before I do a water change. I pull some of my water from the tank (filtering the sand), but the bulk of it is pulled from the sump. The new water is added to the sump. My tank has been running smoothly for almost a year on this schedule. I used to do WC every 3 weeks and, admittedly, I think my tank looked better. (For that matter, I used to be on the ARC boards daily - now it's once every couple of months!) Once I finish school, I'll go back to more frequent WCs. There are tanks that will survive with no water changes (how long is the question), but there's just no arguing the benefits of regular WCs. Your tank is your showpiece and your fish (and any other inhabitants) deserve the best care you can offer.

 

[todd03blown]

since I am still very new to this awesome hobby I would like for someone to critique my water change process.

I mix my water up 1-2 days in advance so it is fully mixed and ready to be used.
I turn off my return pump and powerhead in the tank. at this time the water starts to drain into the sump. A few of my corals are exposed during this time frame as well. I guess this is where I am confused based on what I have in this thread. I then siphon out my 2.5 G from the tank then turn my return pump back on and start pouring the new water in the sump.

Sounds like some of you remove the water directly out of the sump? Is this correct? then you fill up your sump with the new water? If you siphon the water from your sump do you turn off the return pump(s)?

I just want to make sure I do it the best way with the least amount of impact to my corals.

 

[nickskains]

Yea, I turn off my return, take x amount of water from sump then replace it. Just keeps the sand bed from getting stirred up or pouring directly onto your corals. Also makes it a bit easier and cleaner. Less spilling. IMO.

 

[jtshack]

todd03blown;250371 wrote: A few of my corals are exposed during this time frame as well.

Sounds like some of you remove the water directly out of the sump? Is this correct? then you fill up your sump with the new water? If you siphon the water from your sump do you turn off the return pump(s)?

I just want to make sure I do it the best way with the least amount of impact to my corals.

No way would I leave my corals exposed while I do a water change. Whether it kills them or not isn't the question IMHO, but rather the amount of stress it causes. Just not worth the risk. I do turn off my return, but my power heads stay on. I siphon some of the water out of my tank, but only enough to do some housekeeping of the sandbed and never enough to expose anything to air. The rest comes from my sump. When I add water back, I add it all to the sump. When I turn my return pump back on, the water level in the tank is replenished. Just keep adding water until the water level in the sump is where you want it. (Not trying to be super simple about this, but I remember how easy it was to get confused and overwhelmed in my first few months of this hobby. :blush: )

 

[FutureInterest]

I used to be anti-water change... I tried to make it to a year before having to change my water. Nearly crashed my tank at about the 8 month mark though . Anyways, I change my water every 5 days now. It's the best way for me to keep my K levels up which is an issue in my tank.

 

[jtshack]

FutureInterest;250539 wrote: I used to be anti-water change... I tried to make it to a year before having to change my water. Nearly crashed my tank at about the 8 month mark though . Anyways, I change my water every 5 days now. It's the best way for me to keep my K levels up which is an issue in my tank.

Jin, surely you jest?! :confused2: Every <u>5</u></em> <u>days</u></em>? Wow...I admit, I'm too lazy for a schedule like that :sad:

 

[FutureInterest]

Darren does the same thing. I'm of the opinion now that frequent water changes are one of the keys to long term success. Once you get a system in place its not that bad. It's just a matter of turning a few valves and faucets on and off. The only part I haven't mastered is the amount of salt. I've been using the D-D salt which is in metric and I just don't get metric!

 

[jtshack]

I seriously don't think I could afford the salt to do a water change every 5 days. How much are you changing out?