What is your water change routine?

[biocubebrandon]

What is your water change routine (daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly)? Percentage or gallons? How do you do your water changes?

At one time I was taking out two gallons (using a gallon container) a day in my Red Sea 525 but now I do a 25% water change once a month (approximately 30 gallons). Since I make my own salt in 30 gallon batches with a Brute trash can. I put a heater on the night before to get the temperature the same as the tank. I shut off the tank, disconnect the return pump, connect the return pump to a clear hose that I run outside, turn it on and empty the sump (which on the 525 is around 30 gallons). As I empty the sump I use the pump to vacuum anything that has settled on the bottom of the sump. I then take apart the return pump to clean it. Then refill in the sump with saltwater, reconnect the return pump and turn the tank back on.

 

[york1]

25%ish every other week. I mixed the water in 2 32g brute trash cans. I have a python for draining the water and a sicce utility pump to refill. The sicce pump is great it gets most of the water out down to 1/4".

 

[fishyfishy]

Haven’t done one for 3 months and test frequently. Hope water changes are a thing of the past for me, honestly.

But in the past it was full up a big trash and with water, add salt, wait for a bit, drain about 5, 5 gallon buckets of old water from display, use pump to pump in new water... spill lots of water in all the above steps

 

[Dmac]

Haven’t done one for 3 months and test frequently. Hope water changes are a thing of the past for me, honestly.

But in the past it was full up a big trash and with water, add salt, wait for a bit, drain about 5, 5 gallon buckets of old water from display, use pump to pump in new water... spill lots of water in all the above steps

What are you dosing to your tank to replenish the trace elements, or do you only dose the big three?

 

[jcook54]

Both of my systems are around 80 gallons each. I do 10 gallons 2-3x per month and weekly if something is out of whack. For the most part, I enjoy doing water changes. I put in my headphones and knock them out. It's a little odd but when I'm busy or out of town, I'll do 15g water changes when I have time and that usually amounts to once a month.

 

[civics14]

I use to be better about it in my last set up with a bunch of corals, but this new tank. I haven't been as good about it at all. Not a single one yet.

I use to do about 10-20% a month while cleaning the sandbed. I should really start that back up.

 

[Dmac]

They're not a huge pain for me, but if I'm not getting any benefit from them I'd rather not do them at all. My filtration is taken care of, if I'm dosing everything and running carbon/gfo, I see no real benefit if everything looks happy

 

[civics14]

They're not a huge pain for me, but if I'm not getting any benefit from them I'd rather not do them at all. My filtration is taken care of, if I'm dosing everything and running carbon/gfo, I see no real benefit if everything looks happy

How often do you do an ICP test? My understanding is water changes replace trace elements. unless you do the Triton method and dose all those.

 

[Dmac]

Never done one. My thought was to find trace elements that were successful and dose those. I understand the new salt has Trace elements in it, but the salt has no idea what levels we have in our tank so we're just blindly dumping them in anyway. Why not do the same thing with a bottle that doesn't require me to mix, store, and pump water as well?

 

[civics14]

Never done one. My thought was to find trace elements that were successful and dose those. I understand the new salt has Trace elements in it, but the salt has no idea what levels we have in our tank so we're just blindly dumping them in anyway. Why not do the same thing with a bottle that doesn't require me to mix, store, and pump water as well?

Not sure. Definitely worth trying and if it works it works!

 

[dball711]

I do a 20% water change weekly in both of my tanks and feel it is by far the most beneficial thing I can do for my tanks. I’ve heard some claim they never do a water change and everything is fine but in my experience and opinion not doing water changes can be a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off some day but that’s just my opinion.

dosing trace elements without doing water changes is also very risky business because we don’t know what Tree Solomon‘s are being used and which ones are just simply building up to potentially toxic levels.

 

[ichthyoid]

10% per week

 

[civics14]

Never done one. My thought was to find trace elements that were successful and dose those. I understand the new salt has Trace elements in it, but the salt has no idea what levels we have in our tank so we're just blindly dumping them in anyway. Why not do the same thing with a bottle that doesn't require me to mix, store, and pump water as well?

I also want to comment on your response regarding blindly dumping levels into our tank. Assuming you're using the same salt as always, when you pull out the water, you're removing the same amount of elements that aren't being used and replacing it at the same levels. So, those elements remain the same level, while replenishing elements that are being consumed.

While on the other hand of blindly dumping in elements, you're raising levels that you're not sure of.

Another benefit of water changes, at least it was for me, it was time to look at my tank in depth and inspect things going on and address issues at the same time.

Just my 2 cents. But like I said, if it works for you. It works. This hobby is not always a perfect science.