How long is your longest between water changes?

[18oreefer]

Just curious to see how often or not often yall change your water. My thinking is that there are 2 schools of thought here. 1, water change every week or 2. 2, water change whenever ya feel like it, because your filtration is optimal and you dose what is necessary. Ill cast my vote for optimal filtration and dosing. I havent changed water since early Nov 09 and my tank is flourising. Now I dont want any fighting here just some good discussion.:bablefish

 

[motortrendz]

i try to do it once a month but i have a very large water volume.. but honestly sometimes ill go 2mo or even 3 if my parameters are good , ill just dose.. so it varies

 

[DrHarryLopez]

I ditto MotorTrendz.

 

[chuck116]

WE are the geeks that do 40 gallons a week in a 300 gallon total volume system. but we just got a calcium reactor and are starting an all bright A-B system . looks like We may have more time between changes coming soon.

Chuck & Anna Maria

 

[Killerdrgn]

2 years and counting for my 90 gallon tank, although I haven't put corals in there until recently.

 

[18oreefer]

now there is 2 polar opposite posts 40 every week on a 300, and none in 2yrs on a 90. Killerdrgn you have given me a goal. what corals do you have and how are they doing.

 

[dubs]

i do once a month some times a little longer my system is not that large 65 dt 24 gal sump/fuge i do add 2/3 gal ro water every da tho

 

[Killerdrgn]

At the moment I have acans, blastos, zoas, chalices, 1 acro, a duncan, and a favia (i think). Like I said though I only just recently (Within the last month) put in corals, but i've had it FOWLR for the past 1.8 years with 4 clowns, 4 PJ cardinals, and 2 two spot gobies, in that time i've lost 2 cardinals, and both gobies when my parents switched to feeding flake only.

In the first 6 months of the tank, I had corals in an attached frag tank, and they grew pretty well. But then I moved out and left the tank running with the fish. Took the corals with me and then lost almost all the corals when my 29 gallon apartment tank went to 100+ degrees last summer. But since the 90 in my parents house was in the basement it stayed in good temps. And i recently decided to put in coral because the strip light on the tank burned out and i decided to get a lighting upgrade.

I have some older pictures from when it was towards the beginning of the life of the tank.

Here's one of how the general room looked like, and kinda still does.

 

[18oreefer]

Killerdrgn, what are your phos and trate readings?

 

[Killerdrgn]

I'm not exactly sure at the moment for both. I need to get new test kits.

 

[nyfynest22]

i do 10 to 15 gallons a week on my 220

 

[Dre]

18oreefer,I have a question, a little off topic though.What are the uses of a water change?

 

[Killerdrgn]

removal of bad nutrients, and addition of good ones.

 

[Audi0s]

I was told it was to replace trace elements, as well as being a large nutrient exporter.

Jinx killerdrgn

 

[duke62]

5 gallons 1 time a week.i nhave a total volume of 70 gal.since i clean my skimmer socks and change carbon i figure might as well clean the water.

 

[Davidl919]

I change about 8 gallons a week in a 140, This week I will do a 30 gallon change as my Nitrate is up a bit. But once my nitrate and orp stabilize I will do a 30 once a month. No additives but I am Using a kalk stirrer and will be using biopellets soon.

 

[batt600]

I do 5 gallons a week on my 75g. To me its a must to do a water change every week .I dont like having problems in my tank.

 

[18oreefer]

dre, as killerdrgn pointed out its to remove nutrients, but if you have a filtration system that will do it for you then you no longer have to worry about that. Audioios, i have heard that as well, but it wold stand to reason that if you dose correctly you wouldn't have to worry about that. As far as i can see there is no reason to change it if everything is rite.

 

[ryangrieder]

i went for about a year and a half...maybe more. i bought an ro unit few months back so now i do them every 2-3 weeks when i remember too... i did not do them alot because everything in the tank seemed so happy, why bother it. then when i started doing water changes to it i noticed the tank was still happy but maybe more happier. so i continue then every so often.

 

[JonnyJ]

I do 5 gallons every two weeks on my 34 gal solana. I use to do 5 gallons a week but it isn't necessary and became costly with buying petsmart water.

TBH i don't think i even need every 2 weeks. I have a very large cleanup crew and a lot of Liverock.

I do Clean the skimmer weekly.

Do not run any carbon/chemi pure/ or anything.