nitrate range
- Thread starter jadakiss
- Start date
- Location
- Far Rockaway
Your supose to do weekly water change no mater what .
- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
I know plenty of people that do bi-weekly or monthly water changes. There's really no set rule, although it's good to maintain a consistent schedule. Max Nitrates vary depending on what's in the tank. SPS require low nutrient water, while LPS is much more tolerant. Softies are extremely tolerant and most fish don't seem to care, though it's still good practice to try to keep them as low as possible.
I know there are some torture chambers out there but try and take the necessary steeps to keep your Nitrates as low a possible .Your fish will love you even more.Fish and some corals can tolerate high nitrates how high ?I don't know but i'm sure they would prefer 5ppm than 50ppm.
As far as water change goes ,it depends on the purpose .For example if you had a 90 gal. tank with a 3''Yellow tang, 2 Clowns ,5 Damsels, 3'' wrasse and Nitrate is 0ppm it would make no scense to do a water change every week IMO unless you were replacing trace elements.But how would you know if you don't test you water?
- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
Why is 50 the magic number?
It really depends entirely on what you keep. Some people would say 5 is time to change water.
It really depends entirely on what you keep. Some people would say 5 is time to change water.
I keep mine at 0 ppm but I also have a sps tank. I do water changes every second week..(just did one tonight) but I do it cause I want to replace nutrence in the water. I also run a nitrate reducer to help me keep it at 0 but when my tank hits 40 ppm I know I have to change my reducer media.. But you should try to keep it low if you can..
50 is not the magic no. at all.I was giving an example and it seem to have caught on ...With that out the way i know people that keep nitrate levels off the charts. Some people don't even care as long as their fishes are swimming and the corals open up,and then one day the poor fishes cann't take it anymore .We know it too well.Why are my fish dying? Why are my fish sick?Why are my corals not opening?Why? Why?Why ?Why ?Why ?
It's animal cruelty.
+1 on the no water change since Nov 09.... I heard of a guy who doesn't even need to feed. He has created a complete ecosystem, and needless to say, no water changes.
**Hijack Alert**
Question about the trace elements.... people say the water change is done to replace the trace elements, what elements would be there if you are getting your water from an RO/DI unit? to me sounds like nonsense (then again I have no scientific proof, it's only my opinion)
My goal, with my tank (and under close supervision) is to eliminate water changes.
**Hijack Alert**
Question about the trace elements.... people say the water change is done to replace the trace elements, what elements would be there if you are getting your water from an RO/DI unit? to me sounds like nonsense (then again I have no scientific proof, it's only my opinion)
My goal, with my tank (and under close supervision) is to eliminate water changes.
- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
Trace elements are added through the salt mix. The balance of elements contained in salts is one of the reasons some salt mixes are considered better than others. This is why top off doesn't add anything.
Reguarding your question:Natural sea water have about 70 trace elements and about 16 major elements.I'm not going to list them all ,you can research it yourself on your own time.Trace elements are not that important in a fish only tank.Coral dominated tanks on the other hand use up these elements over time .Some corals and algae use up some elements more than others and have to be replaced with good quality Salt mixes, Calcium Reactors or Liquid trace element additives.Why do you think people dose Calcium?Yes, calcium is one of the many elements.You must be referring to fresh water tanks,and even fresh water animals use up elements as well.
some times i wonder . for people who dose bionc and do water change every week is bascially wastin money and imone of those people. every week i do a water change and dose my tank and raise my calium to 430 to then do a water change and have to raise my calcium again that is y i decided to do a water change every 3weeks . i dont think a tank is goin to use up all the trace elements in a week. bascially ive been doin what i was suppose to do replanish my tank every week but runnin a box of 200g of reef crystals fast......
- Location
- The Big City
Depending on what type of coral, or if you have clams, the Cal & Alk can be used up pretty fast, that's why people dose B-ionic, Kalk or have Cal reactors. In some cases, where you mayn't have a lot of corals or have corals that don't use a lot of Cal or Alk, you mayn't need to dose B-ionic, water changes maybe enough to bring the levels back up.
As for doing water changes, it all depends on what you have livestock wise and equipment. There are plenty of people who have good setups and can get by with less water changes. They've basically have invested money in equipment or setup their tank in such a way where they don't need to do water changes as frequently as others. Equipment wise it could be from getting a better skimmer or a Denitrator, filter sock, or having more flow in the tank, which reduces trap garbage. Even still some people feel it's still good to do water changes, regardless how good their levels maybe. Other people feel it's better not to do a lot of water changes, as doing a lot of water changes doesn't let the tank to become stable. As for trace elements, some people get them back in the tank by feeding a lot others by water changes and dosing. In the end it really comes down to how your corals and tank looks, that and if your levels are in check. So are you wasting your money by doing water changes and dosing B-ionic? Probably not, as unless there is something wrong with the water or salt it only does a tank good. In the end you'll find what works for you.
As for doing water changes, it all depends on what you have livestock wise and equipment. There are plenty of people who have good setups and can get by with less water changes. They've basically have invested money in equipment or setup their tank in such a way where they don't need to do water changes as frequently as others. Equipment wise it could be from getting a better skimmer or a Denitrator, filter sock, or having more flow in the tank, which reduces trap garbage. Even still some people feel it's still good to do water changes, regardless how good their levels maybe. Other people feel it's better not to do a lot of water changes, as doing a lot of water changes doesn't let the tank to become stable. As for trace elements, some people get them back in the tank by feeding a lot others by water changes and dosing. In the end it really comes down to how your corals and tank looks, that and if your levels are in check. So are you wasting your money by doing water changes and dosing B-ionic? Probably not, as unless there is something wrong with the water or salt it only does a tank good. In the end you'll find what works for you.
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