How often do you?

[Jarred1]

How often do you perform a water change on your tank? Also how much do you change at a time? Do you skim or do any other new fancy things for the tank to keep the water stable? Please include if it is a LPS, SPS, or soft coral dominated tank.

For example:
I change two gallons of water about every month. Both tanks are 20 gallons and house mostly soft corals with a few LPS.

[jimsflies]

Might be also good to have members list the size of tank and whether they skim or dose....just a thought.

I'd answer the question, but I am total slacker these days and don't want to be a role model with my schedule.

[schminksbro]

Whatever size tank you have I advocate changing 2.5% weekly (in nanos divide that up daily). Frequent small water changes are better that infrequent large changes. Every tank is different and one needs to observe their own tank and act according to what they see. Water changes in my view are a inefficient method of nutrient export but they do replenish trace elements which is good. I believe the weekly changes will lead to more consistent availability of these elements. Large percentage water changes can be destabilizing to a reef tank.

[jimsflies]

When I was being diligent I listened to Schminksbro and my tank never looked better.

[rmalone]

Once per month but it really should be every 2wks. 180g w/100g sump, total volume of about 200g. ATB medium cone skimmer, mb7 and vodka, still use gfo (because I don't shoot for undetectable nitrates). Dosing 2 part with a bubble magus doser. Feed the fish like crazy and usually test between .2ppm and 5ppm nitrates (using lamotte), depending on how diligent I am with the vodka. I don't even bother testing phosphates as I don't want to buy a meter and ALL of the "kits" are garbage. I also don't test ph because it's a transient reading that will lead you unto ruin if you try to micro-manage it with dosing.

I agree that water changes are a very inefficient method of removing nutrients. Not to mention that water changes suck, and as such, you wont need a very good excuse to put the job off for another day. So, if water changes are the main means by which you export nutrients, you will likely end up with a high nutrient tank. ]

In my, and only my opinion, there are a few items that are "cost of doing business" items. 1. a good effective skimmer (doesn't have to cost a million dollars), it just needs to be effective. 2. ATO, you simply don't have time to manually dump ro water into the tank, when the tank should have ro added, No ATO, means less stability, period. Don't even bother arguing this one with me. 3. If your into sps either dosing pumps or a calc reactor, for the same reasons as the ATO, if it's a PITA you'll blow it off sooner or later. Lack of stability leads to a drastic rise in tank issues, particularly with sps.

I find it amusing how many people try to save money on hard goods and then buy $100 frags and lament when they just don't perform.

[bluwc]

Well for what it's worth, I used to change water once a week. With summer, it just got too time consuming so it's now about every other week in both tanks

In my 30g cube w 20g sump/fuge I have chaeto in there and an in sump Reef Octopus 160. i have been recently dosing for Alk because it's been pretty low and when I do water changes, it's 5gallons/just over 10%.

In my 60g, I just run a cheap HOB skimmer and an emporer 400 for carbon. It's not the best set up but it works for now. When I break that tank down, I'll probably start over with a bigger tank and sump. I also change the water about everyother week. 10% or about 5 gallons also.

[MyNemesis]

120 gallon display tank, 50 gallon breeder sump, 25 gallon frag tank. 130 gallons total water volume. I change 24% of the water every couple weeks.

[MizTanks]

I've slacked off big time...haven't done a wc in going on 2 months...I dose 2 part daily and trace elements 1x bi-weekly...I was doing the 20% every other week but it seemed to be more then what my tank could handle. Today my corals have never looked better and my pictures prove this to be true what's most exciting is that all my zoa's are totally thriving with rapid polyp growth (or what I like to call rapid) I have a 26g bowfront with a 3g hob fuge..nano skimmer and just recently acquired an ro/di unit so I'm up for a wc soon.

[steve&mari]

Big Steve

Change 5-10 gallons weekly 90% of the time there's them times it waits a extra week then I do 10gallons. We have a 65 gallon 36x18x24 with 20 gallon sump with reef octopus skimmer rated for150 gallon tank with phosphate reactor w/ gfo,chemi pure in filter sock n purigen running in a fluval 4 plus in sump with liverock n macro. Filter sock changed weekly dose seachem reef fusion 1&2 ,MB7,tech m,strontion,bio fuel n lugols. Got no issues with any numbers n stays very stable. Heater,ato n pumps ran off reefkeeper lite temps 78-79 even with the heatwave.Run 6x39 watt aquaticlife fixture Mp 20 n mj 1200 mod in tank for flow w eBay 800gph behind rock low. Round 80-90lbs total rock zoas palys Acans are dominant with 6-8 chalices n 2-3 favias 2 sun corals reg n black n 6-7 sps to top it. Colors pop n everything's growing but a favia n a trumpet other trumpets growing like mad humm dont get them 2. 5 fish a rainbow nem a blood shrimp n clean up crew. Well prob more info then ya wanted LOL

Big Steve

[rmalone]

See, now there is another issue, Miz is growing mostly zoos, completely different situation than my largely sps and nem tank. Not all tanks need the same approach. Zoos really grow slow in my tank, I am high enough nutrient to keep them going but by no means do they kick arse. I run my tank first and foremost for sps, with nems being a distant second. My lps and those pesky zoos can live with what they get. Some of this discussion is really about what you want to do with your tank. A 180g with nothing but colt coral and shrooms could probably get by on yearly water changes, assuming the reefer was sensible about feeding.