Anyone else on here have a small sps system 30 gallons or smaller just do...

[10" Red Devil]

Is anyone out there doing just plain ole water changes to replace lost Ca/Alk/Mag in your system? If so how big and how often?

Now first off Im not saying I want to do this as it seems like it probably would not work for a number of reasons, but lets say someone had the time and paitence.

The reason I ask is because when I kept a planted tank (some would say as difficult or more then keeping sps) there was this awesome method that took a lot of the testing and guessing out of keeping plants. Its main component was 50% water changes, if anyone is interested go check out www.plantedtank.com.

Now I know what your thinking what a pita, well testing is a pita, and with the use of a python it was a freaking snap. I had the most amazing plant tank due to this method. The only thing I had to test for was Iron and that was once a week.

Now maybe Im being crazy and you really cant relate Freshwater plants to SPS.

Anyway let me have it I know you all will. :lol:

 

[10" Red Devil]

Oh and just to add to this if its a small tank water changes really arent a big deal.

 

[jay2525]

im interested in the planted tank info. But that link seems to have gotten me no where....

 

[10" Red Devil]

Oh okay well I was referencing the site in general, you will have to do a search, but Rex Crigg is a memeber there and sorta the god father of it all.

http://www.plantedtank.net/

Sorry about the bad link.

 

[UFreefer]

i've got a 30g sps only prop tank thats absolutely packed with frags....probably 100 or so. I just dose kalk and add mg on a regular basis.
I've had no problems at all except for that i wish i had more space.
I'll have to post some pics up for ya

 

[UFreefer]

 

[UFreefer]

the eggcrate racks are just above and out of view on the second picture and they span across the entire tank

 

[ahchung]

That depends on how your tank is stocked. I ran a 15G tank moderately stocked with acroporas and it consumed 3dKH of KH and 50ppm of Calcium per day. In my case, it is just impossible to keep the parameters on track especially the desired KH and Calcium levels (10 dKH and 420 ppm) are higher than those levels in NSW (7 dKH and 400 ppm).

 

[10" Red Devil]

bump

 

[glassbox-design]

On our 20 gg BB SPS reef we run do 10% WC once a week. Siphone detritus etc...

To the fresh saltwater we add a tiny bit of Buffer and Kalk to get levels up ( we run IO ). I then every other night dose kalk.

flint&eric

 

[sidog1]

i have a 38 gallon so i'm pretty close. i topoff with kalk and dose pretty much each day for calcium and alk. takes about a couple minutes a day. things look healthy.