Frequency of water change and SPS growth

[saltywet]

I have been making once a month water change and now have just started weekly water changes of 10% total water volumne.

Can you share your experience if you noticed faster SPS growth with more frequent water changes?

Maybe there are reefkeepers who do very little water change and get great growth as well.

Thanks

 

[mcoomer]

I would imagine that to the eye any changes will be negligible but SPS do like stability and changing smaller volumes more frequently would seem to do more to maintain stability than one big change.

 

[saltywet]

mcoomer,

I actually would plan on doing 10% water changes each time still.
you are right that SPS likes stability, but smaller volumes vs replensihing trace minerals with water change is the question mark.

 

[Mattik]

I shoot for weekly...but sometimes slip to every two weeks. I don't see much impact on growth, but more impact on algae growth (cyano, hair, etc).

 

[saltywet]

Mattik,

Thanks for info. Maybe I'll get lazy and do bi-monthly water changes.

 

[Ding2daDong]

When I had my 75g up I only did a water change every 4-5 months. I had low nutrients and a huge skimmer so never saw the need. My corals grew out of the water and had great color. When I setup my new tank I don't plan on doing any water changes, waste of time and money if you ask me.

-Matthew

 

[klepto]

When I had my 75g up I only did a water change every 4-5 months. I had low nutrients and a huge skimmer so never saw the need. My corals grew out of the water and had great color. When I setup my new tank I don't plan on doing any water changes, waste of time and money if you ask me.

-Matthew

Do you have any pictures of that tank?

 

[thi7b]

I shoot for weekly...but sometimes slip to every two weeks. I don't see much impact on growth, but more impact on algae growth (cyano, hair, etc).

I also don't noticed any growth. But I do noticed increased in green algae film on rock and glass. I change out 15gal on a 200gal tank weekly. I change out GFO and carbon monthly.

 

[saltywet]

Wait one second, so it sounds like more water change means more algae growth on rocks and glass? Why is that?

 

[Ding2daDong]

Do you have any pictures of that tank?

I am no marine photographer to say the least but my corals had amazing color and literally grew out of the water.

-Matthew

 

[klepto]

Good stuff Matthew! I was just curious how things grew in with that type of w/c schedule.. Much better than I would have imagined!
What was automated in your 75's setup?

 

[Ding2daDong]

Good stuff Matthew! I was just curious how things grew in with that type of w/c schedule.. Much better than I would have imagined!
What was automated in your 75's setup?

I had a 45ish gallon sump and 2x30g breeder frag tanks all plumbed together. So the water volume was more then just 75g. I had a geo 6x18 calcium reactor, tunze ATO unit, filter socks on the drains, phosban reactor with carbon/rowaphos, DAS ex-1 protein skimmer, refugium with cheato but it never really grew due to lack of nutrients.

I never really had any problems from lack of water changes. This is just what worked well for me.

-Matthew

 

[RickMartin]

Wait one second, so it sounds like more water change means more algae growth on rocks and glass? Why is that?

That would mean either phosphates in the RO/DI or in the salt mix

 

[nefron]

I don't do water changes but every two months or so...and have great color and growth. No hair algae or anything like that. When I do change water I usually change about 15-20%. I have a calc reactor, decent skimmer, and feed the h*ll out of my fish. I also don't run any GFO. On my avatar is a picture of a coral in my tank.

This is my slimmer....started out as a 4"x4" colony on Jan 27 2009, so this is a little over a year later. Color is much better than the picture. And that now is about 18" accross instead of 4".

 

[sfsuphysics]

I'm in the "I probably should do more water changes" crowd, as far as frequency but I do have great growth. I think a big part of that is the flow in my tank, but also what lets me get away with that is that I have but 6 fish in my 180. Some people throw an absolute ton of fish in their tanks... and with the feeding that's required of course the water will get dirtier faster.

 

[smatter]

It looks like Matthew has a ton of fish in there. Good husbandry Sir!

 

[gasman059]

Here's my take after many attempts in many tanks with many gadgets.

While running a denitrator and dosing trace elemets u should be able to space out you water changes in a mature tank.

Now that being said if you plan to keep colorful acros and a MATURE sps tank u no doubt need to do water changes, I disagree with the staement that they are worthless.

The requirements of different tanks vary as well as the husbandry but one thing is for sure at some point in time water changes do come in to play.

Good read right here HTH
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php