How frequently do you make water changes?

M

mrblur

New member
I have some problems with my tank.
My tank does not have any Skimmer.
I have been doing 20% water changes once a week since June with Coral Life Sea salts.
My fishes are fine.
However my Derasa clams, Snails and Shrimp are dying continuously.
Now my Anemones are not blooming.
I wonder that I do the water changes too frequently or is it something wrong with my sea salts?
If I change it too frequently then how frequent should I do my water changes?
Could you please give me the reason also so that I will understand why this happen?

Please help me on this. I do not want my lovely anemones to be gone. T-T

Thank you so much
 
[welcome]

We'll need to know your water parameters. Calcium, Alkalinity, pH, sg. What size tank ? Are you dosing anything ?

What are your nitrate levels. Although fish are fairly tolerant to high levels of nitrates, invert are not.
 
As i do a lot of water change so my water parameter are fine.
Except the calcium which has more than 500 ppm as i input the C-Balance.

Calcium: ~500 ppm
Specific Gravity: ~ 1.023
pH: ~ 8.23
Temperature: ~ 25 - 27 C
Nitrate: undetectable
Phosphate: undetectable


Should i stop inputting the C- Balance??
 
It seems most of your invertebrates are struggling. Do you use any brass plumbing in your tank? Or have you used any copper based medicines in the tank for the fish? Other potential things to consider are temperature swings, alkalinty (i've seen snails die in my tank when i have low alkalinity measurements [low defined as under 6dkh], though i have no proof of a correlation).

I change about 15-20% weekly, and it has only helped my tank. Make sure that the new saltwater is the same temperature and salinity as that in the tank.
 
Coralife salt is inherantly high in Calcium. Along with the C-Balance you may have low alkalinity. You did not list that.

Also what kind of water are you using for your water change water ?
 
Not only are the values important, but keeping them constant is as well. Dosing C-balance may be causing huge Ca/Alk swings. Because you did not say you had any hard coral, and because you are doing large water changes, I think you can stop using the c-balance. As long as you are using a good salt water changes should replenish those elements for you (this is what I did until I started heavily stocking stony corals).
 
How do you measure your salinity? I had a refractometer that i thought was accurate but my corals didn't look that healthy and out of curiousity I went to the Florida Aquarium to make sure it was correct. Low and behold what Ithought was 1.026 was actually 1.019!! Since your salinity is 1.023 if your meter was reading high you could have the same problem. I'd verify your salinity was accurate. Randy Farley has a calibration solution that you can make with ordinary table salt that I did and its perfectly accurate. Of course it could be something else but I'd verify your salinity is correct and think about bumping it up a little bit. Most people run their reef systems at 1.026. 1.023 I've always heard is good for FO systems.

Good luck,
Chris
 
I agree with crvz... sounds like copper. Fish ok, inverts not ok. Rock and other things in the tank absorb copper medications and then release it back slowly over time. I'd test for copper and/or run carbon and see if things improve.
 
may want to slap a poly filter in there as well until you can confirm copper, or at least as a preventive to see if things improve.
 
Copper as well (or some contaminant in the water).

Do you use RO/DI? Have you ever used any medication in the tank? Any metal plumbing or anything in the water?
 
I did not use any medictation in my tank at all.
I mix the salt with RO water.
However I did not leave it for 24 hours but I just see whether the water is clear yet which take around 4 hours.
so u guys are saying that I should make my tank as stable as possible. but when I make the water change I believe that parameter like temperature cannot be the same because I use chiller for my tank.
I did not keep any sps or lps at all but planning to keep them if my tank become stable.
so what's wrong with my tank?
 
Temperature should be easy to match when doing water changes...assuming you have a 2nd heater! I would recommend a powerhead & heater to be used with making up your new water. You should be able to match temp exactly with your tank. And the PH is good for mixing the salt & keeping the water moving & airated.
 
i do not have any alkanity tester so i dun know what is the parameter for that.
However can i just look at my parameter for PH instead??

Oh ya i forgot to tell you one thing before like last 2 weeks
i turn on my 3 bulbs 400W MH from 12 PM till 5 Pm
and Moon light from 5 pm till 12 pm

and i change it to
i turn on my 3 bulbs 400W MH from 7PM till 12 am
and Moon light from 12 am till 7 pm right away
can this action cause the problem?

after i read your comments i have 3 questions.

1. From your comments, you guys do not think that it is the
frequency of water changes that has a problem right??

So the frequency of water changes is fine?

2. I heard someone said that I may get like a water shock.

The things in my tank cannot adapt with the water because I
keep changing it.

Is that true?

3. I somehow believe that my parameter is quite good, because
I make the water change it every week.

Although I have not test the parameter for the new mixing
water, I test it on my tank and the parameter are great except
alkanity which I do not have any tester for that?

I thought that PH parameter can be measured and it gives the
same result as alkanity.
So do you recommend me to have this alkanity tester??
 
You cannot judge alkalinity by pH. I strongly suggest you get a good alk kit. And personally, I think 20% a week is too much. It wouldnt be if everything was matched but you have no idea how much of a chemistry differance between your tank and water change water. If its off, you are changing the chemistry of your tank once a week. Too much IMO.

I'll bet your alk is low. :)
 
so could you recommend me how frequently should i make the water change?

so if my alkanity is low. what should i do? is there anything i can use to help my alkanity?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7875682#post7875682 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mrblur
so could you recommend me how frequently should i make the water change?

so if my alkanity is low. what should i do? is there anything i can use to help my alkanity?
Click to expand...

10% weekly is a good starting point.

Get a good Salifert Alkalinity/KH/DKH (all the same thing, not sure what websites call the test kit). They run about $20 but are definately worth it.

Once you know your alkalinity, you can raise it with baking soda. But do not dose the baking soda without knowing what your alkalinity is.
 
I change around 7% every week. 7% just happens to be a logical volume with the buckets and containers that I own
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

F
Icp high iron phosphate and iodine help
Replies
4
Views
338
wvned
wvned
Reignfire
Stray current
2
Replies
31
Views
1K
griss
griss
oceangopher
Tankpocalypse Now
Replies
2
Views
175
Reefing102
Reefing102
R
Free Sump and water change tanks
Replies
2
Views
139
Raoul5Duke
R
S
Overskimming on New Protein Skimmer
Replies
2
Views
145
wvned
wvned
Back
Top