Huge sump or daily water changes?

Huge sump or daily water changes?


  • Total voters
    16

picker

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If the goal is a 30g display fish only with some live rock tank with two clowns and a flame angel, which sump would be more forgiving:

1) 44g rubbermaid brute sump (33g usable with heater, skimmer, carbon and gfo filter bags) and 30g water changes every other month.

2) 5g sump (3g usable with heater, skimmer, carbon and gfo filter bags) and daily genesis renew half gallon auto water changes fed from a 44g rubbermaid brute with 30g of salt water refilled ever other month.
 
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I am not a huge fan of infrequent large water change simply because there are higher chance of messing up params. You would have to be very careful matching the tank's parameters with the newly salt mix. A mistake here and there could cause lots of trouble down the road since you are removing lots of existing water. Your second proposal seems more reasonable. With only a 5g sump and .5g of water change daily, you are essentially doing a 50% water change monthly (except you will also remove part of the new water because everything is diluted once added to the tank).

If possible, I would suggest setting up the Genesis to do 3g (or 10%) every week. With this, your tank won't suffer a long period of time without fresh clean mix and you can be sure to remove only old water everytime you do water change.
 
I wouldn't go every 2 months for a water change, but every month at least. You have to replenish the trace elements in your water with water changes and no large amount of a sump can do this for you. larger sumps are always better just to give you more gallons of water to the system.
 
> Neither.

The poll is designed to be sub optimal. The goal is to determine if a large buffer is more important than known incremental improvement.

Thanks for participating!
 
I don't think the buffer effect is that important, IMO, assuming you have good methods for an ATO, calcium and alkalinity supplements, cooling and heating, etc.
 
> Why not go for the large sump, And small daily water changes

because the goal is to set priorities. both theories represent the same DT and the same volume of water changes over the same time frame, but at a different rate.

so, have you voted? if so, thanks!
 
creating more water volume reduces the chances of any one problem exponentially affecting the tank. This doesn't replace water changes, it merely creates a better chance of keeping a stable tank. 10% water changes should still happen at least once every two weeks although 5% changes every week would create a healthier tank.

Will you have the time and energy to do a water change everyday? If you do then a smaller percent everyday is probably the best way to go.
 
Will you have the time and energy to do a water change everyday?

The OP was proposing to use an automatic pump for that. I do that as well, although not this system. I use a slow dual head Reef Filler pump on a timer for changing 1% every day, slowly and automatically. :)
 
In my 20 I use a 5 gallon ATO and change about a gallon of water each day. I simply keep a bucket of fresh saltwater sitting next to the tank and when I dump the skimmer cup on the Tunze nano I use a dipping container to pull out a gallon or so from the tank and replace it. This tank is in the garage so I don't mind having a couple 5 gallon buckets sitting next to it. If the tank were in the house I'd have to come up with something a bit more elegant but my answer would be the same.

Mike
 
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