Mine is 2-2.5 years, but a year ago I upgraded to a bigger one, moved all stuff including water (apart from gravel) to a new one.
P.S. I dosed many Brightwell additives since day one, trace elements, amino, strontion, iodion.
people who go with "almost" no Water Changes needed!
- Thread starter Enzel
- Start date
Mine is 2-2.5 years, but a year ago I upgraded to a bigger one, moved all stuff including water (apart from gravel) to a new one.
P.S. I dosed many Brightwell additives since day one, trace elements, amino, strontion, iodion.
Paul B
Premium Member
Any tank should be able to go 2 or 3 years with no water changes with no problems.
The water you start with should have enough elements in it to last longer than that. I think if you go 6 or 7 years you may start to see a problem but the tank will still run without crashing.
The water you start with should have enough elements in it to last longer than that. I think if you go 6 or 7 years you may start to see a problem but the tank will still run without crashing.
Gill_bucket
New member
I believe in a DSB and zero water changes. My first setup was a 55 with no sump minimal bio load and I went a year with undetectable nitrates. My current setup is a 125 lagoon style softie dominated mixed reef. I have recently been dealing with high nitrates (80ppm) I believe this is due to not having a large enough DSB. However everything is doing well even with the high nitrates, although I am sure my red planet would grow much more quickly if I got the nitrates under control.
For me it just isn't practical to do frequent water changes, so I will sacrifice the ability to keep sps and a huge bio load in exchange for almost no maintenance.
Here is a couple pics
For me it just isn't practical to do frequent water changes, so I will sacrifice the ability to keep sps and a huge bio load in exchange for almost no maintenance.
Here is a couple pics
But no water changes doesnt mean high nitrates. Thats what carbon/bacteria or bio pellets are for.
Because I also want no mantenance, I decided to try Prodibio instead of carbon dosing. The difference is that you dose Prodibio every 2 weeks and thats it, Nitrates/Phosphates gone. Only need a good skimmer to export all the waste.
Because I also want no mantenance, I decided to try Prodibio instead of carbon dosing. The difference is that you dose Prodibio every 2 weeks and thats it, Nitrates/Phosphates gone. Only need a good skimmer to export all the waste.
Amoore311
New member
I liquid carbon dosed my 180 gallon reef in my signature. That was going strong for 3 years and was changing 15 gallons of water every 5 Months.
Skimmer was a MSX 300, fish were fed 4 times day and included the following:
12 Lyretail Anthias
Pair of Ocellaris Clowns
Blue Throat Trigger
Powder Blue Tang
Yellow Tang
Dragonfaced Pipefish
Mandarin
Yellow Watchman Goby
Sixline Wrasse
I dosed Iodine Bi-Weekly and Amino's once per week. CAL/ALK/MAG were dosed automatically via my Apex and BRS Dosing Pumps. The salt used was always Oceanic.
I bought a house and had to downgrade. My sps corals were around the size of softballs when I got rid of everything. I included the picture of the tang to give an idea of how I feed my fish lol.
Skimmer was a MSX 300, fish were fed 4 times day and included the following:
12 Lyretail Anthias
Pair of Ocellaris Clowns
Blue Throat Trigger
Powder Blue Tang
Yellow Tang
Dragonfaced Pipefish
Mandarin
Yellow Watchman Goby
Sixline Wrasse
I dosed Iodine Bi-Weekly and Amino's once per week. CAL/ALK/MAG were dosed automatically via my Apex and BRS Dosing Pumps. The salt used was always Oceanic.
I bought a house and had to downgrade. My sps corals were around the size of softballs when I got rid of everything. I included the picture of the tang to give an idea of how I feed my fish lol.
Palting
New member
That is one great SPS tank, chris88. BUT, you can't just leave it at "I havent done a water change in over 12 months on my sps reef", post gorgeous pictures and leave it at that! 
There has to be more. Like, do you dose, etc.
I've been closely following this thread. I am one of those that religously do 10% weekly water changes. Simply because I don't know any better, and can't seem to justify anything else.
So, help me understand this "little to no WC" thing. How do you guys compensate for the consumption of needed elements, or the production of unwanted one's?
As an example, my alk and calcium gets consumed rather quickly, so that I even have to dose now in addition to my weekly 10% WC. I went on vacation and didn't dose nor do a WC for 2 weeks, and my alk went down to 6.7dKH and lost most of my coralline. How about other elements known to be consumed by the growth of corals? What do you all do about it?
Nitrrates and phosphates I suppose can be removed by various mechanisms other than WC. Aren't there other things that need to be removed via WC?
Schriss mentioned Biofuel, Prodibio, etc. I'm gonna have to read up on those.
There has to be more. Like, do you dose, etc.I've been closely following this thread. I am one of those that religously do 10% weekly water changes. Simply because I don't know any better, and can't seem to justify anything else.
So, help me understand this "little to no WC" thing. How do you guys compensate for the consumption of needed elements, or the production of unwanted one's?
As an example, my alk and calcium gets consumed rather quickly, so that I even have to dose now in addition to my weekly 10% WC. I went on vacation and didn't dose nor do a WC for 2 weeks, and my alk went down to 6.7dKH and lost most of my coralline. How about other elements known to be consumed by the growth of corals? What do you all do about it?
Nitrrates and phosphates I suppose can be removed by various mechanisms other than WC. Aren't there other things that need to be removed via WC?
Schriss mentioned Biofuel, Prodibio, etc. I'm gonna have to read up on those.
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chris88
New member
water changes would never compensate for my calcium / alk / and mag depletion. I have to dose a lot of the three major elements mentioned above. I have a decent skimmer which helps but i havent found a need to do water changes. the tank doesnt react any better or worse when i do water changes. Before i moved my tank a year ago i didnt do water changes on my previous sps tank. Before that, i did do water changes every two weeks because thats what you are "suposed to do". I am not saying my way is better but my tank is very healthy and grows very fast especialy for a low tech tank.
I did play around with dosing potassium, iodine, and iron a while ago but i didnt notice anything.
I did play around with dosing potassium, iodine, and iron a while ago but i didnt notice anything.
I have gone over 4.5 years without water changes.
Until this...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2078786
I may or may not do water changes from now on. I still haven't made up my mind. If I do, it will probably a very small one every few months.
I'm looking for more people that have gone as long or longer.
Until this...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2078786
I may or may not do water changes from now on. I still haven't made up my mind. If I do, it will probably a very small one every few months.
I'm looking for more people that have gone as long or longer.
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natebedwell06
New member
when my 150 was a reef i never did a water change in the year i had it, i had 15 chromis, 2 tangs, 1 angel, 2 mandarins, a blenny, and 2 rabbits yes overstocked i know, learned from it, running only a ats, and the highest of anything i ever saw testing was like 40ppm nitrates, then i switched it over to an aggressive tank with a big dogface puffer, 2 rabbits, and a whitecheek tang and have yet to do a water change and feed that tank a LOT and im running a ats, cpr skimmer, and a marineland canister filter (biggest one they make) just use it for extra flow, gfo, carbon, and filter floss, and dont plan on doing a water change because all my water parameters are spot on, 0 across the board
newtank
New member
I have a mixed reef, appr. 340g system capacity, in a year and a half I have only changed water maybe less than 6 times, and less than 10% each time. Only done so due to being lazy with my RO DI filters and letting my TDS creep up, which fed my Dinos. Once I replace the filters, new GFO, and suck out Dinos I'm back to normal. As with anything in reefing, it just depends...depends on the equipment you use, what you feed, what you dose, what you have in your tank that utilizes trace elements that the salts replace. If you think about it water is a finite resource, we don't make it, only make it cleaner. The water in your tank is the same water the Dinosaurs drank, its all old. Water changes only dilute concentrations of some nutrients and add additional trace elements. All at what cost? Cost for salt, cost of the waste water generated by our RODI...Just seems like we should export unwanted nutrients either via chemical absorbtion (GFO), Macro Algae, soft coral export, etc and dose the trace elements used up by fauna while keeping the same water...just my opion, probally should keep studying...
I'm on limited experience with saltwater so bare with me please,
In FRESHWATER, water changes dramatically improve fish growth, breeding consistency, color, and general overall health. For example, when I get a new species of whatever cichlid genus I am working with, my interest peaks and I do 50% water changes once a week, these fish always grow faster than if I get slack and skip water changes.
Does the same not apply for saltwater fish? Do you guys notice less growth in your fish? I guess its hard to compare saltwater fish to freshwater fish since with my cichlids I am actively waiting for them to mature and spawn, where as saltwater you are just their beauty in most cases.
Finally, I doubt I will do weekly water changes, but why not change 50% over the course of a year?
In FRESHWATER, water changes dramatically improve fish growth, breeding consistency, color, and general overall health. For example, when I get a new species of whatever cichlid genus I am working with, my interest peaks and I do 50% water changes once a week, these fish always grow faster than if I get slack and skip water changes.
Does the same not apply for saltwater fish? Do you guys notice less growth in your fish? I guess its hard to compare saltwater fish to freshwater fish since with my cichlids I am actively waiting for them to mature and spawn, where as saltwater you are just their beauty in most cases.
Finally, I doubt I will do weekly water changes, but why not change 50% over the course of a year?
110galreef
New member
Tank Info:250g DT ~ 175# Dry Rock to start
~3/4" shallow sand bed
50% SPS, 30% LPS 20% zoo's & softies, clams too....
40g Frag tank tied to same sump as DT
65g sump
275 net gallons of SW
SRO XP 3000E skimmer, avg skimming.
NO: Bio Pellets, ZEO, GFO or refugium.
Top of automated & RO/DI...I do at times have to add a few gals of fresh SW between WC's since I lose a gallon or two via skimming or if I shop vac a few galls to remove any detritus from sump or FRAG tank as that is BB.
I keep it very simple!
Maintenence:
I do a 30g WC every 4 weeks ( ~13% net WC) 275 total net gallons of SW. Will usually vaccum the sand bed with this. I also stir up the sand bed once a week. I use a mesh filter sock, which I rinse out every 3-4 days And throw in the washer maybe once a month. Also swap out my 1.5cups of ROX.08 at WC's as well.
clean acrylic every 5-7 days or so....
I dose CAL & ALK daily, manually dose MG as needed.
I dose Kent Essential Elements at a rate of 2.5ml's/day. It is added to my calcium dosing container to be added at the rate noted. (safe measure but may be unesaccary....Low amount) But cost me ~ $30 for yrs+ supply.
Params:
Cal:420
ALK:9.0
PO4: .0182-.0243 Hanna Ultra low range checker..Steady in this for last yr every week
Nitrate: 0 salifert
pH 8.05-8.20
temp 78-80
salinity:35ppt
Params stay in perfect check. Could probably go longer, but I feel like i need to do a WC sometimes! :beer:
~3/4" shallow sand bed
50% SPS, 30% LPS 20% zoo's & softies, clams too....
40g Frag tank tied to same sump as DT
65g sump
275 net gallons of SW
SRO XP 3000E skimmer, avg skimming.
NO: Bio Pellets, ZEO, GFO or refugium.
Top of automated & RO/DI...I do at times have to add a few gals of fresh SW between WC's since I lose a gallon or two via skimming or if I shop vac a few galls to remove any detritus from sump or FRAG tank as that is BB.
I keep it very simple!
Maintenence:
I do a 30g WC every 4 weeks ( ~13% net WC) 275 total net gallons of SW. Will usually vaccum the sand bed with this. I also stir up the sand bed once a week. I use a mesh filter sock, which I rinse out every 3-4 days And throw in the washer maybe once a month. Also swap out my 1.5cups of ROX.08 at WC's as well.
clean acrylic every 5-7 days or so....
I dose CAL & ALK daily, manually dose MG as needed.
I dose Kent Essential Elements at a rate of 2.5ml's/day. It is added to my calcium dosing container to be added at the rate noted. (safe measure but may be unesaccary....Low amount) But cost me ~ $30 for yrs+ supply.
Params:
Cal:420
ALK:9.0
PO4: .0182-.0243 Hanna Ultra low range checker..Steady in this for last yr every week
Nitrate: 0 salifert
pH 8.05-8.20
temp 78-80
salinity:35ppt
Params stay in perfect check. Could probably go longer, but I feel like i need to do a WC sometimes! :beer:
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spamreefnew
New member
I have been close to a year without water changes. I would go forever if I could, BUT something always happens forcing me to.
mikeweber3
Member
400 gallons & change water 20% 6 months
400 gallons & change water 20% 6 months
You can read my system specs below. I almost never change any water. I do add stoentium molybedium and calcium about every 2 weeks. I think if you can keep your nitrates down with caulerpa, plenum, DSB, or whatever, you shouldn't need water changes.
Gool luck
Mike
400 gallons & change water 20% 6 months
You can read my system specs below. I almost never change any water. I do add stoentium molybedium and calcium about every 2 weeks. I think if you can keep your nitrates down with caulerpa, plenum, DSB, or whatever, you shouldn't need water changes.
Gool luck
Mike
