should I do a water change ?

[Ginzo]

Well, my tank has been up and running for about 2 months now. I was wondering, should I do a water change, even if all my parameters seem ok ?

PH: 7.8 - 8.0ph
Salinity: 35ppm or 1.026
Nitrates: 0
Phosphates: 0
Calcium: around 350 to 360
Temp: 78 - 80F

Currently, everything looks healthly except I have quite a bit of brown algae..that's getting slowly cleaned-up by my 40 Astrea snails.

My tank is a 120g.

Regards,

 

[justinl]

have you not done a change in all the two months? yeesh. I do weekly to biweekly 20% water changes, myself. in short, even if params look okay according to the tests, water changes arent usually a bad idea.

 

[Kalied20]

I would do a water change. I have my 90 gallon up for about a year now and I have cut back on my water changes to once a month. But till this point I did a biweekly 20% change.

 

[Snowboarda42]

I would do 15-20% each week, regardless of whether or not your params are in check. You have other things in your water that we cannot test for...

 

[marduc]

Water changes are done as a preventative measure, kind of like an oil change in a car. Do not wait for things to be out of whack, change the water to keep things in line. Changing water removes contaminants of all sorts, and the newly added salt water will replenish trace elements that may potentially get depleted over time as well.

I do a ~15% change every week without fail.

 

[Playa-1]

yep

 

[Aquarist007]

Re: should I do a water change ?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10964391#post10964391 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ginzo
Well, my tank has been up and running for about 2 months now. I was wondering, should I do a water change, even if all my parameters seem ok ?

PH: 7.8 - 8.0ph
Salinity: 35ppm or 1.026
Nitrates: 0
Phosphates: 0
Calcium: around 350 to 360
Temp: 78 - 80F

Currently, everything looks healthly except I have quite a bit of brown algae..that's getting slowly cleaned-up by my 40 Astrea snails.

My tank is a 120g.

Regards,

yes the water change will replentish trace elements

what do you have in the tank now? and----

what is your alkalinity level?

 

[Aquarist007]

even though you are getting no readings for nitrates and phosphates it does not mean they are not there--the brown algae is probably consuming it has fast as it is produced.

A water change will lower the level of phosphates and nitrates also.

 

[Mark426]

Yes...do a water change. Why would you even consider NOT doing it?