Tired of weakly water changes

[reefgeezer]

I won't argue the value of water changes because I just don't know the real answer. I do know that my tank does better when I do 10%-ish a week. I don't like doing them either. I've considered automatic water changes and actually have the equipment to do it. I just can't get over the risk of something going out of whack while I'm gone. So I did everything that I could do to make water changes easy. I have a big brute I fill with ASW that has a pump in it. I simply drain out 10 gallons of old water from the DT and pump in 10 new from the Brute. Sometimes I miss a week... or two. I just drain/add what it takes to average about 10 gallons a week. I run maintain alk in the DT near the level my salt mix creates (~8.5 dKh) & make sure temp/salinity are pretty close, particularly when changing larger quantities.

 

[Daddyrawg]

I won't argue the value of water changes because I just don't know the real answer. I do know that my tank does better when I do 10%-ish a week. I don't like doing them either. I've considered automatic water changes and actually have the equipment to do it. I just can't get over the risk of something going out of whack while I'm gone. So I did everything that I could do to make water changes easy. I have a big brute I fill with ASW that has a pump in it. I simply drain out 10 gallons of old water from the DT and pump in 10 new from the Brute. Sometimes I miss a week... or two. I just drain/add what it takes to average about 10 gallons a week. I run maintain alk in the DT near the level my salt mix creates (~8.5 dKh) & make sure temp/salinity are pretty close, particularly when changing larger quantities.

My process isn't bad either but after a year of using up all this salt/water/and time it's starting to take its toll lol

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[reefgeezer]

My process isn't bad either but after a year of using up all this salt/water/and time it's starting to take its toll lol

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I hear ya. If you're around most of the time so you can keep an eye on it and can easily plumb in an automatic water change system, that might be the way to go. I still think (don't know though) water changes are cheaper and more effective that adding a bunch of cocktails to replace lost trace elements.

 

[Misled]

Turn off ATO. Take one gallon out of tank. Add one gallon new mixed salt water. Turn ATO back on.

Do that 5 times per week. Takes about 3 to 5 minutes each time.

You should still test. While water changes replenishes things, the salt mix has no idea what is being used up in your tank.

 

[AlexR]

I've been doing 10% weekly water changes to battle algae issues in my tank.
Now that all algae has been removed I am going to do bi-weekly 10% water changes.

I do not dose but have a calcium reactor.
I have a couple montis and the rest are zoas and other softies.
See no benefit of doing weekly changes unless your battling algae.