Water Changes: How Often/How Much

[Craig Lambert]

Just wondering how frequently people keep up with water changes.

 

[TippyToeX]

Weekly, more than 15%.

 

[starseed]

I voted other.

My tank has a 60 gallon water capacity.

I remove exactly 1 gallon every day while siphoning out the poop and detritus out of my BB. I then add exactly 1 gallon of "new" water, plus about a cup of fresh top-off water when needed. (I keep my salinity at 1.024 exactly).

In one month that equals 30 gallons which a 50% water change, but because it is done daily it equals about a 43% water change per month.

In addition, once a week (Sundays) I add a carbon filter to my over flow, "blow-off" my live rock, clean the glass, and change 12 gallons with is an additional 20% water change each week. I remove the carbon filter pad 24 hours later.

I keep a Rubbermaid with 10 to 30 gallons of "new" water aerating and heated to the same temp as my tank 24/7 (the container is cleaned and changed once a month).

I do all of this because:

1) The daily water changes only take 10 minutes
2) Daily water changes are the least stressful way to do a water change IMO.
3) I have no skimmer - yet- now I'm a human skimmer
4) I can see the entire day's poop in one spot of my BB - I can even tell which poop comes from what fish or snail - I feel much better knowing I'm getting the nitrates, phosphates, and other organics. BEFORE they breakdown into the water. (A skimmer deals with those organics AFTER it breaks down.)
5)) I used to have a 1 inch layer of sand, then a DSB and with both my Nitrates and Phosphates were always crazy high until a when BB - now they are close to 0 if not 0 (I need some new low range kits on my next trip to the LF).
4) I have clams and plan to have SPS

I will probably faze out the weekly water changes once the tank is mostly stocked and keep the daily changes to maintain the best stability.

 

[shaggydoo541]

33% weekly to bi-weekly (depending on how ambitious I feel on any given week). I only have about 15G of water volume so a 5G change is really easy to do.

 

[xtrstangx]

10% weekly is good. If things aren't doing well or such, you can always up to higher.

FWIW, I'm going to do 30g water changes on my 120g tank every 5 days.

 

[mace88]

15% Bi-weekly since startup in September and going good so far.

 

[StinkinTuna]

15% Every 2 weeks.....nitrates have never gotten out of hand (knock on wood).

 

[Btboy2004]

10% weekly, so far so good.

 

[Craig Lambert]

Looks like 10% weekly is the norm. I'm thinking of using my 32G brute can as a resivoir to be replentished weekly, and changing out 1G per day on my 75G. Seems it might be easier. I dread water change day.

 

[Bebo77]

25 gallon water change every 5 days at least on my 300 gallon tank 400+ TWV

 

[benray4fun]

I just add top off water every other day, about two gallons.... it equates to 30 gallons a month out of a 90 gallon. Never had it better...

 

[ACBlinky]

I mix up 18g of SW in a Rubbermaid tub each week and typically change the following amounts:
5.5g skimmerless reef - 2g (~50% of actual water volume)
30g reef - 4-5g (~20% of actual water volume)
65g FOWLR - 11-12g (~25% of actual water volume)

I've been sticking to this schedule for a while now and the fish and corals are doing very well, water parameters are great.

 

[npaden]

I'm an infrequent large water changer. With a 1,750 gallon system my measly 200 gallon water change bucket is barely over a 10% change. I "steal" a lot of water out of the main system for water changes on my clownfish grow out tanks and I add back salt directly to a high flow area in one of my sumps to make up for the water I take out. I usually use up a 160 gallon bucket of IO every couple months just keeping my salinity steady from that.

FWIW, Nathan

 

[melev]

20% monthly. Or 55g every four weeks.

 

[reverendmaynard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6868807#post6868807 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by benray4fun
I just add top off water every other day, about two gallons.... it equates to 30 gallons a month out of a 90 gallon. Never had it better...

I'm glad that your tank doesn't appear to be suffering but...

Top off is not the same as water changes. The water that evaporates leaves behind all of the impurities. I believe this approach will eventually catch up to you.

Here's an article on why everyone should do water changes, whether tests indicate they are needed or not...Mything the Point: Part Two . Myth #8.

 

[MiddletonMark]

On my 58g stony coral tank I do weekly 10% [or more] or bi-weekly 20% changes. A little less % if more often, a little more if less often.

 

[JRPhd]

I agree with reverendmaynard (can I get an amen), the evaoprated water is probably 100% pure. I mean isn't that how distilled water is made?

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

On anot to steady basis, I usually do 50% bi weekly on my small tank and 25% + on my large tank. I use NSW though so my only cost is gas to get it and my time. I was doing 25% weekly for a bit on my large tank and I may go back to that just to keep my nitrates under control until everything settles out.

 

[duec22]

I try and do 25-30% a week. Mostly because I'm skimmerless right now.