Water Changes

[Sushi Roll]

Hi, I have a 120 gallon tank (4'x2'x2') that just finished cycling. It is going to be a reef tank with smaller reef fish, corals and invertebrates. I would prefer to do more frequent but smaller water changes as opposed to infrequent but large water changes.

My question is this: Is one type better/safer than the other. If so, what is the better way to go? Less frequent big changes or more frequent smaller changes?

If they are equally good, then I would like to focus on the frequent but smaller changes. In this case, what would be the best way to go about doing water changes? 5% once a week? 10% once a week? 10% every two weeks? Or do I only need to do 10% a month? Or 2.5% a week? As you can see, I have no clue. Please help!

If it is better to do infrequent large water changes, what would you suggest?

I should note that I wouldn't mind a small amount of nitrate in there because I am under the impression that will lead to some algae growth which my numerous snails and crabs feed off of. Is this correct?

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[RandyStacyE]

I wish I would stick to approx a 20% a month water change. I believe that is the standard. Some do it differently though.

I would start looking into geting a decent RO/DI unit if you don't have one already. Water changes aren't the only part of 'water quality' to be concerned about. Replacing the evaporated water with high quality is just as important.

 

[northbay-reefer]

10% biweekly works best for me, its less shocking to my system when I do smaller frequence water changes