water changes

[robrich342]

I have a 100 gal reef system. How often should I change my water and what %? I have been changing 20% every 4 weeks for the last year and every thing seems but people keep telling me different things about water changes

 

[ManotheSea]

I think its personal preference. Some go longer than others. Some do more often. The good thing is youare replacing trace elements with new salt mix. That can also be done with additives like Kent or Seachem.

I think that getting your water parameter correct with other methods is much more important than water changes.

 

[bertoni]

There's a lot of unknowns in deciding when and how much water to change. Your schedule sounds fine to me for your system. A small skimmerless system might require more changes, though, for example.

 

[virginiadiver69]

Personally I am a fan of weekly 10% changes.

 

[Mavrk]

If you haven't been having any problems, I see no reason to change what you have been doing.

I, too, am a fan of weekly 10%.

You can always do bigger or more often if you notice something.

 

[Gdevine]

Rule of thumb from all my research says a minimum of 20% each month. You'd need to account for sump/fuge volume as well as rock displacement to some extent if you want to be exact.

I do 10g change outs each week on a 65g with a 30g sump with NSW and my tank thrives.

 

[PatMayo]

I change 9% of my water every week. I have aproximatley 100 gallons total.

Regards,

Pat

 

[Bluey101]

I also do a 10% change every week and have a 65g with a 20g sump....Haven't had any issues...YET

 

[Gdevine]

Honestly, for what it's worth; weekly water change outs are the great equalizer for a tank...as are all water change outs for that matter!

Most problems in a tank are water related, so doing weekly is the best of all!

If you're into the hobby you'll figure out what works best for you!

 

[uscharalph]

I used to change 20 - 30 Gallons every 3 to 4 weeks, but have started chnging 10 gallons every week.

 

[Davidb6]

I also do a 10% change weekly just to establish a simple habit and to keep refresing nutriants in the tank.

 

[Gdevine]

One last point on this matter; siphon from the substrate and not the water column. The idea is to rid the tank of toxins and detritus and similar bacteria...these all reside on or near the substrate.

So, siphon from the bottom of the tank and on top of the substrate and things should will go well for a very long time!


Water change outs rule!

 

[doadster]

I thought it wasn't a good idea to vacuum the sand. ....

 

[h2omagnet]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10641456#post10641456 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gdevine
One last point on this matter; siphon from the substrate and not the water column. The idea is to rid the tank of toxins and detritus and similar bacteria...these all reside on or near the substrate.

So, siphon from the bottom of the tank and on top of the substrate and things should will go well for a very long time!


Water change outs rule!

I believe "G" means that as close to the bottom of the tank as you can get. I too have heard that you should not actually disturb the sand bed.

 

[Gdevine]

There's a lot of conjecture regarding "vacuuming" the sand bed and the tide seems to be in much more in favor of vacuuming the bed then not for a ton of good reasons.

My point was that "bad" water tends to lay at the bottom of the tank so siphoning from the bottom is the preferred method for water change outs.

I do vacuum my substrate where I can. I researched this for some time and all the professionals I know vacuum sand beds. The rule of thumb is to do 50% on each water change out not 100%.

My sand is clean and water params all in line.

 

[bertoni]

I wouldn't vacuum the sandbed if it's supposed to be live, since the vacuuming is likely to remove animals. That's why I don't vacuum my sandbeds. On average, though, I don't think it hurts much, since most sand isn't very live.