Big(ger) tank owners (>100g), chum in about water changes
- Thread starter Len
- Start date
My total water volume is over 300g, does that count?
I don't do water changes. Only ro/di top-off.
Ideally, I would like to set up an automated water change system. I do believe that there is merit in water changes.
I think that a large water volume allows me to get along without.
Mitch
I don't do water changes. Only ro/di top-off.
Ideally, I would like to set up an automated water change system. I do believe that there is merit in water changes.
I think that a large water volume allows me to get along without.
Mitch
My tank goes for years (literally) without water changes, although I would personally love to do more of them (every month preferably). I really think my corals would benefit signficantly if I could. Problem is, it's logically difficult to figure out to perform water changes without 1. setting up a big ugly container in the living room and 2. without lots of hassle.
Conversely, my nano gets weekly 50% water changes
Len
Conversely, my nano gets weekly 50% water changes
Len
Leonard":1eyqm7kv said:...Conversely, my nano gets weekly 50% water changes
Len
That's the problem with nano's though, isn't it? You are tied to the nano basically just like another piece of equipment to export excess nutrients. Just like a skimmer is tied to it.
Mitch
I currently don't do water changes on my 5 year old 180 gallon tank with 55 gallon sump unless I need to clean up a tank spawn which happens from time to time.
When I do make a water change it is typically in the area of 70 gallons. I use a pump to remove as much as I can from the sump and whatever else is needed from the display tank. This usually means some corals will be out of water during a water change (bigger reason why I don't do it anymore).
I then use the pump to add fresh saltwater that is of the same temp and very close pH.
When I do make a water change it is typically in the area of 70 gallons. I use a pump to remove as much as I can from the sump and whatever else is needed from the display tank. This usually means some corals will be out of water during a water change (bigger reason why I don't do it anymore).
I then use the pump to add fresh saltwater that is of the same temp and very close pH.
Leonard":3028jqr2 said:My tank goes for years (literally) without water changes, although I would personally love to do more of them (every month preferably). I really think my corals would benefit signficantly if I could. Problem is, it's logically difficult to figure out to perform water changes without 1. setting up a big ugly container in the living room and 2. without lots of hassle.
Conversely, my nano gets weekly 50% water changes
Len
I'm glad I don't have to feel so bad here then. My tank has been up since January and I keep putting off a change. My nitrates are still only about .25 though on salifert low-range. And that's after a big culerpa crash.
What space-limited methods do you guys find helpful with nitrate export? I am running out of room under my tank but would like to set up either some more room for culerpa, xenia containers or something... I'm confused as to what might be the most beneficial thing to do.
Len.....
I have a 300g w/80g sump system that is filtered with 4 algae scrubbers. The reason i mention my filtration is that it might make a difference of how frequently you do your changes depending on what method you use. MMFI who has the patent on the algae scrubber technology basically advocates 'minimal' water changes. apparently they have set-ups that have been around for years and never had a water change. so my 'minimal' water changes basically are the result of adding aged salt water after i replace water in my quarantine tank or add new corals after acclimation. when doing a larger change (maybe every other month if that), i make up 30 gal or so of RO/DI water in a Rubbermaid 32g trash can, add my mix (Tropic Marin), throw in a powerhead, and let it go for a few days. after making sure the salinity is acceptable should there be any evap, i put a Mag 18 pump into the sump with a long piece of flexible tubing, and run the tubing into another 32g Rubbermaid trashcan. in the original 32g trashcan where the new water is, i do the same thing (Mag 18 with tubing), but run the tubing into the sump (obviously). cut power to the main pump so the water drains into your sump (so that you won't burn out your pumps in the sump should the water level drop too far), and then fire up the sump Mag. once you match the water level line in the 32g 'old tank water' trashcan with the replacement water trashcan, turn off that Mag and turn on the other one to pump the new water into your sump. the whole 'transfer' process takes about 5 minutes. if there's an easier way to do it, i'd love to hear about it.
I have a 300g w/80g sump system that is filtered with 4 algae scrubbers. The reason i mention my filtration is that it might make a difference of how frequently you do your changes depending on what method you use. MMFI who has the patent on the algae scrubber technology basically advocates 'minimal' water changes. apparently they have set-ups that have been around for years and never had a water change. so my 'minimal' water changes basically are the result of adding aged salt water after i replace water in my quarantine tank or add new corals after acclimation. when doing a larger change (maybe every other month if that), i make up 30 gal or so of RO/DI water in a Rubbermaid 32g trash can, add my mix (Tropic Marin), throw in a powerhead, and let it go for a few days. after making sure the salinity is acceptable should there be any evap, i put a Mag 18 pump into the sump with a long piece of flexible tubing, and run the tubing into another 32g Rubbermaid trashcan. in the original 32g trashcan where the new water is, i do the same thing (Mag 18 with tubing), but run the tubing into the sump (obviously). cut power to the main pump so the water drains into your sump (so that you won't burn out your pumps in the sump should the water level drop too far), and then fire up the sump Mag. once you match the water level line in the 32g 'old tank water' trashcan with the replacement water trashcan, turn off that Mag and turn on the other one to pump the new water into your sump. the whole 'transfer' process takes about 5 minutes. if there's an easier way to do it, i'd love to hear about it.
I have 150G + 2x40G sumps. I change whenever I have time to go to LFS, and I have the buckets in my trunk on the day. That roughly is about once a month. I typically brings 10 5Gal water buckets, 5 for RODI and 5 (25G) for Saltwater mixed with RODI.
I use python to siphon water out from the least turbulent corner of my tank (It's always the corner behind my LRs). I dump NSW into the sump at the same time water is being siphoned out from the main tank. The whole process takes less then 10 minutes including clean-up.
Regular water changes is crucial for my tank as I am going skimmerless (Let's not get into it in this thread, shall we?) Even though NO3 and PO4 readings are always zero before WC, I still do it at least once a month.
I use python to siphon water out from the least turbulent corner of my tank (It's always the corner behind my LRs). I dump NSW into the sump at the same time water is being siphoned out from the main tank. The whole process takes less then 10 minutes including clean-up.
Regular water changes is crucial for my tank as I am going skimmerless (Let's not get into it in this thread, shall we?) Even though NO3 and PO4 readings are always zero before WC, I still do it at least once a month.
I have about a 200 gal system. I do a 35 gal water change about every 2-3 months. I have a 35 gal drum in the garage. I'll usually fill it with RO\DI water, add the saltmix and run a large powerhead for a week or two. Then I just pump at 35 gal of water from my main tank into the sink and refill it with the water from the drum. Takes about 20 minutes. The key is to use pumps.
Mark
Mark
Leonard,
I have a 360 gallon tank that is now FOWRL but slowly converting to reef. I do a 10% water change monthly, smaller ones in between if I see something I don't like. I have 3" of sand and 300 lbs of rocks, so I figured I have a little more than 300 gallons of actual water.
It is somewhat of a pain, but I am lucky because I have the room to prepare everything. My tank in in my basement; in the unfinished part I had the bathroom pipes exposed so I cut into them and installed a double sink and connected my RO/DI unit.
When I need to change water I use a 32 gallon rubbermaid container and let my RO/DI unit run overnight. I then add salt, plug in my pump and let it areate for 4-6 hours. I then syphon of salt bucket worth of water, wheel the container to my tank, pour the bucket back in and use my pump to drain it into my sump.
The entire process, from removing water from my tank to adding the new one takes 30-45 minutes.
Eddi
I have a 360 gallon tank that is now FOWRL but slowly converting to reef. I do a 10% water change monthly, smaller ones in between if I see something I don't like. I have 3" of sand and 300 lbs of rocks, so I figured I have a little more than 300 gallons of actual water.
It is somewhat of a pain, but I am lucky because I have the room to prepare everything. My tank in in my basement; in the unfinished part I had the bathroom pipes exposed so I cut into them and installed a double sink and connected my RO/DI unit.
When I need to change water I use a 32 gallon rubbermaid container and let my RO/DI unit run overnight. I then add salt, plug in my pump and let it areate for 4-6 hours. I then syphon of salt bucket worth of water, wheel the container to my tank, pour the bucket back in and use my pump to drain it into my sump.
The entire process, from removing water from my tank to adding the new one takes 30-45 minutes.
Eddi
I did not see this post before I started a very similar one asking a question which was answered at reefkeepers. In my 120+55, the 55 is in the basement-set aside is a 15 gallon with fresh sw and 3 5 gal buckets-use a 88gph pump to export the 15 gallons-this brings the water level just above the return pump in the sump, then use the same pump on the 45 gph setting to put in new sw. This is quick and easy and water circulation is never interrupted. I do this every Sunday-figure its good to be religious about something since i do not go to church.
I have a 500g tank with about 100 gallons of sump. When I built my house, I planned for the tank and have a seperate room (6X12) dedicated to the tank. I have 2 80 gallon plastic drums, one for use with kalkwasser topoff (5g/day) and 1 which I use whenever I feel like doing a water change (once every 1-2 months) One of my return lines (I use four seperate 1500 gpd pumps which are all on seperate plumbing - 1" PVC which runs through and under my reef and connected to several nozzles - pumps are cylced on and off by controller and at any time, only two are on) Sorry about the run on sentence - anyway, one of the lines has a valve, connected to a hose which runs into my floor drain (4" PVC to the main sewer) I am able to pump about 75 gallons out of the system. I stop pumping whe the return pumps start sucking air. At this point, I pump water from the 80 gallon drum back into the sump slowly with a small powerhead in the bottem of the drum (mixes slowly with main tank water) The whole process is not too bad, except for the fact that my 80 gpd RO/DI system only puts out 25 GPD on a good day. I also have to buy lots of salt - the UPS delivery girl hates my guts every 6 months or so when I order 12 buckets of Kent salt - no local decent LFS. I do have a relatively clean tank, running an ETSS 2000 skimmer with an Iwaki 100 RLT pump as well as a calerpa refugium, and I dose KENT additives once or twice a week for all that's worth. I still think that the corals look better after I do the water change than they did before, even though it is just over 10% every 2 months or so.
Sorry for going on and on.
Sorry for going on and on.
Most of my tanks get water changes thru sales... the only large one that doesn't is the 200 SPS/350 FOWLR with 90 gallon sump system. Every month or so I drain 30-40 gallons out of one of the fish systems to get detritus and such out, and I replace that with water from the sps/fowlr system, and pump fresh saltwater into the sps/fowlr. Tank is heavily fed (12-14 cubes frozen a day, dulse daily, spirulina pellets about 5 times a day cuz I love to show off the crazy fish feeding frenzy, and a chunk of mysis, and a dozen or so silversides 2 or 3 times a week for the anemones). Skimmer is a bullet XL on an iwaki 70. I've never been a proponent of NO water changes, and all of the smaller systems get larger % changes when you do the math. The fowlr/sps also gets no additives, and is run with a dual stage ca reactor. I do sell a frag here and there, and that probably adds up to less than 5 gallons a month.. so figure 600 gallons of water volume, and average 40 gallons changed per month.
I finally did one on my 260Gal system and it was a hassle. I have a 135 reef, a 65 FOWLR, a 30gal sump and 30 gal Ref. I have two pumps for my main tank. I just pumped everything out of my sump(30 Gal) with my second pump to the tub. When that was empty I filled the sump with water from the main tank and repeated the pump to the tub. Then filled with free fresh sea water from http://www.sio.ucsd.edu/. It was a pain in the arse. I have had one of my BTA split before and my rose split after. so go figure
One system I have is about 1000 gallons total and I do approx 300 gallon water changes maybe once a month or so. At one point I did them every other day to help rid myself of a bad algae problem caused by bad carts and poor choice of media in my reactor. That cleared it up in a hurry.
I use a 300 gallon stock tank which I just pump water into, heat and mix, then pump it back out. Not a hassle in the least.
I use a 300 gallon stock tank which I just pump water into, heat and mix, then pump it back out. Not a hassle in the least.
I have a 180 gal tank with about 240 gal of total water volume. I change out 20 gal. every two weeks almost without fail. I change weekly in any times of problems. I have my sump setup in the basement so it's not too much of a hassle. I fill up a 25 gal container with about 20 gals of RO/DI, mix it up, wait till the next day. and then drain my sump of about 20 gal. and dump the new water in the sump. The whole change take about twenty minutes. Not that big of a deal, I don't know why people say it is too time consuming. Even when I had the sump setup up stairs under the tank, the whole thing was only about 30 minutes. You just learn to live with a big garbage can in the living room on saturday night.
My tank is a bit smaller than most of you guys , 120g and 30g sump/refugium. I change out 25g every week like clockwork, sometimes I miss a week but rarely. I run a pump and tubing to suck water out. Just siphon, get it going, plug in pump, and drain. I then reverse the whole thing running the tubing from a trash can in the garage with pre-mixed saltwater. This takes two people though, that is the only bad part of the water change. Otherwise it is a breeze. I personally do not worry about my exposed sps corals for 5-10 minutes once a week, they slime a bit but many corals are exposed on the reefs regularly so I think the little bit mine are is no biggie. They don't show any signs of stress from it except a little sline action but it is minimal and clears up as soon as the closed loop is fired back up.
, 120g and 30g sump/refugium. I change out 25g every week like clockwork, sometimes I miss a week but rarely. I run a pump and tubing to suck water out. Just siphon, get it going, plug in pump, and drain. I then reverse the whole thing running the tubing from a trash can in the garage with pre-mixed saltwater. This takes two people though, that is the only bad part of the water change. Otherwise it is a breeze. I personally do not worry about my exposed sps corals for 5-10 minutes once a week, they slime a bit but many corals are exposed on the reefs regularly so I think the little bit mine are is no biggie. They don't show any signs of stress from it except a little sline action but it is minimal and clears up as soon as the closed loop is fired back up.Sponsor Reefs
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