The Importance of Water Changes for your SPS Colors?

[Mattl22]

Rich thAt is a really great point finding that mix of import export is tough while carbon dosing! I'm having trouble figuring it out now I'm thinking every night 2 squirts oyster feast too much better to go 1 squirt every other gonna try that for few weeks
What's everyone's fav sps food

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Fish poop

 

[House of Laughter]

Soon after I realized that I need to feed the tank to darken up the colors and make everything look better.

:thrash:

I remember this day - RICH - FEED YOUR TANK!

Do you remember that?

I am off to do water change - this thread makes me feel guilty

House

 

[jackson6745]

:thrash:

I remember this day - RICH - FEED YOUR TANK!

Do you remember that?

I am off to do water change - this thread makes me feel guilty

House

LOL yeah. I had many people tell me to feed at that time. Problem is my skull is about 3" thick!!!

 

[MIKE NY]

Mike when you started carbon dosing did you have any problems growing your macros? Which carbon method are you using @ what dosages?

Rich I add vinagar in my ATO with kalk...by doing so not only is it a carbon source, but supersaturates the kalk in solution so I use less. I have no problems with growing chaeto, but the chaeto did slow down once the nutraints levels started lowering...

 

[jhart]

Great thread .. I would say sps loves potassium so doing water changes regular adds potassium at a regular when depleted . Lights and water flow I believe are contributioning to good color and health .
I believe the secret recipe is a good water change that's temp acclimated and air rated /stirred up ..

 

[FaviaFreak]

to me it's the single most important thing you can do for an acro system

 

[mshur]

Rich,
thats why my next system will have automated w/c with ESV salt Already have 2x100g water containers.. On the same time i know some reefers who change water once a month or even once a in two month and they have good SPS tank..go figure..
Randy's tank look awsome with large bio-load..

 

[deo glass]

this is a great thread! i totally agree with a good water change being very important with sps..

now for those of you who dont know, i have a 29 gallon with the world simplest setup. i use a HOB penguin nano, 120w led, 50w heater, and an mp40w. i do a 2 gallon water change every wednesday and change carbon 9filter pad)every sunday. I have grown out many sps as well as many other corals with great success. Now for those of you who would like to bash on my setup, feel free. i dont use a skimmer, i dont dose, i dont even use RO. my growth speaks for itself and i must say that i am 100 percent convinced its due to my routine water changes. usually once a month or so i will take out the filter and pump and scrub em down.
now although it works, it is the most pain in the a$$ thing in the world. if i had the money and the fancy equiptment i would guarentee 10x the results. but just goes to show u that u can grow out sps even with the worst setup, if u keep to your water changes. ps- a really good salt helps too ( i use tropic marin pro)

 

[cali_reef]

Corals needs poop but not dirty water. :thrash:

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Very true cali . I always thought i couldget away with a overpowered skimmer and dosing the elements but from what i have seen there is nothing like a good old fashion water change

 

[Adamc1303]

I always found water changes to help with almost anything. Most parameter issues we have can also always be fixed with water changes. I know smaller more frequent water changes are always better because they have less stress on the system. That being said when people use a Litermeter or Genesis Reef Systems and the system changes say 10 gallon per day every day but does it as 1 in and 1 out is it really effective? I mean your taking our water you just put in. Granted it has mixed into a larger system but still.. Anyone have experience with that style water change regimen?

 

[lnevo]

There is not much lost by doing continuous or more frequent changes according to this.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php#13

 

[64Ivy]

I'm dealing with a little bit of a PO4 issue right now so I just stepped up my water changes to 20% TWICE a week! You may note that this is a 500g reeftank so for those of you with stock in Reef Crystals, I congratulate you. I am otherwise running GFO and GAC, topping off with Kalk, lots of flow...all the usual ol' school Berlin stuff. Decent bioload right now; good fish population, TONS of SPS frags... I just cut down a bit on the feeding though, hoping this will hasten the lowering of the phosphates. I have noticed that many of the frags have begun to color up a bit more lately. I don't know whether this is attributable to the regimen, the phosphates themselves ('I've heard this from several sources'), or to the fact that just they're 'settling in' though.

 

[E.intheC]

Wow! That's quite a water change. 200 gallons per week...

 

[jackson6745]

Rich,
thats why my next system will have automated w/c with ESV salt Already have 2x100g water containers.. On the same time i know some reefers who change water once a month or even once a in two month and they have good SPS tank..go figure..
Randy's tank look awsome with large bio-load..

Mike I know you definitely do your water changes Every time I come over your place I see water mixing

Rich I add vinagar in my ATO with kalk...by doing so not only is it a carbon source, but supersaturates the kalk in solution so I use less. I have no problems with growing chaeto, but the chaeto did slow down once the nutraints levels started lowering...

Thanks Mike. I experienced the same in the past.

Great thread .. I would say sps loves potassium so doing water changes regular adds potassium at a regular when depleted . Lights and water flow I believe are contributioning to good color and health .
I believe the secret recipe is a good water change that's temp acclimated and air rated /stirred up ..

I haven't tested or dosed potassium in my system yet. Once I get the tank more settled in where I'm not changing things so much, I will maintain K at appropriate levels and see what difference it makes.

I'm dealing with a little bit of a PO4 issue right now so I just stepped up my water changes to 20% TWICE a week! You may note that this is a 500g reeftank so for those of you with stock in Reef Crystals, I congratulate you. I am otherwise running GFO and GAC, topping off with Kalk, lots of flow...all the usual ol' school Berlin stuff. Decent bioload right now; good fish population, TONS of SPS frags... I just cut down a bit on the feeding though, hoping this will hasten the lowering of the phosphates. I have noticed that many of the frags have begun to color up a bit more lately. I don't know whether this is attributable to the regimen, the phosphates themselves ('I've heard this from several sources'), or to the fact that just they're 'settling in' though.

That's insane!!! LOL. Have you tried other nutrient reducing methods? Vodka, bio pellets, zeo?

 

[64Ivy]

That's insane. LOL. Have you tried other nutrient reducing methods? Vodka, bio pellets, zeo?

Nah, I'm running a sulphur biodenitrator, that's about it. My current water change frequency is only temporary though. Normal is about half that.

 

[DCG1286]

I do about 15% weekly water changes. My goal is to change around 50% of the tank volume per month.

On my current tank I do about the same as you Rich. I do the changes every 2-3 days.

 

[E.intheC]

That's one great thing about a smaller tank.. 3-4 gallon water changes are simple... And with a 34 gallon tank, that's 10% right there.

 

[jerl77]

10% a week with esv salt