A Water Change A Day...
- Thread starter mcarroll
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scubasteve2580
Community Member
So how does everything look? I'm struggling with nutrients right now and I have a 50 gallon system (45 probably with displacment) that the "one a days" start on tonight. 2 gallons a day. Hopin that some of the corals will make a turn-around. They are browning out and not looking so sporty. We will see... At what point did you tart noticing improvement?
OP
OP
mcarroll
10K Club member
If you're struggling with a nutrient issue and wanna use this as a cleanup tool, why not go for 5 gallons a day? Maybe even 10 if you can easily do that much. Two gallons isn't even quite 5%...closer to 4%, which counts as more like 3% if you think in terms of weekly water changes. Not a lot in terms of nutrient export. You may be able to slow down to 2 gallons sooner or later though.
I'd expect to see an improvement once your nutrients get closer to ideal. The consistent vitamin doses (et al) from the water changes will definitely help!
-Matt
scubasteve2580
Community Member
Well I did an 18 gallon water change Sunday Nd made up some more and started tonight. I'm probably closer 2.5 gallons. My stuff is pretty stressed right now from mixing the salt to rich by mistake. But all the corals seem ok for the most part. My water change was more like an overhaul water change. Drained my 20 long that's plumbed into the main, all the way. There was alot of detritus, causing losses. Anyway so I cleaned it completely out, cleaned off each frag plug and filled it back up. Also vac'd detritus out of the main. I'm confident a made a huge difference.
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mcarroll
10K Club member
Water change #103!
Thankfully my dosing rhythm is back, and dosing is even quicker than these water changes! Keeping the levels nice with daily dosing through my drippers, but I haven't had luck getting down to the tanks for more than that...and it's only looking like I'll be getting busier. Going to have to get drastically creative here soon to make sure this remains sustainable. Fewer corals are in my future.
Good work! I'm due myself for another good vacuuming of my bare-bottom tank.
Hopefully you see your dissolved nutrient levels drop now!
-Matt
Thankfully my dosing rhythm is back, and dosing is even quicker than these water changes! Keeping the levels nice with daily dosing through my drippers, but I haven't had luck getting down to the tanks for more than that...and it's only looking like I'll be getting busier. Going to have to get drastically creative here soon to make sure this remains sustainable. Fewer corals are in my future.
Good work! I'm due myself for another good vacuuming of my bare-bottom tank.
Hopefully you see your dissolved nutrient levels drop now!
-Matt
OP
OP
mcarroll
10K Club member
Water change #103!
Thankfully my dosing rhythm is back, and dosing is even quicker than these water changes I haven't been doing! Keeping the levels nice with daily dosing through my drippers, but I haven't had luck getting down to the tanks for more than that...and it's only looking like I'll be getting busier. Going to have to get drastically creative here soon to make sure this remains sustainable. Fewer corals are definitely in my future.
Good work! Hopefully you see your dissolved nutrient levels drop now!
If the skimmer is trying to flood out, you can just leave it off for an hour or so while the tank mixes...won't hurt. Even after being off half a day a skimmer will usually catch up is a very short amount of time.
-Matt
Thankfully my dosing rhythm is back, and dosing is even quicker than these water changes I haven't been doing! Keeping the levels nice with daily dosing through my drippers, but I haven't had luck getting down to the tanks for more than that...and it's only looking like I'll be getting busier. Going to have to get drastically creative here soon to make sure this remains sustainable. Fewer corals are definitely in my future.
Good work! Hopefully you see your dissolved nutrient levels drop now!
If the skimmer is trying to flood out, you can just leave it off for an hour or so while the tank mixes...won't hurt. Even after being off half a day a skimmer will usually catch up is a very short amount of time.
-Matt
There are awesome setups that get very frequent water changes and there are awesome setups that get almost no water changes. While this is cool I feel it is more trouble than it is worth and is wasteful considering all the salt you burn through. I envy those who have the ambition to keep up such a schedule it is one I personally will never seek. I have been in the hobby off and on since the early 90s and so many trends have come and gone. I can't wait to see what comes next. My breath is still with trace element replacement and finding the key amount instead of wasting tons of salt and even more water.
OP
OP
mcarroll
10K Club member
Wasteful would be expending resources or time for no payback. Or being lazy and letting the tank degrade on its own.
I take ten minutes a day (most days) and 10-20% more saltwater on an equivalent basis for better results. This does not qualify for "wasteful".
I think if you can't afford water changes (in terms of time, money, whatever) then you might be in the wrong hobby. Certainly the wrong branch if you're keeping stony coral. The benefits to water changes are numerous and significant and the cost isn't that much. Finally, I don't think water changes could be considered a "trend". LOL. There's no magic here....just changing water at a pace that meets my schedule. Happens to make the tank look great too.
Re: "Trace element replacement"....now there's a 90's trend. Kidding! I think you may be looking for the Balling method for dosing, BTW. No magic there either....same basic idea as two-part, only (in a nutshell) using a salt mix lacking Na and Cl to "dose trace elements". I think Brightwell Kalibrate salt is intended for this...I'm guessing Tropic Marin makes a product as well.
Interesting, but sounds more expensive, not less....and other than my tank being too crowded with SPS, I'm not complaining about the results I'm getting already.
-Matt
Wasteful would be expending resources or time for no payback. Or being lazy and letting the tank degrade on its own.
I take ten minutes a day (most days) and 10-20% more saltwater on an equivalent basis for better results. This does not qualify for "wasteful".
I think if you can't afford water changes (in terms of time, money, whatever) then you might be in the wrong hobby. Certainly the wrong branch if you're keeping stony coral. The benefits to water changes are numerous and significant and the cost isn't that much. Finally, I don't think water changes could be considered a "trend". LOL. There's no magic here....just changing water at a pace that meets my schedule. Happens to make the tank look great too.
Re: "Trace element replacement"....now there's a 90's trend. Kidding! I think you may be looking for the Balling method for dosing, BTW. No magic there either....same basic idea as two-part, only (in a nutshell) using a salt mix lacking Na and Cl to "dose trace elements". I think Brightwell Kalibrate salt is intended for this...I'm guessing Tropic Marin makes a product as well.
Interesting, but sounds more expensive, not less....and other than my tank being too crowded with SPS, I'm not complaining about the results I'm getting already.
-Matt
i mean this. Isnt that what Magnesium does?
OP
OP
mcarroll
10K Club member
I forget if RHF specifically goes through this in any of his papers on Ca or alkalinity, but more than likely he does.
My thought is of diminishing returns and testability.
The testing and dosing for additional elements gets increasingly difficult and/or expensive.
At the same time, the actual usage and even importance (or not) of many of these other elements (or at least dosing of them) is debatable.
EXAMPLES
First, we have to account for all the really nice results people get even just using kalkwasser or simple two-part formulas....with and without a strict water change schedule to replace trace elements. No matter which other element (or elements) you want to single out for control, I think it will be important to remember this.
Strontium is the next element most used by stony corals that someone might want to manage. BUT! only a tiny amount is present in the water to begin with. Usage is non-essential/coincidental, and seems IME to be easily accounted for in even the most conservative water change schedule.
-Matt
My thought is of diminishing returns and testability.
The testing and dosing for additional elements gets increasingly difficult and/or expensive.
At the same time, the actual usage and even importance (or not) of many of these other elements (or at least dosing of them) is debatable.
EXAMPLES
First, we have to account for all the really nice results people get even just using kalkwasser or simple two-part formulas....with and without a strict water change schedule to replace trace elements. No matter which other element (or elements) you want to single out for control, I think it will be important to remember this.
Strontium is the next element most used by stony corals that someone might want to manage. BUT! only a tiny amount is present in the water to begin with. Usage is non-essential/coincidental, and seems IME to be easily accounted for in even the most conservative water change schedule.
-Matt
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