what is happening with my tank every two weeks?

[BryanM]

as long as the parameters are in check, is that my biggest concern?
from the parameters in the OP, Magnesium is the only one that seems to have dropped in the two week time frame. if the parameters change, other than Nitrates and Phosphates, what other parameters could cause me problems if they were to decrease?

So I started roughly 6 months ago, started with live rock and sand, started with a redsea tank that I swapped out to a waterbox (long story cut short here).

Except for the first month, I've not done water changes except to adjust salinity... Ie, in my new 230.6, I've done 1/2 dozen 5 gallon changes with extremely high salinity water, to bring my salinity up from 1.021 to 1.026 (it got way too low during the tank migration for some reason).

You seem to have a good system in place for water changes. I don't. And I really find them to be chore-like, so when I started this journey I knew I would dose something. So I dose All for Reef both to maintain ALK and to add back in trace elements, and I pretty much don't do water changes.

Adding a little more to this, post-tank migration my nutrients bottomed out. Don't know why. I then had my first real nuisance algae issue, dinos. I had to dose N&P as well as some bacteria, and I'm on the mend with the dinos. My HG Torch instantly liked the increased nutrients, the other hammers are coming aorund to being back to normal, and the nuisance algae is almost gone.

And I just added a big cleanup crew from ReefCleaners.

Just another way to skin this cat so to speak.

I go back to dirty water..... I'd test N&P before and after your water changes... Before is easy, after I'd wait a day. If you get markedly lower N&P post water change I think you'll have your answer.

I also believe in the thought that if you can grow anything, youre going to grow algae. I've read that there's some ULTRA low nutrient systems that don't, but I suspect those are SPS tanks.

 

[WeirdBeard]

as long as the parameters are in check, is that my biggest concern?
from the parameters in the OP, Magnesium is the only one that seems to have dropped in the two week time frame. if the parameters change, other than Nitrates and Phosphates, what other parameters could cause me problems if they were to decrease?

Do you dose anything at all, or just do water changes? You can supplement Magnesium by itself quite easily and cheaply if that's the only thing that is dropping between water changes. Are you also testing for Alk and Calc between water changes?

 

[reef tank 2.0]

Currently, I am not dosing anything. I have my dosing pumps all set up and ready to go, for the day I need to start. But my corals have not consumed enough, that would cause me to start. So I'm holding off.

I used to dose in my last tank. but between me being a newbie, and not seeing results, the dosing process was a mess. I don't remember all the details but no matter how much I dosed, parameters never changed. So I have been trying to avoid it due to my negative experience the first go around. I am aware there is no avoiding it as the tank grows. I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

 

[JTP424]

as long as the parameters are in check, is that my biggest concern?
from the parameters in the OP, Magnesium is the only one that seems to have dropped in the two week time frame. if the parameters change, other than Nitrates and Phosphates, what other parameters could cause me problems if they were to decrease?

Depends on your livestock. Any of your corals require calcium, alk etc?

 

[hoffmeyerz]

I'd have to agree with what's been said here already so far. One of the main results of a WC is nutrient export and if those were your results right before the WC I wouldn't have done the change.
Now that comes with the caveat of whether or not you're putting any supplements in to keep up with consumption rates of alk, cal, mg, trace, etc. The new water from the change will replace some but will ultimately not keep up with demand.
I had a similar situation doing a routine WC schedule until I added corals which dropped N & P levels to the point I stopped the changes. I dose AFR to maintain alk, cal, mg, and trace so I'm not concerned about abandoning the changes.
Bottom line, I think the tank will let you know when you need to do a water change. In the meantime let those coral enjoy the higher nutrients!!

 

[reef tank 2.0]

no, no special requirements. I avoid corals that have special needs. At least for now

 

[sfin52]

@WeirdBeard - I currently swap out 40 gallons of water every two weeks (150g total volume)

why do I change the amount of water I do and why so frequent? heck if I know. When I had my last tank, I followed the same schedule and water amount. Something I've always done. I never changed the water based off my parameters. Sounds like im throwing money away now that I think about it. In my mind, clean water, means happy fish/coral. I stopped testing my water all the time because my parameters never changed. well, I guess that's because I never gave it a chance to.

Try dropping it to 20 every week.

 

[sfin52]

Thought it's the same volume every two weeks but smaller amounts weekly. Should help keep things more stable.

 

[hoffmeyerz]

Thought it's the same volume every two weeks but smaller amounts weekly. Should help keep things more stable.

That's a good solution as well. It's a delicate line to walk, enough nutrients in the water column to feed the coral but not enough for too much excess to feed nuisance algae.

 

[SaltyCrew4u]

Fluffy corals are usually happy corals. Like mentioned above, do a monthly change. If even needed. What are you testing with because you said .1-.25 light blue Salifert? Or API. My tank is usually happy with the numbers below. I use Hanna for everything except Mag/Calcium which is Salifert.

Phos: .05 - .20
Alk: 8.5
Ammonia: .09 (I get this level every time)
Mag: 1350+
Calcium: 450
Nitrate: 10-25
PH: 8.6
Salinity: 1.025

 

[reef tank 2.0]

Salifert for all, except hanna for trates.

 

[reef tank 2.0]

I'll hold off until the 1st (once a month). Testing the water every few days to see what all changes. Ill be back at the end of the month unless things drastically change. Ill update this thread

 

[bakbay]

Quite simply - there are too many variables to consider: types of corals, lighting, flow, varying N&P levels, accuracy of test kits, tank chemistry, etc. It's hard to solve for something that's not there; that is -- you're asking as to why your corals are "unhappy" after the WC. It's extremely difficult to make recommendations to make your "unhappy" corals all "happy"...

As for me, just enjoy the tank and stop chasing numbers or "happiness".

Happy reefing!

 

[reeflife3]

If im not mistaken RC mixes around 11- 12dkh, 150 gallons minus rock and sand you might be swapping 30% to 40% of your total water volume at once causing a spike in your alkalinity. Maybe try a salt the matches your parameters of 8.5dkh

 

[Barnabie Mejia]

In all honesty, I had a similar situation like you did when my 75 was a young tank and I read like crazy on here, but at the end of the day I still change the same amount of water monthly, but I do small daily water changes (Hydros does this for me with some dosing pumps). So I still change 40 gallons monthly, but I do just under 1.5 gallons a day.

after going this route the water is way more stable and parameters are in check. I don't add a bunch of coral, but I do frag them about every other month. Livestock has not changed either so that helps with the stability. I was dosing All for Reef also, but I have since stopped roughly 2 years ago because of the auto water changes.

I thought this was a fluke for the tank, but I did the same for my 20gallon Long tank and had the same results as well as on my 50g low boy. Its to the point now that I test water once a quarter maybe, and i have to set reminders to do it cause the tank and the coral in all of them are happy.
stability in all aspects of the tank is key in my opinion, if you keep adding stuff or taking out because you killed a coral or etc will cause swings and sometimes people don't think of it that way either.


Might be something to think about.

 

[UMALUM]

as long as the parameters are in check, is that my biggest concern?
from the parameters in the OP, Magnesium is the only one that seems to have dropped in the two week time frame. if the parameters change, other than Nitrates and Phosphates, what other parameters could cause me problems if they were to decrease?

I'm thinking more along the lines of a ph swing. I don't see 25% changing anything that quick visually unless somethings getting through your di or your swinging the temp.

 

[sfin52]

That's a good solution as well. It's a delicate line to walk, enough nutrients in the water column to feed the coral but not enough for too much excess to feed nuisance algea

There's mire than one way to skin a cat