No water changes?

[musaabi]

Is there any reason to do water changes other than nutrient control? My tank has been doing really well with no water changes and staying consistent. phosphate at .05 ppm and nitrate at 20 ppm. I’m dosing all for reef that covers major and trace elements. It feels weird not doing a water change tbh lol

 

[dedragon]

nope no reason to do it if it isnt affecting anything. Overtime though trace elements that you arent testing for can deplete in different ratios (all for reef is great though i use it as well) so it is good to at least do once a month if you arent checking icp tests

 

[dedragon]

.05 phosphate and 20 nitrate are a tad high though, some are fine running this others not so much, matters the specific tank and inhabitants

 

[musaabi]

.05 phosphate and 20 nitrate are a tad high though, some are fine running this others not so much, matters the specific tank and inhabitants

LPS dominate so don’t want it much lower or higher

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

Stir the sand and run a Sock or filter floss. Enjoy. Also occasionally test with an ati water test. This will give you an idea of what’s happening over time.

 

[rtparty]

Water changes aren't great for nutrient control anyway. The best a water change can do is remove organics that build up that we can't test for. On a small tank, a 5g bucket is so easy to change. Find what your tank does well with

 

[ninjamyst]

.05 phosphate and 20 nitrate are a tad high though, some are fine running this others not so much, matters the specific tank and inhabitants

That's not high at all and very well desired. ULNS is a thing of the past. Now people are dosing to get their phosphate and nitrate up. For large tanks, water change is so inefficient and expensive compared to skimmer, refugium, algae scrubber, etc. Water change will also be a thing of the past as we keep innovating new ways to export nutrients.

 

[dedragon]

LPS dominate so don’t want it much lower or higher

you will probably be fine a little longer without water changes but icp tests will help as skynyrd said will definitely help determine the exact tank chemistry after awhile which may be helpful. Some people go forever without water changes but i find it is best to check after awhile just to be safe

 

[dedragon]

That's not high at all and very well desired. ULNS is a thing of the past. Now people are dosing to get their phosphate and nitrate up. For large tanks, water change is so inefficient and expensive compared to skimmer, refugium, algae scrubber, etc. Water change will also be a thing of the past as we keep innovating new ways to export nutrients.

definitely, i think ulns is a very fine tight rope that very few can do well with. I like running around 10-5ppm for lps and .02-.04 phosphate just to mitigate algae. I have a sps focused tank so im running 2-5ppm nitrate and .018 phosphate with hanna checkers (honestly havent checked in a while my coral colors lmk what to dose)

 

[musaabi]

you will probably be fine a little longer without water changes but icp tests will help as skynyrd said will definitely help determine the exact tank chemistry after awhile which may be helpful. Some people go forever without water changes but i find it is best to check after awhile just to be safe

I have an ICP test that I need to send in. Got it for that reason so we’ll see

 

[dedragon]

i would wait a bit before you send it to let your tank water mature even more to see what it is like. When was your last water change?

 

[musaabi]

i would wait a bit before you send it to let your tank water mature even more to see what it is like. When was your last water change?

Probably around 3-4 weeks ago

 

[dedragon]

I would wait another month to ICP test if you plan to not do any water changes and all corals and fish look great. This will give you a good feel as to what your tank levels are over a longer period of time with the AFR dosing

 

[steve bergmann]

Is there any reason to do water changes other than nutrient control? My tank has been doing really well with no water changes and staying consistent. phosphate at .05 ppm and nitrate at 20 ppm. I’m dosing all for reef that covers major and trace elements. It feels weird not doing a water change tbh lol

In the early stages of a tank I think water changes are important. After it matures I don't believe it is as important as long as you keep your water chemistry going without the water changes. Here is a video of my 12 year old tank. I haven't done water changes really for 9 years now.

 

[dedragon]

It will not hurt to send the icp test in now though just might not give you the best feedback

 

[dedragon]

In the early stages of a tank I think water changes are important. After it matures I don't believe it is as important as long as you keep your water chemistry going without the water changes. Here is a video of my 12 year old tank. I haven't done water changes really for 9 years now.

100% agree just always best to be err on the safe side with icp testing so readily available now

 

[musaabi]

In the early stages of a tank I think water changes are important. After it matures I don't believe it is as important as long as you keep your water chemistry going without the water changes. Here is a video of my 12 year old tank. I haven't done water changes really for 9 years now.

Now that looks like a mature tank!!

 

[90's reefer]

My sps 120 went 18 months with no water changes.
I dosed trace and run a carx.
I started doing a 12 gallon WC once a month and the tank just looks better after one.
Did my first ICP test and it came back with all elements in range.

The WC removes things we cant test for. For me the proof is the way the tank looks after one.

 

[dedragon]

In the early stages of a tank I think water changes are important. After it matures I don't believe it is as important as long as you keep your water chemistry going without the water changes. Here is a video of my 12 year old tank. I haven't done water changes really for 9 years now.

My sps 120 went 18 months with no water changes.
I dosed trace and run a carx.
I started doing a 12 gallon WC once a month and the tank just looks better after one.
Did my first ICP test and it came back with all elements in range.

The WC removes things we cant test for. For me the proof is the way the tank looks after one.
View attachment 2511140

Sorcerers I say!!! Lol love the tanks, my water changes are mostly for algae removal and to mix up sand (yall dont have to deal with that, good call on both you)

 

[Idech]

In the early stages of a tank I think water changes are important. After it matures I don't believe it is as important as long as you keep your water chemistry going without the water changes.

Your tank is beautiful !

When would you say a tank is mature enough to be without water changes ?