I was wondering since i have dinos. And i had 0 nutrients at some point 0 phosphate and 0 nitrate according to my hanna. I dtarted dosing neophos and nitrate one. My nitrate is 10.6 now and phosphate is 0.01. Im dosing every other day and feeding heavy. Do i stop water changes completely? Till i get the nutrients situation stable? My tank is 4 months old with corals. My last water changes was over 3 weeks old
Water changes or not?
- Thread starter endlessrealm
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I only change water when I feel it's necessary. The water change per week thing is over blown newbie information IMO. Change water as parameters dictate
im dealing with same issue in my tank. i have 10 gal with corals and fish, about 3 ish months old. im doing weekly water changes but going to probably switch to bi weekly. i think i already feed heavy since i only have 1 fish.
I agree....water changes are used as a tool to reduce nutrients.....right now you have very little lol. That being said, they also add back trace elements so you might want to consider dosing those if you continue to skip water changes going forward.
My tank is five months old: I waited 4-weeks before putting in 2 clowns and with a cadence of 3-4 weeks, I'm now up to 7 fish, 17 corals and a constantly-redecorating pistol shrimp.
Initially, I changed the same amount weekly and about 2x that monthly, but now my frequency is goal-based.
My corals are so small that they're not drawing calcium or magnesium at a higher rate than what the water change replenishes (same goes for my itty bitty spots of coraline), and my alkalinity is stable, so I'm really just focusing on Nitrates/Phosphates.
My water changes are also on a rate basis as opposed to volume. For example, if my nitrates increased to 20, but I wanted them at 15, I would want to do a 25% water change. I could try to swing this in a day, but given the number of buckets I have, I might spread this evenly over three days and target a 30% because on each subsequent day, you're swapping a higher ratio of water you just added.
In 2023, I'll probably get back to a fixed change on a fixed schedule, but it'll still be set by the NO3/PO4 levels I want to maintain. So the key for me, more than consistent water changes is consistent testing!
Hope this helps.
Initially, I changed the same amount weekly and about 2x that monthly, but now my frequency is goal-based.
My corals are so small that they're not drawing calcium or magnesium at a higher rate than what the water change replenishes (same goes for my itty bitty spots of coraline), and my alkalinity is stable, so I'm really just focusing on Nitrates/Phosphates.
My water changes are also on a rate basis as opposed to volume. For example, if my nitrates increased to 20, but I wanted them at 15, I would want to do a 25% water change. I could try to swing this in a day, but given the number of buckets I have, I might spread this evenly over three days and target a 30% because on each subsequent day, you're swapping a higher ratio of water you just added.
In 2023, I'll probably get back to a fixed change on a fixed schedule, but it'll still be set by the NO3/PO4 levels I want to maintain. So the key for me, more than consistent water changes is consistent testing!
Hope this helps.
You certainly don't want to bottom out for either Nitrate or Phosphate so dosing can help. I usually advocate for a heavy feeding schedule for both fish and coral to help maintain without dosing. Can take quite a while to figure out what works best for you.
Water changes are important for longer term health of the tank being an ionically balanced addition to the tank, not just nutrient transport. Those water changes are helping to maintain a better environment for the coral and keeping them healthier than they would be otherwise. I know, opposite from others suggestions but so goes the hobby. In short, you are balancing out even things you cannot effectively measure for without an ICP test.
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