water changes

[Bigdog]

is it bad to do 2 partial changes a week versus 1 full change like i have a 5.5 and instead of changing 1 gl. a week ive been changing a half gl. twice a week is this ok

 

[oceanparadise1]

thats fine i dont see anything wrong with it

 

[paintballer768]

For the 5.5 gallon, I think a few partial changes are better. Adds to the stability and keeps levels where they should be.

 

[racermike27]

That should be fine. I find that doing more frequent water changes in lesser amounts works best (for me at least). In my 120G total volume system I do 15G per week. In my 29G I do 2G a week.

 

[Eklikewhoa]

It works either way IMO.....the larger water change would pull more waste out though....

I think Calfo does like 100% water changes with no problems.

 

[oceanparadise1]

wow 100% ? doesnt that bascially make ur tank recycle or at least cause a mini-cycle?

 

[diggman08]

if your doingn 1 g in a 5.5 , how much shoud you do in a 3g??

 

[Nate82]

maybe 1/2 a gallon

 

[Eklikewhoa]

wow 100% ? doesnt that bascially make ur tank recycle or at least cause a mini-cycle?

Not if your system can support it......I have freshwater tanks that I am doing 70-80% twice weekly. I have done 50-60% on my reef with zero problems.

 

[oceanparadise1]

I have done 50% on my reef plenty of times np, but i would think 100% is just like starting over again isnt it?

 

[Dihydrogen Monoxide]

It all depends on the purpose of the water changes. If you are employing them for nutrient removal then the one larger change is better than the 2 smaller changes.

If you were to change 50% of the water and then later on change 50% again you have only changed 75% of the initial water. This is not the case if you are fighting Cyanobacteria, where the large number of water changes of small volume to remove the bacteria that you see can be extremely helpful.

If you are using the changes to replace things then I would suggest looking into other options or deciding if those ions are truely needed. I generally find no need for me to change more than 20% a month.

H2O

 

[thincat]

Not so, because you already have the bacteria in the sand and lr to back things up.

 

[gparr]

is it bad to do 2 partial changes a week versus 1 full change like i have a 5.5 and instead of changing 1 gl. a week ive been changing a half gl. twice a week is this ok

In such a small volume, I would suggest the 1/2 gal. twice a week. This will keep the water quality up and be less of a shock to that small system each time you do it.
Gary