How do you WC?

J

Jaguar

So I did a larger WC then normal and realised it stresses out everything in my display. Corals, sponges live rock is all exposed to air for about 15 minutes. Is there another way to do it so my display doesn't drive everything mental? Spread out my weekly WC over a few days? I WC about 15g-20g a week and my system is about 55g sump and display.

I'm seriously considering doing 5g every other day or two.

Suggestions?
 
try just 5-10 gallons a week and see how your parameters are. you should be able to do about 10% and be fine so that large of a change may not be needed.
 
@Wes wrote:
try just 5-10 gallons a week and see how your parameters are. you should be able to do about 10% and be fine so that large of a change may not be needed. said:
I agree 10 gallons max on normal water changes should be fine. If I do a wc where coral is exposed I make sure the lights are off so the exposed corals are also not getting blasted by light.
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I've setup up a continuous WC system. Was inspired by what Randy's work: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php
 
Siphon out, pour right back in. Get everything set up in advance. If anything is exposed, it's for less than 2 or 3 minutes. If you are using the same jug or bucket to empty into as well as to fill back in, I would invest in a second one. Maybe you need a larger diameter siphon hose, too, if it is taking that long to siphon out? Are you siphoning the new water in or just pouring?
 
I pump out 15-20g a week. In 5g buckets one at a time. I'd say my wc takes 15-20 minutes. There is no way my tank would be fine with a 10% wc weekly. I think I'll just change my schedule to 10g every other day or every 2 days. Then it will take me about 5 minutes.

I appreciate the imput!
 
@Jaguar wrote:
I pump out 15-20g a week. In 5g buckets one at a time. I'd say my wc takes 15-20 minutes. There is no way my tank would be fine with a 10% wc weekly. I think I'll just change my schedule to 10g every other day or every 2 days. Then it will take me about 5 minutes. I appreciate the imput! said:
why ? can you explain why you're tank wouldnt be ok with 10%wc each week please
i do 7 gallons a week on my 210
been doing this for over 2 years now
also changing 100 percent of your water every 3 weeks i hope you are testing your new salt each time you open a new bucket
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Thats a lot water to change in a tank for that size in a week. Is that for topoff too? I only change 5 gallons a week in a 75 with a 30 gallon sump. Do you have a skimmer on there?
 
@chappy wrote:
why ? can you explain why you're tank wouldnt be ok with 10%wc each week please i do 7 gallons a week on my 210 been doing this for over 2 years now also changing 100 percent of your water every 3 weeks i hope you are testing your new salt each time you open a new bucket said:
Sure. Because you have a reef tank and I have a seahorse tank. The inhabitants eat 2 cubes of PE Mysis twice daily. They're piggies!

I don't make my own salt water I buy it from the LFS. I only test for salinity. They use Tropic Marin salt. I recently
tested it for mag and found the lvls at 1150 so I'll be getting an Alk test and testing for Cal,Alk and Mag and dozing as needed to make sure everything is up to stronger lvls.

I run a Coralife Super Skimmer rated for 65g on it. I have a DSB of 4-8" and a refugium with slacking macroalgae with a dsb.

Yup smaller works though. 10g every other day or two is working fine. I just had to find something that worked for this tank. Thanks for the input guys.
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I don't worry about doing too large of a water change. In my experience when people do a large water change and 'shock' there system its usually due to not matching the parameters or waiting an extended amount of time and then doing a large change. By this time the inhabitants have gotten use to water quality that has deteriorated and parameters that are largely different from what freshly mixed is. I change around 12 gallons every two weeks on my 30 and haven't had a problem. Before that i did 1/3-1/2 on larger tanks.

I remember Anthony Calfo a few years back talking about doing 100% water changes weekly on a nano without problems.
 
@Jaguar wrote:
[I]@chappy wrote:[/I][quote="why ? can you explain why you're tank wouldnt be ok with 10%wc each week please i do 7 gallons a week on my 210 been doing this for over 2 years now also changing 100 percent of your water every 3 weeks i hope you are testing your new salt each time you open a new bucket said:
Sure. Because you have a reef tank and I have a seahorse tank. The inhabitants eat 2 cubes of PE Mysis twice daily. They're piggies!

I don't make my own salt water I buy it from the LFS. I only test for salinity. They use Tropic Marin salt. I recently
tested it for mag and found the lvls at 1150 so I'll be getting an Alk test and testing for Cal,Alk and Mag and dozing as needed to make sure everything is up to stronger lvls.

I run a Coralife Super Skimmer rated for 65g on it. I have a DSB of 4-8" and a refugium with slacking macroalgae with a dsb.

Yup smaller works though. 10g every other day or two is working fine. I just had to find something that worked for this tank. Thanks for the input guys."]well maybe its just me but a good cleanup crew would do a good job that would allow you less waterchanges at least save you some monies
thanks for the fast reply
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great article on reefbuilders (if i remember correctly) on doing small weekly water changes.
 
this one by scott fellman? interesting idea to make it easier but i dont know, lol...http://reefbuilders.com/2010/02/13/times-equals-success/
 
I water change with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears..... oh and 5G every week until I can switch to 5 every two weeks.
 
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