water changes

[Michael]

i am changing 10% of my tanks volume with ro-di water every 4-5 days to keep my tank looking brand new and spotlessly clean, am i being over the top or are there other aquarists out there who do the same, all the books say every 2 - 4 weeks, i do not think i could leave my water changes this long, am i being totally stupid, should i allow the water to age more or is 4-5 days ok, i would appreciate advise on this matter

[old salty]

Sounds about right.

[speedo2wet]

depends on the load. Most people may do 10-15% every MONTH. I personally like to do 5 gallons every 10 days or so. Due to the fact that every water change= the tank going through a cycle. Some go a few months without a water change using a berlin method or some other method of filtration. They watch their nitrates and nitrites and phosphates. when they notice a rise they do a water change. more is not always good if your system is stable, now if you were to have extreme nitrates you might want to do larger water changes more frequently.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I change 1% daily, and discuss what various size and frequency water changes can accomplish here:

Water Changes in Reef Aquaria
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php

[Chorethorious]

Keep in mind any trace elements that are in the salt mix. These get "consumed" by different things in your take. So, if you leave a water change to an extended period of time these elements could be very deminished. This is of course if you don't suppliment these in a different way.