View Full Version : What's the longest you've gone, without a water change?
It is 'common' wisdom to do 10-20% water change monthly .... yet, honestly, how long have you gone without a single water change? Fresh water top-off does not count obviously.
I'll start: 3 months ... I've even seen GSP continuous growth over that period. I add pH Buffer, Iodine, Calcium, Strontium regularly.
Thanks,
-JB
old salty
02/03/2010, 08:06 PM
Six weeks; this was the time between setting up the tank and the first water change. Since then, never more than 2 weeks.
lobsterotomy
02/03/2010, 08:12 PM
8 weeks on a 28g (total) Nano system - SPS flourished, but LPS started to never open up. Did a WC and BAM! All my LPS opened right away.
inktomi
02/03/2010, 08:12 PM
7 days.. I change about a sixth of my water every weekend. When I did it less frequently then that I tended to also be 'lazier' about other things, and just didn't have as good of results.
A water change is a good chance to pull out bits of algae and give corals a good looking over to ensure that they're getting all the things they need.
mchlhthr2
02/03/2010, 08:14 PM
about 2 months. just topped off for the time being. long some sps but everything else loved it
Eel-byte
02/03/2010, 08:33 PM
2yrs. All i did was top off. That was after my twins were born. They just turned 3 in January, finally got back to regular water changes in November.
tspfish
02/03/2010, 08:44 PM
I went 6 months last summer. I had a terrible hair algae problem with high Phosphates and that was the only way to get rid of it. Now I do once a month and my tank is always has great perimeters and Nitrate is always 0. I am convinced I would have never went that 6 months without a water change I would still be chasing that hair algae and Phosphate problems. My ricordia coral has never looked better :)
Climb16
02/03/2010, 08:50 PM
18 months on my 245. All fish doing great (Scribbled angel, Queen angel, Imperator angel, clown trigger purple tang, threadfin butterfly and a pair of Maroon clown with a RBT. My mushrooms and leathers are doing great and so are the couple of LPS that my angels and butterfly don't eat.
reefscape15
02/03/2010, 09:10 PM
I go about 2 months pretty regularly between water changes. Tap water top off when the tank level gets low. I only dose Purple up every once in a while; I've had the same bottle for over 18 months now. I used to run a 20gal and switched to a 54gal about a year ago. Some hair algae on the back glass is always present but it hasn't become a nussiance. SPS/LPS/Softie/Zoas/Shrooms are all healthy and growing well.
Gold Stripe
02/03/2010, 09:18 PM
We're supposed to do water changes?
Went 3 years on my 180 until I had to tear it down to make room for the new baby. Just topped off with limewater and added supliments as needed.
fishieness
02/03/2010, 09:35 PM
let's see pictures :P
robs.mark
02/03/2010, 10:08 PM
My lfs has an amazing 120g soft tank, soooo much growth its not funny, they often go 12-18 month with out changing water. For top-ups they just use the hose pipe with tap water whatever temp that may be and stick it straight into the display!
Heres a pic from a couple of years back, theres a huge leather in there now thats tripled in size and the color in real life, wow....
http://www.vebas.com.au/ShopGallery.html
I know its not good practice but if it works than why change it!
Octoshark
02/03/2010, 10:14 PM
I haven't gone more than a week without changing water because my girlfriend is worried about her seahorses. I'm gonna have to start lying to her :lmao: - "Yep, just changed it yesterday..."
reefscape15
02/04/2010, 04:03 PM
54:
http://i671.photobucket.com/albums/vv74/reefscape15/1226091100.jpg
20:
http://i671.photobucket.com/albums/vv74/reefscape15/103_0541.jpg
Mad_Reefer
02/04/2010, 09:20 PM
I'm just over 6 months on my 180 gallon. And it seems everything (sps, lps, soft, zoas) is growing really well, better maybe. I keep thinking about doing a water change and then look at how happy everything looks and put it off.
tspfish
02/04/2010, 09:28 PM
54:
http://i671.photobucket.com/albums/vv74/reefscape15/1226091100.jpg
20:
http://i671.photobucket.com/albums/vv74/reefscape15/103_0541.jpg
Very nice looking aquascaping Reefscape
El Diablo
02/04/2010, 09:50 PM
A tank that I just took over maintnence didnt have a water change in 9 years.
It did look like crap though.
Thats why he had me take it over.:dance:
I'm just over 6 months on my 180 gallon. And it seems everything (sps, lps, soft, zoas) is growing really well, better maybe. I keep thinking about doing a water change and then look at how happy everything looks and put it off.
What additives you use, in addition to plain top-off?
downhillbiker
02/05/2010, 04:14 PM
I consistantly go 6-8 months without water changes. I have a grosly oversized skimmer and do a lot of dosing. Everything is SUPER happy in my tank and grows like crazy.
tkeracer619
02/05/2010, 04:40 PM
Im right at about 4 months. Battling dino's otherwise I would do 10% per week.
I really want to and need to do a change but the dinos are almost gone... water change will probably bring them back full force so Im going to wait till I don't see any for a month or two.
SPS dominated
reefscape15
02/05/2010, 06:47 PM
Very nice looking aquascaping Reefscape
Thanks!
lordofthereef
02/05/2010, 08:00 PM
Probably 2-3 months. Nothing HUGE to be noted, but things did look much mroe vibrant once I got back on the wc regimen.
Mad_Reefer
02/06/2010, 12:04 AM
What additives you use, in addition to plain top-off?
Alk, Cal, and mag of course. Also I'll add iron, reef plus, and reef trace from time to time.
scuba guy ron
02/06/2010, 07:33 AM
mine was 6 mos after a year of battling green hair i basically stopped everything including water changes and the funny thing is that after the 6 mos, the green hair was completely gone.
scuba guy ron
02/06/2010, 07:38 AM
I went 6 months last summer. I had a terrible hair algae problem with high Phosphates and that was the only way to get rid of it. Now I do once a month and my tank is always has great perimeters and Nitrate is always 0. I am convinced I would have never went that 6 months without a water change I would still be chasing that hair algae and Phosphate problems. My ricordia coral has never looked better :)
I think we may be on to something here. looks like we have the same story.
tspfish
02/06/2010, 07:54 AM
I think we may be on to something here. looks like we have the same story.
Yeah you are right : ) Basically we had to starve the hair algae and hope nothing dies in the process.
cindre2000
02/06/2010, 08:46 AM
My mom's FOWLR has never had a water change. Just activated carbon, light skimming, and top off (w/ dechlorinated tap). It's going on 2 years now. Granted, she has a handful of damsels, a hamlet, 2 clowns, and a singapore angel.
I just cannot get overthere often enough to do a water change, and it takes a couple hours to scrape the coraline off the sides anyways.
Gary Majchrzak
02/06/2010, 08:51 AM
years.
no additives or supplements. Skimmer and carbon running. Fishes and many invertebrates doing just fine but no corals survived.
edit: the pictures you see of my reef aquariums on RC receive weekly water changes and I feel it's one of the best things I can do for their coral's health.
blrrobinson21
02/06/2010, 09:10 AM
I went about 2 months with out one. I only had 3 corals in it, a leather, star polyp and mushrooms. Had an Ich outbreak and lost all but 2 of my fish. I kind of put a damper on things. Im back on things now adding more coral, letting my tank sit empty for 8 weeks and doing bi weekly water changes. During those two month my amm. nitrite and trates were all 0 but for some reason my alk rose quit a bit. The corals have been doing fine though.
Timmo760
02/06/2010, 11:08 AM
the longest i went was 4-6 weeks on my 10g i used to have
O'Man
02/06/2010, 11:32 AM
90 has been up for 10 years it has had 3 water changes. I'm doing the 4th now, it will be about 25 gallons. The last few years of using "the force" to deal with parameters left me with very high alk, very low mag and low calcium, hair algae, and some other ugly crud. I was going to tear it down, but just couldn't do it. Tank is starting to clean up though. The rbtas are getting nice & big again. 2.5 year old bulbs didn't help. I picked up some test kits and intend to pay attention again.
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