Water Changes

[Spectre2006]

If your filtration is multistage:

-filter sock
-protein skimmer
-activated carbon
-GFO
-biopellets
-bacteria dosing
-vitamins and trace elements dosing
-vodka dosing
-minimal bioload

What are the benefits of water changes?

[110galreef]

proportinal adding of elements and whatnot to ideal SW levels. No issue of over or under adding. Also with your above scenario, your are missing cal & alk supplementation used by corals. unless you have just softies or fowlr

For the cost of biopellets, GFO, vitamins & trace element, and vodka dosing and all the extra's(testing, dosing, remebering to add, pumps, tumbling, etc)....probably just easier and cheaper to do the WC's...


I do however only change about 10% every 2 mos currently. Only skim and have near perfect params 0 nitrate, 420 cal, 8.6 Alk, .015 po4

I do have a doser that doses ALK & Cal, and I have a free channel so I decided to try & dose vinegar with it. (8ml/day) brought my po4 down from .025 to .015. I tried dosing about 20ml/day but was at 0 PO4 and didn't want it that low.

I did add some kent trace element for the heck of it to my cal mix to be added at the rate of 1.5ml/day. Don't know if it helps, but it cost me like $15/yr.

I use carbon ROX .08 at 1.5 cups swapped out every 3-4 weeks. NO GFO, NO Biopelets

[Spectre2006]

I dose 2 part and Mg too...Whats in salt mix that gets depleted and what accumulates that isn't dealt with, using the various filtration methods mentioned?

How is salt mix made?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Water changes are useful to replace things which are depleted (iron, and many other inorganic ions which are used by organisms) and to remove things which build up (including organics, copper, and other potential toxins), none of which we have suitable test kits for.

This has more:


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