reefkprz
Active Member
I think Anthony Calfo said it best (and I quote) "Aquarists who claim to do less water changes or not even at all arent doing the industry a favor by bragging they can't kill most things in their tank no matter how hard they try. It's just luck and the grace of god. If you send one hundred chickens running accross a busy freeway, some are going to make it accross, it doesnt make the survivor smart or the race just. its just a matter of statistics."
I'm a firm believer in regular waterchanges.
and I'm not going to flame you for doing something different.
but I still agree with anthony calfo on this one.
I dont know what else you do to your system but I can see no coraline growth on the glass but I do see green algae on it. a year old tank should have plenty of coraline spotting if its trace elements are up to par. Maybe supplementation can make up for lack of waterchanges for replenishment of trace elements, maybe a clam can make it a year in a no WC tank, same for an anemone. but I'm not betting my stuff on it.
good luck with your expiriment. too bad you dont have documentation (other than personal observation) because if you did there maybe a lot to learn from your end results.
I'm a firm believer in regular waterchanges.
and I'm not going to flame you for doing something different.
but I still agree with anthony calfo on this one.
I dont know what else you do to your system but I can see no coraline growth on the glass but I do see green algae on it. a year old tank should have plenty of coraline spotting if its trace elements are up to par. Maybe supplementation can make up for lack of waterchanges for replenishment of trace elements, maybe a clam can make it a year in a no WC tank, same for an anemone. but I'm not betting my stuff on it.
good luck with your expiriment. too bad you dont have documentation (other than personal observation) because if you did there maybe a lot to learn from your end results.
jonthefishguy
Active Member
I dont allow coraline to grow on the glass and remove it from the back when I get tired of looking at it. The green is there because I neglect to clean that side. I dont like looking at coraline on the glass. And it is a 240 gallon with 30 underneath.
jonthefishguy
Active Member
Originally Posted by reefkprZ
john my post was for the OP when I started typing your pictures werent up.
got it
! was going to add mine hasnt been up not even a year yet. Only 9 months old. But I dont recommend others try this unless you have the means to catch a problem before it gets out of hand
john my post was for the OP when I started typing your pictures werent up.
got it
reefkprz
Active Member
I would say trying to pull off the no water change thing is..... a situation with a very high chance of eventual faliure, even for extremely expirienced aquarists.
I would love to see documentation of a ten year reef on no waterchanges. it would probably blow the minds of everyone in the industry and hobby of reefkeeping. I still think we are a ways off from that though, I dont believe our compensational technology is enough to make it practical.
I would love to see documentation of a ten year reef on no waterchanges. it would probably blow the minds of everyone in the industry and hobby of reefkeeping. I still think we are a ways off from that though, I dont believe our compensational technology is enough to make it practical.
jonthefishguy
Active Member
I wish it were more full that it actually is but if I keep everything I like that came in, I would be out of a business. But I would have a nice tank though...
squishy
Member
I have seen this experiment on these boards and many others. It is to me a bad thing to try but it does work for some people. I just notice that you can tell the difference between a tank that gets water changes and a tank that doesn't. That is not a slam or a burn to anyone. just my opin. I just have to wonder what your tank would look like with proper care.
Just for research sake what do you have in your tank for fish and corals.
Just for research sake what do you have in your tank for fish and corals.
jonthefishguy
Active Member
Originally Posted by ratrod
Ever wonder why the tide goes in and out twice a day?
The gravitational pull between the earth and the moon.
Ever wonder why the tide goes in and out twice a day?
The gravitational pull between the earth and the moon.
jonthefishguy
Active Member
Originally Posted by Squishy
Just for research sake what do you have in your tank for fish and corals.
Who were you asking?
Just for research sake what do you have in your tank for fish and corals.
Who were you asking?
J
jrthomas40
Guest
looks good to me...and it works for you...do what you do and keep your tank lookin good...
wattsupdoc
Active Member
Doing water changes is a good thing. Not doing water changes is not necessarily a bad thing. But you have to compensate for it somehow.
I myself didnt do water changes in my 65 for probably the first year It was set up. Now I do them, but like I stated above, I do very small ones constantly. ..Arms in the water, changing filters, wet skimming, acclimating, sucking algea off the glass, fragging etc. Then I do large water changes periodically. I feel that doing a larger water change has at least the same effect as doing smaller more frequent water changes. I'm replacing a larger portion of old water.Whereas doing say 5-7 gallons a week, I'll be removing some of the water I just replaced the week before. Not to practcal if you ask me. I do run a constant kalk drip, phosphate reactor, carbon, have a 29 gall. fuge with cheato,DSB a rock rubble, plus my mechanical filtration. I do notice a big difference when I do a good water change. It's like night and day. And I believe if you were to do a good 30-40% change and clean evrything up before it, you would too. Just for giggles and laughs try it.
I myself didnt do water changes in my 65 for probably the first year It was set up. Now I do them, but like I stated above, I do very small ones constantly. ..Arms in the water, changing filters, wet skimming, acclimating, sucking algea off the glass, fragging etc. Then I do large water changes periodically. I feel that doing a larger water change has at least the same effect as doing smaller more frequent water changes. I'm replacing a larger portion of old water.Whereas doing say 5-7 gallons a week, I'll be removing some of the water I just replaced the week before. Not to practcal if you ask me. I do run a constant kalk drip, phosphate reactor, carbon, have a 29 gall. fuge with cheato,DSB a rock rubble, plus my mechanical filtration. I do notice a big difference when I do a good water change. It's like night and day. And I believe if you were to do a good 30-40% change and clean evrything up before it, you would too. Just for giggles and laughs try it.
D
dshin1
Guest
sorry guys went out for dinner with the girl. i have in my 55 a leather finger, button polyp, star polyp, 2 maxima (blue, purple) and a zoo. i picked these for the 55 cause there hardier(i think). hippo tang, 2 damsels 2 clown and a baby puffer (I'm training so when i put it in the 120 it won't bite on the coral.) various inverts. but i would agree, i don't remember who said it in the forum, i would not do this if i didn't have the means (i have other tanks to put my livestock in if something went wrong.)
dragonboy
Active Member
Water change can be done at least twice a month it doesn't have to be every week I do mines every two weeks I use to do once a week. I got tire of doing it every week and plus you end up buying a whole lot of salt. Everyone has their method and beliefs but what ever works than good for you. But I think you would need to do at least once a month unless you got no fish at all only coral than I think its possible to go longer with less feeding.
puffer32
Active Member
In my hubbys business (LFS) he sees the results of customers who do not do water changes every day. Most of them have algae problems, cannot keep corals, and high nitrates are a problem. I wouldn't risk the chance of losing my expensive inhabitants for an experiement, just not worth it. I think on the whole, more tanks fail rather then thrive, so why risk it?
ameno
Active Member
how often to do a water change as always been a big debate, on here.
I have to agree to the most part with fishguy, if you have a well established tank and the right filtration equipment and you suppliment the tank with the elements it needs then you can go a lot longer without a water change.
on my old 80 gal. it went over 6 months before I took the tank down and started the 125. and I had no algae, 0 no2, 0 no3, cal. 430, all test showed the water quality to be great, everthing in the tank was doing great.
But when I transfered everthing over to the 125 with new water things looked and did a lot better, the corals went crazy, ones that were growing slower took off. It was a big difference. This tells me that yes I could go for 6 months maybe a year, who knows how long, but if I want to get the best out of my tank I need to change out some of the water at times, even though you add elements to suppliment whats lost you can't get the right balance back, the water change helps to put things back to were they need to be. I plan now on a 10% water change a month and I think I will have a much happier system.
I have to agree to the most part with fishguy, if you have a well established tank and the right filtration equipment and you suppliment the tank with the elements it needs then you can go a lot longer without a water change.
on my old 80 gal. it went over 6 months before I took the tank down and started the 125. and I had no algae, 0 no2, 0 no3, cal. 430, all test showed the water quality to be great, everthing in the tank was doing great.
But when I transfered everthing over to the 125 with new water things looked and did a lot better, the corals went crazy, ones that were growing slower took off. It was a big difference. This tells me that yes I could go for 6 months maybe a year, who knows how long, but if I want to get the best out of my tank I need to change out some of the water at times, even though you add elements to suppliment whats lost you can't get the right balance back, the water change helps to put things back to were they need to be. I plan now on a 10% water change a month and I think I will have a much happier system.