trates& water changes

[mightymouse]

Today I found out my filter was clogged. I decided to check my levels and discovered my trates had gone from 10-15 level all the way up to 60. A couple of snails died and corals dont look happy. My question is, is it better to do one large water change or several small ones?

 

[ophiura]

As a general rule, it is better to do several smaller one's, just because it is less likely that you will stress things out, or throw some chemistry way out of line.
However, from the math perspective, it is faster to reduce the nitrates through a large water change.
There are benefits and risks to both, basically. How big is your tank?

 

[njjamie]

I do a 10% water change every Thursday on my 55g. It works out perfect for me as it is clean and simple. No need to shut anything down because it is only a few inches of water coming out. This has been working awesome for me!

 

[mightymouse]

50 gallons