Water changes-getting bad out or putting good in?

sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
I know it's important to do regular water changes in our tanks but is the primary advantage getting bad stuff OUT of our water or putting good stuff back in?
The reason I'm wondering that tonight is because I just realized I probably put 5 gallons of unsalted RO/DI in my 55 gallon per week just during top offs - I get a lot of evap in that tank. Should I still do water changes or is evaporation and topping off, in essence, doing the same thing?
Sue
 
bigal0221

bigal0221

Member
I think it is a combination of both, but I do know that doing water change replinishes trace elements that are vital to marine life. I am sure that others with much more knowledge will chime in.
 
shaggyblz

shaggyblz

Member
You must do water changes to replenish all trace elements that are required for coral growth. Also, water is the only thing that evaporates. All of the "bad stuff" stays behind.
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
I'm assuming that "topping off" replaces the trace elements that are required in a healthy tank but good point about the bad stuff staying behind during evaporation.......didn't think of that.
Sue
 
pbnj

pbnj

Member
It's the removal of the "bad" water that exports nitrates, which is the primary reason for doing water changes.
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
+1 on that it does both.
Think of Dumb and Dumber (if you've seen it) where he's giving CPR.... out with the bad, in with the good... out with the bad, in with the good... out with the bad, in with the good... out with the bad, in with the good... out with the bad, in with the good... out with the bad, in with the good...
Yeah the cycle never ends :)
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Water out, nitrates, phosphates, dissolved organic compounds, accumulated metals, detritus if you blow your rock work off with a turkey baster (and you should),algae if you clean it off your rockwork, cyano if you suction it out.
Water in, fresh clear water, trace elements, a chance to maintain Sg at the proper level if a correction is needed.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Good to clean the wet/dry of detritus but missing out a chance on cleaning the display too. Can you do both, half wetdry half display?
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
You could alternate...
I'm in a position where I can suck out my sump as it sits too low... so it's been about 2 years and I need to pull it out completely this weekend and scrub it down good.... REALLY not looking forward to it as it barely fit under the cabinet. :(
 
small triggers

small triggers

Active Member
I clean my sand, and blow off my rockwork, then point all my heads down to move it up to the overflows. then i suck it all out of the sump. (and change my socks) it changes my nitrates 30ppm, and my water looks clearer.
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
OK, so I shouldn't get lazy about water changes -- adding the "new" water is only part of the big picture. This is a FOWLR tank so it's probably not as critical as in some tanks but it still seems advantageous to dedicate some time and do some regimented maintenance. Thanks for the responses.
With spring coming and me soon opening my outdoor hobbies (ponds and turtle habitats) I will be trying to minimize the indoor maintenance for a while but will definitely not abandon it all together.
Sue
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
I have seen many a FOWLR tank crash due to the belief that it required less maintenance. alkalinity, in particular, tends to go down at which point the simple addition of a new fish can crash the whole thing.
While nitrate levels below 10 may not be critical in a FOWLR, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that higher nitrate levels can cause issues once it is chronic...so once levels start getting up into the 60+ range long term, it can be an issue. it doesn't take long for that to hapeen in a FOWLR.
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
Originally Posted by pbnj
http:///forum/post/3011968
It's the removal of the "bad" water that exports nitrates, which is the primary reason for doing water changes.
I have to somewhat disagree with this, the primary reason for doing water changes should be the replacement of trace elements and the export of toxins that build up in a closed system one of which could be nitrate but I have always believed that a properly setup and maintained aquarium should be able to process the produced waste on its own. You shouldn't need water changes to keep your nitrates under control.
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/3012645
I have to somewhat disagree with this, the primary reason for doing water changes should be the replacement of trace elements and the export of toxins that build up in a closed system one of which could be nitrate but I have always believed that a properly setup and maintained aquarium should be able to process the produced waste on its own. You shouldn't need water changes to keep your nitrates under control.
I regularly do water testing on all the tanks and am always pleasantly surprised that the parameters on the 55 gallon FOWLR are good.... that's the tank I dedicate the least time and maintenance to. I'm guessing, though, that it could be due to the fact that I have lots of live rock, a skimmer, and a fuge on that tank. I also have a Fluval canister on that tank and whenever I clean the filter I'm always surprised that it's not dirty. That in itself provides a small water change - maybe all of the above combined is keeping my tank healthy. I really have been negligent on actual formal water changes in that tank.
Sue
 
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