Water Change Question

[TygGer]

So Im still putting my 72g system together and was planning on doing 10-15g water changes every other week.

10-15g per w/c is a lot more than I'm accustom to being use to smaller 10g tanks. I was wondering if you guys just poured the new water in all at once or slowly over time?

 

[EL Diablo]

I do the same for my 72 gallon.
10-15 gallons every 2 weeks. Once in a while I go 3 weeks.

After the new SW is ready to add just pour it all in at once slowly

maybe it's just me but the tank always looks killer a few hours after a water change.

 

[steve-s]

Depends on the water flow. The higher the water flow in the tank the less likely the problems, same goes when adding fresh RO for evap. Personally I just add it back in using a powerhead attached to a hose. If your flow is at the bottom end of the scale (10x or less) then you might want to add it a bit slower but it does not need to be dripped or anything like that.

Cheers
Steve

 

[afilter]

I just syphon mine back from a bucket usually in front of a power head so it mixes if there is a slight temp or SG difference.

Am I off or does 15 gal every two weeks seem a bit much? I thought 10% was the rule of thumb. Assuming you have rock work and substrate at best your volume is probably only around 60gal. So that would mean you are doing almost a 20% water change every two weeks.

Personally, I would save some money and time and back off a bit if your levels are good. With my 75gal I am only changing 6 gal every 3-4 weeks. Usually closer to 4 weeks. Plus about 6 gal of fresh RO water top off throughout the month.

Just a thought.

 

[afilter]

I am confused :? This exact same post is in the FW forum. Are you setting up SW or FW? As stated above for SW I think this may be a bit much. For FW it is probably right on.

Please clarify.

 

[steve-s]

Am I off or does 15 gal every two weeks seem a bit much? I thought 10% was the rule of thumb.

Depends on why your doing them in the first place. In a younger tank where NNR has not yet established itself larger water changes may be needed to control higher less desirable NO3. If for simple minor trace element replenishment, larger water changes shouldn't be needed. 10-15% is fine though but personally I prefer smaller more frequent (weekly) changes in a younger tank than larger and less often. Helps improve stability.

Cheers
Steve

 

[TygGer]

I am confused :? This exact same post is in the FW forum. Are you setting up SW or FW? As stated above for SW I think this may be a bit much. For FW it is probably right on.

Please clarify.

I accidentally posted this in the Freshwater Forum. The tank is going to be a 72g Saltwater tank with a 29g sump/fuge.

 

[TygGer]

Hmm... My original question was about the rate at which I should re-fill the water, but now I'm questioning how many gallons I should change and how often.

Right now, I have a 10g s/w fowlr nano that I've had setup for a little over 1 year and a 15g f/w that's been up for many years. I do a 1g w/c on the 10g nano once every two weeks and about 3g once a week on the 15g f/w.

Since this 72g s/w is going to be a new setup, approximately how often and how many gallons should I change? And down the road when the tank matures, what would be a good approximate gallon change and interval? I understand that it depends on a variety of circumstances such as stocking, feeding habits, equipment, etc, but I just wanted to get a good general idea.

Thanks eveyrone!

 

[steve-s]

Generally speaking I would do weekly (10%) changes on a newer tank and possibley the same 10% twice monthly as the tank matures. There are too many variables to be accurate though, as you've already pointed out.

On smaller tanks without a proper means of export (skimmer, macros etc..) I would continue the 10% weekly changes no matter the age.

Cheers
Steve