Quote:
Originally Posted by wickedfrags.com
The cost of the salt would outweigh the likely benefits. Perhaps consider less fish or feeding them only 2x's a week. Afterall, you don't need to remove what you do not put in. Maybe go with less water changes and less feeding for a while and see how it goes, was my approach back in 2006/2007.
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While I agree with this logic I don't think it directly applies here. While larger water changes are definitely more effective in lowering nutrients, I don't believe the same is true for maintaining nutrients at a certain level. This is something I made up a while back to aid in explaining effects of water changes and also why so many people have nutrient problems.
The example is simple and as follows. A system containing 100ppm or nutrients at week one. The system on average adds 5ppm of nutrients each month or 1.25ppm each week. The chart shows how the nutrients decrease when comparing 25% monthly changes to 6.25% weekly changes (same amount of water assuming 4 weeks per month).
It's obvious that monthly changes decrease the level sooner but once it reaches a critical level it remains constant and both monthly and weekly changes become equal. Also notice that the nutrients will never return to zero (why many people always fight nitrate levels) and that the weekly changes produce a more stable level.
So for maintaining low nutrients smaller more often changes may be better while for lowering nutrients larger changes less often are more effective.
I'll also say that while the obvious solution is to cut off the source as already stated this still has limits. Experts and authors will insist that fish require several feedings daily, this of course is not piratical for most reef keepers and we develop different approaches. I for one feed once daily and skip a day once in a while. However feeding less can result in some fish not being able to compete and starving to death. Feeding even less can result in all fish not being able to keep the required nutrients which can eventually cause death as well. One could cut the source even further back and decrease the amount of fish but with this logic why not remove the tank all together and eliminate the problem completely? While this may seem harsh I think if someone is willing to spend more on water changes to keep a couple more fish or feed a little more, that's his or her option.