[reefwars]

Originally Posted by FragIt Dan

I am still here . I do regular water changes... ~40% every 3-6 months . I have also run the math, have a decent understanding of the mechanisms and physiology of coral reefs as they apply to non-conservative element consumption, as well as nutrient cycling and export. My systems are not closed... I supplement all non-conservative elements as well as foods and, to my knowledge, I am able to remove all waste products via my mechanical, biological and chemical filtration (if you know otherwise please let me know, I am learning new stuff everyday and always appreciate constructive criticism). In my case, as well as many others, my corals do better with regular water changes in my bare bottom setup every 3-6 months, not every 1-2 weeks (my dsb and crushed coral substrate tanks require more frequent water changes due to detritus buildup). I might be able to go longer, but do not wish to risk imbalances in elements for which I am unable to test. For the most part I observe changes in various species of corals for indications of problems. I used to do weekly water changes, but no longer feel it gives me the best results. I agree with the comment that water changes are part of 'Reefing 101', but for those of us who completed university, we took courses well beyond the 100 level and discovered our first year Profs often oversimplified things... you are welcome to continue to do long division while I am off running linear regressions (this is the part where I am poking some fun, but it is intended for humor. I have a great deal of respect for everyone and would hate to know I have offended any of you do please don't take me too seriously). You might have noticed I refer to my 3-6 month regiment as 'regular' . What if a Reefer did 5% water changes daily and told the 'bi-weekly water changers' that they were cheap and lazy? I bring this up to open debate, not to criticize anyone, and do so because i think there are knowledgable and passionate people following this thread that can offer some great ideas i hope to learn from. Again, I would really like to keep my participation friendly so please accept my apologies if I am offending anyone. I would love to have this conversation with you guys over a beer and would be happy to by the first round ('cause I'm not cheap ). Hopefully you are chuckling right now .


FragIt Dan

ok i chuckled lol i agree though but you do do water changes, its just less often but the effect is still there as oppsosed to someone who doesnt do them at all.not saying that not doing water changes will mean an unsuccessful tank over the years and especially the first 8yrs i ran skimmerless and dosing wasnt an option as 1)you couldnt get test kits where im from and 2)you couldnt get stuff to dose lol so water changes was where its at if you could even get salt lol


with todays advances i mean who knows i just still think its nice to give the animals including corals a breath of fresh air