regular water changes thing of the past?? who doesnt do them who does????

asylumdown · #1 07-25-2011, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by megatrev62

Hello all.Have had a 75 up and running for about 10 months. I have just started using NSW for changes(afterall we're surrounded by it!!!) The results have been great. Only have some soft corals and just venturing into that area. But the NSW is the way to go. No more salt for me. The tank just appears more vibrant. I advocate waterchanges big time, however I do 20% bi-weekly or so. Hello to all newfs here, we need more stores lol. I go on reefcentral often and kkinda forgot about joining here lol. Cheers

*sigh* to live near a source of NSW. I once brought 4 litres of it home from BC in two pop bottles, but taking in to account the plane ticket and the fuel the plane burned to fly it over the mountains, it was probably the most expensive 4% water change I've ever done.

MarkoD · #2 07-26-2011, 12:15 AM

i wish i could someday have a tank plumbed directly into the ocean......

Wanderer · #3 07-26-2011, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkoD

i wish i could someday have a tank plumbed directly into the ocean......

not all its cracked up to be, you end up witha bunch of critters you never intended on having unless you have a very good sand filter.

intarsiabox · #4 07-26-2011, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wanderer

not all its cracked up to be, you end up witha bunch of critters you never intended on having unless you have a very good sand filter.

Canada is also surrounded by cold water and a lot of those critters die rapidly at tropical temperatures, thus polluting the tank. The water near the shore is also the most polluted.

MarkoD · #5 07-26-2011, 03:50 AM

I'd never do it in Canada. I'll one day live in hawaii

reeferious · #6 07-26-2011, 04:40 AM

i used to do bi-weekly 60 gal change with my 350 gal setup and everything was more or less just blooming. started following a lazier routine of vodka dosings, 2 part dosings and regular macro algae harvesting. everything look as fine as b/4. so i figure if your cal, kh, pot levels are fairly consistent and your nitrate and phosphate are insignificant you can get away with extened periods between waterchanges. thought about using our local georgia strait water source but then headache with filtering it clean and transporting back home outweight cost to make your own salt water. just my 2 pennies thought.

intarsiabox · #7 07-26-2011, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkoD

I'd never do it in Canada. I'll one day live in hawaii

Last time I was in Hawaii, every retired person I met seemed to have been from Canada now living there.

I'd love to end up there to some day. Not too hot, never cold and usually only minor storms, hard to beat that.

MarkoD · #8 07-26-2011, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by intarsiabox

Last time I was in Hawaii, every retired person I met seemed to have been from Canada now living there.

I'd love to end up there to some day. Not too hot, never cold and usually only minor storms, hard to beat that.

No misquitos either. My parents just bought a condo there so I'll be spending 3 weeks there in a couple months

whatcaneyedo · #9 07-26-2011, 12:19 AM

I'm trying to cut back but I still use about two buckets of salt ever three months. I mostly do micro water changes when I get rid of frags and larger ones when I need to fill my QT tank.

Aquattro · #10 07-26-2011, 12:26 AM

On the use of NSW...we have a guy in town here that has a 2000g tank, and for economical reasons, used to use NSW collected locally. his tank did not do well. I recall testing the water here a few years back, it was low in salinity, low in pH and both Ca and alk. I didn't test for PO4, but suspect with local run-off, that might have been high. Along with the risk of pollutants (oil, gas, etc), I'd personally not use NSW.