Water changes

[ReefOcean]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Water changes replenish all the elements used by the system. The salt has dozens of components, and you only replace Ca and CaO3, maybe Mg. What about the rest? It's there for a reason. Reefs need strontium, potassium, etc. you don't replace those. While minimal, they're essential (they wouldn't just add it for fun). It also dilutes the DOCs (dissolved organic compounds) that affect the life in the tank.

Again, my question is why not do a water change?

Fair enough but you can dose them. People dose Calcium right? Almost everybody with SPS...

I didn't do water changes just to see what would happen to my parameters. Just like I used a crappy Chinese LED unit to see if I could grow SPS. To see for myself.

My hypothesis being, that the stringent water change practices people promote are circumstatial and hearsay. I do agree that water changes do have merrit and in most cases required at least once and a while.

You call me lazy, but stocking a system that can't support itself would be considered what?

[e46er]

Originally Posted by ReefOcean

I can't say i have ever read it, no

You should

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by ReefOcean

You call me lazy, but stocking a system that can't support itself would be considered what?

I don't understand your question...

The best I can guess is you'd call it a closed system. Which requires keeper intervention. Fish don't feed themselves in the tank, you add food. The tank doesn't heat itself, you add heat. The tank doesn't clean itself, that's your job...

[ReefOcean]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I don't understand your question...

The best I can guess is you'd call it a closed system. Which requires keeper intervention. Fish don't feed themselves in the tank, you add food. The tank doesn't heat itself, you add heat. The tank doesn't clean itself, that's your job...

Keepign a system that can't sustain itself (at least substatially)and requires constant water changes due to bioload would be considered irresponsible, at least by me. I guess the different being is what you are going for, a pretty display tank with way to much livestock to show off to guests, or a more realistic enclosed bio-system ( to a degree)

[ReefOcean]

Originally Posted by e46er

You should

why

[tim the toolman]

Water changes are basically fish keeping 101. And as long as you are going to be considered a responsible fish keeper you should be doing water changes. I'm certain that if we drastically reduced the essentials in your day to day life (food, oxygen) you would not die but your quality of life would definitely decrease. Just because the fish in a system are not dying does not mean they are living happily.

[ReefOcean]

I should also add (without trying to force this thread in multiple directions) is that you can achieve some of those things you have described to a degree. Stocking fish that eat stuff that grows in your aquariam, living in a hot climate, having a clean up crew... are all things that can help wirth the enclosed system. Obviously, and it is a big obviously, there are still many things you need to do to maintain the tank like clean equipments, suppliment feeding here and there....

[ReefOcean]

Originally Posted by tim the toolman

Water changes are basically fish keeping 101. And as long as you are going to be considered a responsible fish keeper you should be doing water changes. I'm certain that if we drastically reduced the essentials in your day to day life (food, oxygen) you would not die but your quality of life would definitely decrease. Just because the fish in a system are not dying does not mean they are living happily.

I find that most opinions that come out of this hobby, turn to facts very quickly. When you have 1 expert for every 5 million novices, it tends to happen virally

[MarkoD]

Originally Posted by ReefOcean

I should also add (without trying to force this thread in multiple directions) is that you can achieve some of those things you have described to a degree. Stocking fish that eat stuff that grows in your aquariam, living in a hot climate, having a clean up crew... are all things that can help wirth the enclosed system. Obviously, and it is a big obviously, there are still many things you need to do to maintain the tank like clean equipments, suppliment feeding here and there....

dont even bother. some of these people are old and stubborn and cant accept alternative methods of doing things. they believe in weekly or biweekly water changes and you cant change their mind. just give up

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by ReefOcean

Well put. I might add however, that we can know EXACLTY what our water is putting into the aquarium so logically, we can adjust for it.

Chemical/biological/mechanical filtration.

Logically yes, practically no. It's not as easy as you might think, IMO water changes will be easier and cheaper.

Like I said after the rhetorical question biological makes bio-products and chemical removes more than you might think.

If you're lazy you can make an auto water changing system pretty easy, completely automated if you have a conductivity controller. My formula is simple lazy+$=success not lazy=success.