How often should I change saltwater

[alec4056]

There's live rock(not alot adding little at time$$$$$) and fish, no reef life in 37 gallon tank. I have protien skimmer working, filter running...How Much and often would you change water and how( do i clean live sand thoroughly or not )>>>Thanks Alec

[Frogfish]

most people do a 10% water change every couple of weeks to a month. That is just an estimate. If your tank has high nitrates then I would suggest more often. As for the live sand, I let my nassarius snail stir the top layers and leave the rest alone.

[dale boy]

There's live rock(not alot adding little at time$$$$$) and fish, no reef life in 37 gallon tank. I have protien skimmer working, filter running...How Much and often would you change water and how( do i clean live sand thoroughly or not )>>>Thanks Alec

hello mate.
with a tank so small u need to be carefull.
your supplier should have gave u guide lines with regard to the care of your
community.
however i had a reef system of 150 gallons,
i stopped water changes after 2 years as every time i changed say 20% the
system whent into shock/for six years i kept the reef in good condition without a salt water change,
at the end of the day the aquarium becomes its own ecco system that will
once matured over years ,will remove its own by products and re-release beneficial elements to sustain itself,trace elements obviously need to be added to make up for no water changes,
the only way a reef aquarium will sucseed is if its self sustainable and this takes years of maturation including losses along the way,
focus on keeping the water and the organisms will thrive
remember when reef keeping you need to play the hand of god
it takes time/hard work/heart ache, but the end results are stunning.
in the limited water volume you have i suggest a few small gobys.
blue cheek etc to sift the substrate.
the most facsinating thing about the hobby is that you learn all the time how to sucseed.

[philolsen]

I change 10-20% weekly dpending on the tank, the smaller the tank the higher the percentage. I also clean the top 1" of my sand once a month for each tank.

[lery6477]

i do a 20% water change every month i have 2 percula clown,1 yellow tang,1 hipo blue tang, 1fire fish goby,1 lamore blenny, 1 claner shrimp, 1mandarin goby do not know were he is i havent seen him since the fist 5 minutes i relesed him in the tank, 2 anemones 1 yellow lether coral, 1 bush of polyps 1 coral that i do not know the name, plus nature its bigining to take over my live rock, i forgot i discovered that i have 1 brittle star 1 snifter star , and a 6 leged red star.

[Reefland]

I think 5-10% weekly changes are a part of a good maintenance routine. Not only does this help to reduce nutrients, it also helps clarify the water, especially when carbon is not ran. Discoloration of the water can decrease light penetration.

[The R/C Man]

Lots of good info..... I have also noticed that some corals like a higher nutrient content in the water and fair much beter with less water changes. On the other hand, SPS corals that naturally occur in higher water flow areas seem to fair better with more frequent water changes. This is one reason I believe a biotope is so important. With inhabitants all from the same nitch is it much easier to keep all of them healthier.......

[reseter5]

i have no choise but to add water ..my tank looses a lot from the halides....

[The R/C Man]

I know this may sound bad but the water you loose through evaporation is only fresh water. So on a daily basis you need to be adding that to keep your water level up and salinty correct..... If you knew that sorry.....

[reseter5]

of course... i just got my ro unit so the water is getting very nice... nobody wants salt cured fish...could you amagine adding saltwater when it evaporates.. that would be some thick water

[The R/C Man]