No water changes.. pls help.

[RkyRickstr]

Guys over the past three days ive read so many threads here.. and i see so many people skipping water changes all together..

I wanna be there... But im scared.. lol.. seven years doing waterchanges.. u can immagine..

I understand that the food we feed and the scrubber will provide thw trace ellements.. but how do i make sure.. besides kalk (already dose) what other stuff you guys feed and in what ammounts?

I have a 120 mixed tank.. lps sps zoos plates favias.. you name it.

Is there a trace ellements mix that cqn take care of these?...

Thank you so much for your support in these uncertain times.. lol

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[kerry]

I had to take that big leap to! It was hard to digest but upon taking my water tests it all was good, and a week later still good, then a week later even better, then another week and my nutrients were zero-ish! You just need to get some test kits so you can see what you need to dose. Some post on here had a comment by SM about using some kind of pickling powder for dosing. Maybe one of the veterans could make a list of supplies and dosing amounts of alternate home / kitchen supplies that can be used at a better cost. Such as for my FW Africans pH adjustment, I use baking soda, Epsom salt, and instant ocean mix to boost the pH to 8.2ish.

[RkyRickstr]

Thanks kerry

I test my ca alk phosphate mag and nitrate.. readings:

Ca 480
Alk 8.5
Phos undetectable
Nitrate undetectable

Those readings are great.. i just need to make sure corals get what they need.. should i test for stonium or something else?

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[kerry]

I know they add strontium to, I need to get that test as well. I dose it just as the bottle says but I have no way to measure it yet.

[Aeros]

I haven't done a WC in almost a year. I have an almost all SPS tank 120g with 20g sump.

I have a pH monitor, and before my recent calcium reactor upgrade i dosed bulk reef supply Calcium, magnesium, and carbonate.

The pH probe is a life saver when you dose sodium carbonate (soda ash, washing soda) as your pH sky rockets. Also, you can also see the daily swing. Fun to see it go up with the window open, and down when you use the oven.

Bulkreefsupply.com has a calculator for kalkwaser (calcium hydroxide). Measure your weekly usage. Then calculate what you need to hit your target. Theres your weekly dosage.

As for "trace elements". Theres a fantastic article i can't reference at the moment in advanced aquariust that compares natural sea water levels to those in reef tanks for heavy metals, or "trace elements" as marketers want you to think. To summerize: reef tanks had a lot of heavy metals compared to NSW. And is suspect in old tank syndrome, as well as acclimation death of fish.

"It has the eletrolytes plants crave!"

Just as you don't down a bottle of mercury for breakfast, you shouldnt add any "trace" or "essential" elements. Everything needed is in the food.

Dont use calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate for more than minor adjustments or over a long time. As the calcium and magnesium get used up you are left with free chloride ions and sulfate. Over time these build up to toxic levels. Also, increasing your salinity (specific gravity).

Calcium hydroxide is great stuff. Keeps your pH up and doesnt raise salinity while maintaing your carbonate levels. Too much work for me though.

Also, you will have to run carbon at least once a month. I do. Too much coral food from the scrubber makes my corals look like poop and my water look yellow.

Best is the look on other reefers face when you tell them its been a year without a single water change and you have impossible to keep acros growing like weed (lol). Then let them ask what kind of skimmer you use. Hah! Love it.

[RkyRickstr]

Lol.. already there.. no skimmer??? Are you crazy???.. i look at the tank for a few seconds and say does it look like im crazy?.. lol... Love it.

Ok that all makes sence.. my only other question is... When i feed my piglike fish dont let a single pellet go to waiste... They snatch them all... How does coral benefit from that?.. unless you are talking about feeding food specificaly for corals.. in that case i have some reseqrch to do cus. Only feed cyclopheze.

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[SantaMonica]

If yellowing is occuring, it means the roots are dying.

[RkyRickstr]

Sm wat u talking bout?.. lol.. i did more reading today and found out d scrubber feeds corals.. so .... Any of u guys feed aditional coral food?

[kerry]

Many of us blend up our own homemade mix. I feed my tanks a lot more now since I am scrubbing, I do not rely on the scrubber to feed mine 100%.

[RkyRickstr]

Home made sounds good.. what do u put in it?