Cali Kid Corals

changing water in our Red SEA 525 XL 108 gal reefer tank with a couple of fish,

How often do we need to replace water in our main tank if we have all the latest filtration and chemical monitoring systems to maintain the cleanest tank water (including an Loaoi protien skimmer
 
Very loaded question, and hard to give a truly accurate number without seeing the system as well as past measurements. 20% -30% every 2-3 weeks is a good rhythm that won't screw anything up and should sustain what you have.

For reference, some people like me change water very rarely, but have a specific solution for each reason to change water. My mom has a much smaller system and changes 30% every 3 weeks. Both systems have been running over 3 years.
 
How often do we need to replace water in our main tank if we have all the latest filtration and chemical monitoring systems to maintain the cleanest tank water (including an Loaoi protien skimmer
Make a tank journal. Show us and tell us about your system. You will get much better answers and insight.
 
The answer is, it depends. It'll really depend on fish load, types of coral you plan to keep, and maturity of your biological filtration. Some corals like and can handle higher nutrient levels, some need just a smidgen, too clean and it can be detrimental to coral, if you have fish only then there's a wide tolerance range. Lot of the people with zero or few water changes have highly mature systems which can take years to attain.

That being said, 20% water change monthly is a good start as you monitor your levels and determine what fits your system best. Definitely read up on the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate cycle as it's the foundation of the biological cycle.
 
I think water changes are a must. I personally like to do small ones weekly. I like to get all my maintenance done that day and leave it alone till the next one. The tank always thanks me the next day by looking it’s best.
 
There is no one right answer. You’ll find a lot of strong opinions in various directions, because each individual has had good and bad experiences. Every approach can contribute to success, but none guarantee it.

I think good starting advice for someone relatively new in the hobby (least likely to go sideways while you are learning) is to do 10% water changes once a week or 20% every other week. Whatever you decide, be consistent and stick to the plan even when you don’t feel like it.
 
If the solution to pollution is dilution…
I like 30% or more water change every 7-10 days
I do use NSW that is brought to temp before use
I feed 5-7 times per day
I test NOTHING
I have some of the oldest fish in this club, if not the Bay Area
 
The answer is, it depends. It'll really depend on fish load, types of coral you plan to keep, and maturity of your biological filtration. Some corals like and can handle higher nutrient levels, some need just a smidgen, too clean and it can be detrimental to coral, if you have fish only then there's a wide tolerance range. Lot of the people with zero or few water changes have highly mature systems which can take years to attain.

That being said, 20% water change monthly is a good start as you monitor your levels and determine what fits your system best. Definitely read up on the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate cycle as it's the foundation of the biological cycle.
Thanks Casey, that sounds reasonable. We had a 55 gal marine tank over 25 years ago. It didn't have all the fancy filtration and monitoring equipment that's available today and as I recall I only drained about 5 gallons every 4-5 months. Our target is water changes every 4 months. So, our new 108 gallon Reefer XL 525 tank will have all the latest equipment (skimmer, Vortech MP40 pumps, Neptune APEX system) for the best filtration. Looks like its going to be a year of adjustments....
 
If the solution to pollution is dilution…
I like 30% or more water change every 7-10 days
I do use NSW that is brought to temp before use
I feed 5-7 times per day
I test NOTHING
I have some of the oldest fish in this club, if not the Bay Area
Thanks I'm new to reefer tanks and not familiar to all the terminology. What is NSW?
 
With my 170g tank with a total system volume around 220g, I did a 40g water change every two weeks. I tried different intervals but once I just committed to doing it every two weeks, everything was happier. I can only assume it was a reliable replacement of trace minerals.

Since you're going the Apex route, consider setting up a DOS for an auto water change that just pulls a set amount out and replaces it every day.
 
As noted
NSW= natural sea water
Thanks...
With my 170g tank with a total system volume around 220g, I did a 40g water change every two weeks. I tried different intervals but once I just committed to doing it every two weeks, everything was happier. I can only assume it was a reliable replacement of trace minerals.

Since you're going the Apex route, consider setting up a DOS for an auto water change that just pulls a set amount out and replaces it every day.
Thanks, we are planning to set up the tank in our hallway which has limited space. Getting RODI or salt water to it is very difficult because of the walls and nearest water. So we are setting up the RODI system and salt water mixing station in our garage. We will have an auto refill system for the RODI water which will use the 5 galllon refill tank (inside the Red Sea cabinet) hooked up to a 15 gallon tank on the side of the cabinet, for 20 g total. We plan to manually refill these tanks every 1-2 weeks using a hose connected to the 32 gallon bucket/barrel of RODI water in our garage. We plan on having another container next to it to mix salt water and refill the main tank. Comments?
 
Thanks...

Thanks, we are planning to set up the tank in our hallway which has limited space. Getting RODI or salt water to it is very difficult because of the walls and nearest water. So we are setting up the RODI system and salt water mixing station in our garage. We will have an auto refill system for the RODI water which will use the 5 galllon refill tank (inside the Red Sea cabinet) hooked up to a 15 gallon tank on the side of the cabinet, for 20 g total. We plan to manually refill these tanks every 1-2 weeks using a hose connected to the 32 gallon bucket/barrel of RODI water in our garage. We plan on having another container next to it to mix salt water and refill the main tank. Comments?
IMHO
I do not recommend tank placement in a high traffic area.
The fish feel and hear more than you think.
Every door slam, truck goes by, several people walking heavily...
These can cause fish to jump, and creates a stressful environment
 
I have a couple 20g Rubbermaid trash cans on wheels. I just roll them right up to the tank. The cans are 19 inches across, hopefully you have at least that much space in the hallway.
 
You can run a 1/4" line with a float valve to the ato tank. You can put a ball valve on the line. It will fill automatically when you open the valve but you can turn the line off, just in case an ATO controller failure dumps all of your ato water into the (it won't flow continuously).

As for water changes, I used two hoses. One to drain the tank to a pre-determined level. Another hose hooked up to an adequate sized pump in the saltwater container (also used for mixing). I hook the mixing pump up to a smart plug I can control from my phone/Google/Alexa. Water changes took 10 min and no mess.
 
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