Barebottom Tank Poll on Water Changes

[tankgirl2]

Hi,
I'd like to get some info from BB tank owners about the percent of water change you perform monthly?

Please, Barebottom tanks only. Thanks!!!

Also, I'd love to hear from BB owners about the size of their tanks?

[Bomber]

tg2

I run BB, but I can't vote on the poll cause I don't fit in. I set the tank back up BB in late July/early August. I did one almost 100% water change (NSW) about a month later to remove the last of the detritus that was coming out of the rocks and re-set the tank, and haven't done a water change since.
So I guess I would vote no water changes, except as soon as the weather clears I'm going to do another 100% NSW water change just for the heck of it. Nothing is out of whack, I just like doing that a few times a year.

[Yellotang]

I try to do at least 25% a month. Ideally. Everything looks sooo great after a water change. Plus that way I don't have to worry about additives.

[64Ivy]

I've been maintaining my 500g BB for over 5 years now. Recently, I've stepped up my water changes to about 20% WEEKLY and my livestock has never looked better. Also, as Yellotang said, no additives needed.

[DvSkIn]

I have been running a BB since august of this year... The only waterchange I did, was w/ the initial switch, from the DSB... I has a bunch of spray bars, to keep detrius suspended, and I run a 20 gallon fuge, on a 40 breeder display... I skim only during the day, and it shuts off at nite, on the timer that the light are one... So far, so good... I also, dont dose anything either.. The only thing that is added to the tank, is kalk, via a kalk reactor, through all top off water...



DvS

[znut Reefer]

I have a BB 225 thats sps and a few lps with softies, I did do 25% a month. now I just do smaller amounts weekly. Also no additives except kalk for all evap. everything looks better and happy here.

[Bomber]

so much for barebottom being hard to do.

bump^

[Aged Salt]

Jerel, pipe me up some NSW---you don't play fair Bob

[jackson6745]

Originally posted by 64Ivy
I've been maintaining my 500g BB for over 5 years now. Recently, I've stepped up my water changes to about 20% WEEKLY and my livestock has never looked better. Also, as Yellotang said, no additives needed.

Holy Shiznat!!! 4800 gallons of water change per year. That's a lot of work. You're really devoted to your tank....and it shows!!!

[tankgirl2]

Thanks, all!!! I'm going to start compiling info about BB tanks (am pm'ing some people too).
Can I have your tank sizes?

[oceanarus]

Mine's just a little ol' 26 gallon bowfront (pics in my gallery). I do about 20% every other week, it's been up for almost a year now. Only additives are CaOH dripped daily and CaCl about once a week. I don't see how I could ever keep up with the Ca demand from only water changes. Everything is growing so well in there, in fact I should put a more recent picture in my gallery since all the corals are bigger now

Just added LR to my 72 gal BF that I am converting from FO to reef. This one is going to be BB as well

[North Bay 101]

I plan on doing 5 gallons every week. Currently I am doing 30 gallons every other day, due to a bad DI cartridge dumping bad stuff back into the tank. I had a terrible bloom that has taken almost a month to get rid of.

There was a thread last year showing German tanks and the majority of them were doing small weekly water changes. That is my reason for 5 gallons a week.

[znut Reefer]

There was a recent thread on water changes and it has very good reponses. Most people have started doing small water changes weekly and said that their sps were looking so much better polyp extension and grew faster. So sounds good to me.