Water changes

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by ReefOcean

Coming from the guy who blindly doses with whatever happens to be in the salt mix/ water....

Originally Posted by ReefOcean

Is that relevant? Your alternative is arbitrarily adding them in through water/ salt mix that has an indeterminable amount.

Originally Posted by ReefOcean

But wait, you can't even test those miniscule trace elements accurately unless you are a hydro electric damn or a reservoir. So it is moot. Cal, mag, and the biggies you can, but aquarium unobtanium which helps in hypothetical this and that, good luck.... to put it as bluntly as possible. Your salt mix dosing is not better then my bottle dosing. End of story.

You know Mr. Ocean I figured by this time you would have had enough time to think about the subject a little more but you still actually haven't figured out what a water change does despite being told numerous times. It's not the same as dosing....

Once again I will explain, do not let your ADD kick in before you've understood this post.

For arguments sake lets say you just setup a tank consisting of 100 parts of water and within that it contains 10% of E (Same as fresh batch of mixed salt). Now this E can be anything but lets assume it's something you don't test for and nothing in your tank is using it at a noticeable rate.

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Method 1 - The Water Change (10%):
Start -> 100 parts - 10 parts E
After 10% water removal -> 90 parts - 9 parts E
After 10% Replenish -> 100 parts - 10 parts E

This will go on forever and despite that E is not being used the concentration never grows.

Method 2 - Dosing
Start -> 100 parts - 10 parts E
Dose mixture contains 1 part E
After Dosing 100 parts - 11 parts E (after evaporation equilibrium)

This pattern will continue and E will grow in concentration each time you dose.

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So the difference:

Dosing does one thing - Add
Water change does two - Add and Subtracts

Water changes maintain a balance of elements by adding what's needed and reducing any excess amounts or contamination.

This same example can apply to many things such as containment which you add to your tank whether you realize it or not. People just don't add things like copper, sulfur, chloride, silica, phosphorus, ect willingly they added through foods, additives and even our hands. Even that bottle of elements you swear by will contain many impurities. Without water changes these contaminants will grow.

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Do I think water changes are needed? No I don't, if you actually read any of my actual posts on the subject you would have noticed I clearly stated you can have success without water changes but it's not for the inexperienced because there are more factors at play than many seem to realize. There are many people that have posted success with limited water change, and when I say success I don't mean those with new tanks, a few corals and some half eaten clams. Talk to these people, they are not inexperienced, they can look actually look at there corals and know what to add and when in order for their corals to thrive. They have also chosen there methods based on more than just laziness.

If I came off as a douche it's because I've repeated myself numerous times to someone who has failed understand such a simple concept. The concept isn't an argument to favor either side of the discussion, it's purely the difference between water change and no water change.