Do reactors equal less water changes?

[tang daddy]

Originally Posted by Vancity

Just thinking of automating the setup a little more.
I do a 10-20% water change every 7-10 days. Currently no problems with algae but as time goes in the hobby the ole powerhead/heater in a bucket in the bathroom overnight routine is feeling a little monotonous.

Do people generally use reactors to allow less frequent water changes?
Or for other reasons?

Second option is to keep the same setup now and look into an auto water change system...

Here are some suggestions to help you with ridding the bucket with powerhead in washroom syndrome.....

I have 2 tanks behind my display, one for ato one for waterchange. I too was stuck lugging buckets for awhile and found myself post phoning WC's. It's quite simple to rig up and always have some spare ready to go if needed.

Some may say they lack room around display and hate the look of tanks behind their display. Tell you the truth for me it's hardly noticeable and hassle free. So if you're mixing up 4-5 gallons every week and a half get a 10g which really takes up a 12x16 foot print. I myself go for the largest tank I possibly can fit behind there so that I have roughly 5-6 changes on the go. Another thing is if you have a tank for ato already rigged up you could stack them to save even more space. Another helpfull tip is I run an airstone for circulation and oxygenation in both ato and wc tanks. When I mix a new batch of salt I will run the k4 and then unplug it once it's mixed. I also got some black perforated sign board to cover the tanks so that airborne contaminants like dust and hair keep out. This can be purchased at industrial plastics or any other plastic shop $8 for a 4x8' sheet.

And to answer your question reactors are used for a bunch of reasons, like removing P & N. Will this allow you to skip a water change or 2...sure but in reality waterchanges are to replace and displace dirty water. I have taken advantage of feeding more frequently with the addition of a gfo reactor. Algae shows up from time to time but that's when I get lazy and dump food in unrinsed.

[Aquattro]

I have a Ca reactor with added Mg. I have a zeo reactor that apparently keeps nutrients down to 0. I still do a 50g water change every 2 weeks, and wouldn't consider NOT doing them. I'm with Bill, I don't equate the 2 together.

[tang daddy]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I have a Ca reactor with added Mg. I have a zeo reactor that apparently keeps nutrients down to 0. I still do a 50g water change every 2 weeks, and wouldn't consider NOT doing them. I'm with Bill, I don't equate the 2 together.

Alot of dedication with reefers on here. I go through phases where I am diligent about maintenance and other months not so much. I really have respect for those who can keep up with WC over the years.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by tang daddy

Alot of dedication with reefers on here. I go through phases where I am diligent about maintenance and other months not so much. I really have respect for those who can keep up with WC over the years.

I'll miss one sometimes, but always make it up. So if one is 3 weeks apart, then the next one is a week later. Twice a month.

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I have a Ca reactor with added Mg. I have a zeo reactor that apparently keeps nutrients down to 0. I still do a 50g water change every 2 weeks, and wouldn't consider NOT doing them. I'm with Bill, I don't equate the 2 together.

And hence I wrote theoretically. There's always a chance of introducing foreign things that might not be taken care of by any reactors and hence water change is the ultimate thing to do to keep tank going. I myself is also a regular water changer (10 gallon every 2 weeks for my 70 gallon but will be moving to 5 gallon every week once zeovit establishes its dominance).

Water change and salt are the best things for this hobby

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by mrhasan

but will be moving to 5 gallon every week once zeovit establishes its dominance).

I don't understand the logic here. You're removing more wastes with larger less frequent changes. Seems doing almost as much work, twice as often, for less results is counter productive.

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I don't understand the logic here. You're removing more wastes with larger less frequent changes. Seems doing almost as much work, twice as often, for less results is counter productive.

Well according to zeovit, I should do weekly water change for 5% to 10% just to replenish the trace elements since nutrients will be taken care of by zeo. Hence the more frequent wc. Plus I am going for 2 part dosing using randy's recipe which will be introducing some ions (Cl- to be precise) and so I thought more frequent changes is going to be acceptable. But this is not going to happen for this year to the least since zeo will take couple of months to kick in.


OR maybe I will just stick to my current routine....only time will tell. But its a bit hard for me to carry around 5+5 gallons of water in and 5+5 gallons of water out at once.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by mrhasan

But its a bit hard for me to carry around 5+5 gallons of water in and 5+5 gallons of water out at once.

Buy a long hose. If I had to carry buckets for 50g water changes, I would have quit a long time ago!!

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Buy a long hose. If I had to carry buckets for 50g water changes, I would have quit a long time ago!!

Sometimes, simple things don't ring a bell till pointed out

[GoFish]

Sorry for the delayed specifics, had a busy weekend

I was actually referring to WC's to reduce nitrates and phosphates VS reactors using GFO, carbon, bio pellets/balls etc... Taking care of Mag/Alk/Cal are dosed using Magnesion and C Balance part A+B (thats the extent of my dosing done). The tank uses a refugium, skimmer and filter socks currently to reduce bio load, and i don't run GFO. Until mrhasan touched on calcium reactors i hadn't done any research into them to know what they were even used for. Since reading up on them they make sense! Just not sure if they're worth the cost setup and space VS using dosing pumps + C Balance, we'll see.

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I have a Ca reactor with added Mg. I have a zeo reactor that apparently keeps nutrients down to 0. I still do a 50g water change every 2 weeks, and wouldn't consider NOT doing them.

So far it seems no matter how many setups i've seen with hundreds or thousands of dollars in equipment over and above what i have, people still do WC's from 5-100%. Auto water change systems such as the Genesis appear to accomplish the most of what i'm looking for, space however is the issue

Oh what a joy it must be to have a dedicated equipment room!