No water change in 13 months

Radies

Radies

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Hi guys due to financial difficulties I wasn't able to do my monthly water changes like I should, in fact nothing at all for 13 months now. I thought I was going to loose all my corals and was prepared to start selling them if they started to look sad. But they did not in fact they grew and I now have a pest of pulsating xenias and orange mushrooms. Candy cane also got 3 new heads and pin cushion split into 2. It is only the green star polyps that didn't make it they vanished rather quickly! Is it because I have rather hardy corals or will they start dying in the future?? I dosed nothing only fed my fish for the last 13 months. If things stay this way I am not going to do water changes unless something change.
 
I have read a bit about trace elements but as I understand you can not test strontium but you must dose it? What do you test for and dose?
 
Radies said:
I have read a bit about trace elements but as I understand you can not test strontium but you must dose it? What do you test for and dose?
Click to expand...

Surely it would cost you more in supplements than salt water
 
I don't do water changes as water changes can simply not keep up with the demands of a SPS dominated tank.
I run bio cubes to export nutrients. Also add CA kh and mg as needed. Along with reef xtrax cubes for trace elements. I sporadically add Fe I and K.

So far I haven't done a water change in 24 months.
 
@Radies
do you have any hard skeleton corals?

Softies do not build up a skeleton structure and do not need that much extra calcium. So yes, possible with a softy system.
 
Most of the coral you mention are easy to keep and very forgiving ,often doing well in higher nutrient systems . I do water changes (salt) often because of the small size of my tank and the lack of a skimmer and sump . if you understand water parameters and trace elements (it is impossible to measure,test or dose all of them) im pretty sure you can maintain your tank for a couple of years with out doing water changes , i think that the more experienced guys running dedicated systems should explain there setup and maintenance/dosing regime very carefully , so newer guys understand why you are doing so few if any , i know it sounds simple but new guys are like sponges they pick a "on line guide" and try follow exactly what they do cause they like the look of that specific tank
 
Last water change done 40 months ago and sps are thriving. I'm also running bio cubes with orcas amino cubes. Not doing water changes makes sure my bar stays full, surely I can thank bio cubes for that.
 
Just a question for the guys that doesnt do waterchanges.....don't the water become yelowish after a while? How do you manage that if it become yellowish?
 
i run maxi zorb carbon in a small reactor , keeps my water nicely polished
 
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