Too many waterchanges?

Just wondering if i am doing to many water changes on my tanks.
I religiously do about 25% water changes on my 14gal and 29gal tanks weekly. I have done this since the start but have started to wonder if its necessary. As of now i am only housing zoas, mushrooms and LPS. My 14 gallon tank tops out with about 40ppm nitrate every week, so i think that changing the water in it weekly is a good idea. But my 29 gal tops out at about 20ppm nitrate every week, so i am wondering if i should do water changes on it twice a month? I now that water changes for smaller reef tanks is the best thing for them but i am now adding expensive supplements to my tanks. Feels as if im just pouring these down the drain.
What are your opinions?
Obviously i will watch my parameters if i choose to switch to bi monthly changes on my 29gal.

 

personally 20ppm is as high as I would let it get before I do a water change. IMO 20ppm is alot for one week. Is your tank heavily stocked or do you overfeed?

 

Those are pretty high nitrate numbers for reef tanks. You might want to work on feeding less to get the numbers down. Possibly change any media more often (every two to three weeks) and siphon any detritus out of the backs of the tanks and off of the rocks.

 

Well in my 14gal i have a male and female black clownfish, and engineer goby and a cleaner shrimp. Along with a heavy clean up crew?

 

3 fish doesnt seem like much, but you have to remember 14 gallons is a small tank. I know the 1 inch of fish per 3 gallons of water is not always accurate, but it is for smaller tanks more so than larger set-ups. for a 14G tank the inches per gallons rule would allow you 4.6 inches of fish. Now, because this rule isnt always accurate (although some people would argue it should be closer to 1 inch per every 4 gallons) I will throw the engineer goby out of the equation due to its small bioload, even with the 2 clowns, your looking at an adult size of 3 inches each, so this means your still on the heavily stocked side of such a small tank.

Now, with that being said, by no means am I suggesting you remove your fish for smaller species, but knowing that you have a nitrate issue AND your well stocked, you NEED to keep up those weekly water changes, feed sparingly, or look into some other nutrient export (nitrate reactor/ refugium).

 

Yes,thats a high bioload for a 14 gal,along with water changes you can also clean filters or replace,if using bioballs-start cleaning them a few at a time over a week or 2,not all at once(just swish them in the old water from your next water change),and if your feeding frozen foods,it is packed with phoshates and nitrates,you can rinse with ro water through a strainer to wash away most of it.I would also consider lightening the bio load and vacuuming the sand,rock and any hidding spots for diterious(sp?)buildup that accumulates.Along with reducing feedings.Hope that helps

 

I agree you are on the heavy bio load side of things.

I also agree with you that you are pouring supplements down the drain so to speak.

Water Changes serve 2 purposes.

1. Replenish Elements. If you're changing regularly, no need to manually add them.
2. Act as a band-aid to remove waste (like nitrates)

I don't think you are going down the right path by controlling your high nitrates via WC. Do them, of course, till it is under control, but you need to eliminate the source of the nitrates.

Being high on the bio-load also tends to exasperate over feeding. Another common source of nitrates.

IMO, 2 clowns is too much for a 14 gallon tank. Agreed the goby isn't much to worry about though.

 

If i am doing water changes weekly, than i DONT need to add supplements???
What if my parameters are not ideal?

 

I see no reason to add supplements with weekly water changes. What params are not ideal? Now, if we were talking monthly water changes or in my case i havent done a water change in a year, then yes you need to add back what is being lost.

 

well my Mag was at 1162 when i tested it, and i think it is around 1250 after my weekly water change? I tested my water change water for mag, when i mixed it to 1.024 salinity and it read 1225, so i got some SeaChem Reef Adv Magnesium and started supplementing.
Is this unnecessary?