Water changes are, hands down, the single best method for reducing excess “nutrients” in your aquarium. Most hobbyists typically change 20% of their aquarium’s water volume every two weeks or so, and most of the time this yields acceptable results. But have you ever though about performing a non-stop continuous water change? Sure, the idea sounds daunting, but it’s really not that bad. There are multiple ways to do this type of water change, either via the protein skimmer or some type of dosing pump setup. The protein skimmer method simply involves running your skimmer very, very wet. The collection cup is constantly experiencing an overflow, and that water drains into some other type of collecting vessel. To replace the skimmed water, a hobbyist usually uses a dosing pump or a low flow powerhead that is connected to float switches or possible timers. The idea with the protein skimmer water change model is that you are removing the dirtiest water possible and adding new saltwater.
The constant water change that uses nothing but dosing pumps works more like a traditional water change in that it is simply pumping out tank water and replacing it with new water. It’s much simpler to setup than the wet skimming water change, but doesn’t remove the dirtiest water possible. Instead, it removes regular old water.
