water changes

[jdmLuzon]

I have a 65 gallon tall tank i do 20% water change every sunday but a friend of told me im doing it to much and that i should only do 25% every 2 weeks. now im lost! which one is more advisable? help please.

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[Mebbid]

50% weekly is quite standard among most aquarists actually. More water changes is better so you definitely aren't doing it too much.

 

[katiekelsey]

My lfs is very knowledgeable and they said doing a weekly water change is best. They said 90% of all problems can be avoided if you do weekly water changes. I have a 45 gal and it's fully stocked. One week I clean left side of gravel, next week I change only water, next week I clean right side of gravel, next week I change only water. Each week I'm changing 14 gal of water. I rarely lose a fish.

 

[cfosgate]

Fresh water is always better. Can't have too much of it. I do 30-50% weekly.

 

[Mokrytzki]

I do 30% change weekly on my 75 gallon and I think I will up it to at least 50%.

 

[anteatergoanna]

I do a 25% 2 x weekly. Fish love and deserve pristine water. Don't change your schedule.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

I change 50% weekly on a tank that I could probably change 20% and be fine. It is heavily understocked and I still do 50% weekly and vacuum add much gravel add I can.

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[BBradbury]

Water Changes

I have a 65 gallon tall tank i do 20% water change every sunday but a friend of told me im doing it to much and that i should only do 25% every 2 weeks. now im lost! which one is more advisable? help please.

Sent from my LG-MS770 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Hello jdm...

Your aquarium is an "unflushed" toilet. To keep the inhabitants healthy, you have to flush the toilet "tank" regularly and often. Don't you? A water change of less than 50 percent is useless, because you leave a lot of wastes in the tank. I change at minimum half the water every week or two and keep a lot of floating plants in there to use what little wastes are left.

If you're getting out the gear for a water change, then make it worth the effort and remove half. It doesn't take much longer and the fish would agree. Follow an aggressive water change routine and you can skip the water testing. You'll always know the tank water is safe for the fish and plants.

B

 

[Noviceafter2yea]

Vacuum

Along this line of questioning, how often should a tank be vacuumed when trying to stabilize water quality parameters?

 

[Mifsud]

Noviceafter2yea: I sort of have to disagree with everyone here to answer you, but here goes:

I lightly vacuum once a week to remove buildup of mulm and perform a 30% water change once a month. Changing the water is good, but removing detritus is better.

 

[Mebbid]

Along this line of questioning, how often should a tank be vacuumed when trying to stabilize water quality parameters?

Coming from a planted tank background, you don't actually need to vac The substrate of your tank. I have a actually never vacced the substrate of my tanks. The water is what you should be worried most about. However, regular cleanings of the substrate will help to limit nitrates in your tank assuming you're using gravel.

Noviceafter2yea: I sort of have to disagree with everyone here to answer you, but here goes:

I lightly vacuum once a week to remove buildup of mulm and perform a 30% water change once a month. Changing the water is good, but removing detritus is better.

How are your nitrate levels holding up and how heavily stocked is your tank?

 

[Mifsud]

AqAdvisor stocks me at 86%. At the beginning of the month they're around 10mg/L and by the end around 20mg/L.

My tank is planted so I don't vacuum deep, just debris from the surface. After vacuuming I replace about 10% of the water in the tank. Filter is serviced on the first Sunday of every month.

 

[Noviceafter2yea]

Coming from a planted tank background, you don't actually need to vac The substrate of your tank. I have a actually never vacced the substrate of my tanks. The water is what you should be worried most about. However, regular cleanings of the substrate will help to limit nitrates in your tank assuming you're using gravel.



How are your nitrate levels holding up and how heavily stocked is your tank?

Mebbid, you have given me useful feedback lately with problems with my ammonia levels.

My tank has been cycling since late February.
20 gallons
10 fish, one snail
3 bleeding heart tetras, 3 platys, 1 guppy, 2 Cory catfish, 1 Dalmatian mollie

For a while, I had high ammonia readings. I did frequent water changes and after a battle, finally got my ammonia close to 0. As soon as my ammonia normalized, my N2 reading spiked. I posted pics in my other threads, but essentially it was a dark purple and I could not distinguish where between 2 and 5 it was. I continue with water changes.

I haven't vacuumed for a while because I am afraid I will kick up gases that will kick the ammonia back into high gear. I have a very hard time getting the vacuum (manual) going and am lucky when it does siphons the water the way it should. I have gravel.

My N2 reading today was still darker purple. My N3 is between 10 and 15. Ammonia 0. Ph, steady 7.4. I should also mention that I thought one of my platys was sick, but when I removed her to quarantine, turned out she gave birth. To keep her from eating the fry, I returned her to the main tank. I removed every baby from the QT and gave them away.

Another platy looks like she has a nipped tail fin and I cannot tell whether she also has a few damaged scales from a guppy that chases her around and is stuck to her like glue. The faded area does not look fuzzy.

Otherwise, my fish seem happy. I would like to do a vacuum soon.

 

[Mebbid]

If you are worried about kicking up your substrate and want to do a water change you can tilt the siphon sideways in the tank and allow it to fill with water, lift it tip first out of the water until the water starts running down the hose, and then submerge it quickly before it empties. It's the easiest and safest (tank water tastes nasty) way to start a manual siphon I've found.

Go ahead and do the water changes, your ammonia will spike a little since you have ammonia in your tap but it will knock your nitrite levels down a lot.

 

[Noviceafter2yea]

Thanks Mebbid. I really appreciate all of the feedback you have given me

 

[Delapool]

Here the water is soft, so I have to do large pwc's each week otherwise kh / ph drops.

 

[BBradbury]

Tank Vacuuming

Along this line of questioning, how often should a tank be vacuumed when trying to stabilize water quality parameters?

Hello Nov...

The bottom material doesn't need to be vacuumed. The organic material that collects on the bottom will dissolve in the tank water. So, you just need to remove the water and replace it to remove the dissolved wastes.

Large, frequent water changes will guarantee stable water properties.

B