How often should I change my water? What %?
- Thread starter Phoxly
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
DragonFish71
Great white snark
I would be doing a partial change daily since you have fish. Do you have a liquid test kit? You'll want to get one, strips are not very accurate. You'll want to keep the ammonia below .25 so that it doesn't get as toxic (anything above 0 is toxic but in varying degrees) Also, don't use anything other than a good dechlorinator when you do a PWC. All that clear water, ammo-lock, pH adjuster crap isn't necessary.
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
I understood the post to say that they'll have those fish (as in, they dont have them yet)... unless I read it wrong
As for the percentage, it really all depends on your tests... Personally, I do 50% weekly in all of my tanks. Just gives me peace of mind. Most people are fine doing 20% weekly. If your ammonia and nitrite stay at 0 and your nitrate stays below 20ppm with 20% pwc's, thats good enough... I'd recommend 50% just because its easier to judge, and clean water is always a good thing
logansmomma1228
Aquarium Advice Addict
I have a 10 gallon with a dwarf puffer and I do about 30% (about 3.5 gallons) once a week. I will be adding otos soon and will probably bump it up to aboout 40% a week. It all depends on how messy your fish are and how high your levels (am, nI, nA) get. I would get the liquid test kit and test every other day until cycled. Once mine was cycled and I got my fish I checked my water every day for the first week or so until I knew he was good and now I check it once or twice a week. You can never have too many water changes, as long as you don't clean everything all at once you should be good.
mgamer20o0
Aquarium Advice Addict
weekly 10-20% is fine though the more you do the better. 50% would be great if you can.
black hills tj
Aquarium Advice Addict
I agree with MG
logansmomma1228
Aquarium Advice Addict
Huh I completely overlooked that part. Maybe if there is a M/F pair, but I am not too savvy on bettas. dkpate would be your expert there
Bobz
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
10-20% monthly is more than enough, especially for an underpopulated tank. Comments about the more the better does not apply to h2o changes, as you can shock the fish!
Bob in New York
Bob in New York
thincat
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2008
- Messages
- 5,330
In fresh water, 50% per "week" is great as long as you match the temp. and the PH.
Last edited:
Bobz
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
TC, apparently you didn't read my previous post! If you have a functioning tank, with adequate filtration, 10-20% is fine!
thincat
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2008
- Messages
- 5,330
I did read it. In a FW setup If you match the "parameters" as much as 50% is fine.
10-20% monthly is too little IMO. I change 50% a week in my 30g long because I am EI dosing. I still changed close to 40% weekly when I didn't have a high tech tank.
severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you keep up good husbandry practices to begin with, you're not going to shock your fish with a big water change. There's nothing wrong with 50% weekly; I've been doing it for years. In fact, I notice increased activity level and better coloration after the change is done. IMHO, fish love clean water.
To the OP: Please do not attempt to keep more than one betta in a 10 gallon tank. Even a pair cannot be housed together long term; breeders only put them together to spawn and then separate them when the deed is done. 2 males cannot be kept together. Some people have success keeping multiple females together, but more often than not IME this doesn't work for long either. Females can be just as aggressive as males.
If you were looking in to wild type bettas (imbellis, rutilans, etc.), they can actually be kept in pairs, many times in tanks as small as 5 gallons. Wild bettas can be hard to find though.
To the OP: Please do not attempt to keep more than one betta in a 10 gallon tank. Even a pair cannot be housed together long term; breeders only put them together to spawn and then separate them when the deed is done. 2 males cannot be kept together. Some people have success keeping multiple females together, but more often than not IME this doesn't work for long either. Females can be just as aggressive as males.
If you were looking in to wild type bettas (imbellis, rutilans, etc.), they can actually be kept in pairs, many times in tanks as small as 5 gallons. Wild bettas can be hard to find though.
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
I totally disagree.
The only way you're going to shock the fish is if you use water with different parameters, or you have a tank suffering from OTS and you do a massive water change. If you get in to the habit of doing large water changes from the start, all you're going to do is ensure that the fish have nice clean water.
As far as 10-20% being fine, it all depends on the tank. It is quite possible that would be sufficient on a very lightly stocked tank. Every tank is different though, and the only 100% way to know for sure is by testing the water. As I mentioned previously, I do a 50% pwc in all of my tanks every week, not because I have to, but because I want to for peace of mind
Bobz
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Water changes
Ph and temperature are 2 big if's....it appears that people change water for the "heck" of it or out of habit....I can't imagine changing that amount of habitat for no good reason and perhaps damaging the system.
Ph and temperature are 2 big if's....it appears that people change water for the "heck" of it or out of habit....I can't imagine changing that amount of habitat for no good reason and perhaps damaging the system.
logansmomma1228
Aquarium Advice Addict
Lol, I just love it when people come on here and act like they know everything. I tend to listen to the majority on here because they do know what they are talking about.
Changing the water keeps all the waste out of the tank so that the fish can live happily. Would you like to live in a room full of your own waste that only gets cleaned out once a month?
Changing the water doesn't hurt anything if you know what you are doing. The only time pH and temp affect the fish is if they fluctuate rapidly. A minor change in either won't do any harm whatsoever, and in most cases actually mimics the changing ecostystem of the fish' real habitats. The whole point is to recreate their natural habitats.
Oh and welcome to AA .
Changing the water keeps all the waste out of the tank so that the fish can live happily. Would you like to live in a room full of your own waste that only gets cleaned out once a month?
Changing the water doesn't hurt anything if you know what you are doing. The only time pH and temp affect the fish is if they fluctuate rapidly. A minor change in either won't do any harm whatsoever, and in most cases actually mimics the changing ecostystem of the fish' real habitats. The whole point is to recreate their natural habitats.
Oh and welcome to AA .
Andrewz00
Aquarium Advice FINatic
ITA!!!
not that you can judge by this... but... 4,960+ posts vs. 10 posts.... hmmm....
Bobz
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Not worth replying to.....some people have no idea what they're talking about.
brimac41
Aquarium Advice Activist
10 - 20% pwc MONTHLY , is not good enough for a heavily stocked system . It's funny how many of these members here have been keeping fish for years and years with healthy , happy fish while doing 50% pwcs weekly with nothing but great results and now they are to change this because someone states they are doing it for the heck of it or out of habit . What appears to me is that they know what is best for their set-ups and have a routine that keeps their fish in clean , healthy water so their fish will live long and healthy lives .
Similar threads
