Water Change Intervals?

[black hills tj]

Hey everyone,

My 29g tank is surprisingly clear for what it is. Some people call it overstocked, but I think it looks nice. I am running an UGF and it does a good job of keeping it clear, but i'm thinking maybe more water changes would help me out.

When I do a water change, I swap about 10-20%, and I usually do them every couple of weeks. My dad also periodically does changes as well. From what I've seen, some people do 2 changes a week. Will this help clear the tank up? My dad and I have been maintencing this tank in this fashion for a couple yars and it seems fine. Will more frequent changes throw off the balance/stability?

Today when I changed I tested my ph and compared it to the ph of the water I was putting in. The tank tested at about 6.5, and the new water tested around 7-7.5. Everything seems pretty stable.
Thanks,

Mike

 

[plecoperson]

I do 50% water changes a week, and gravel-clean each time. I just finished the 75 gallon the old-fashioned way, with 14 5 gallon buckets hauled. Now it's time for pizza.

What are the other parameters of your water? And you might want to take a piece of airline tubing and vacuum under the UGF plate every coupla weeks.

 

[Zagz]

I also do 50% per week on each tank, gravel vacs included.

 

[black hills tj]

Regarding the water params....hehe yeah, right...

I actually just ordered an API master test kit earlier today.

I don't have a python yet, then again I'm only moving about 5 gallons of water when I do my changes. I'm not sure about my dad, but I always vac the gravel when i do my changes. Looks like I'll be swapping more water now though.

 

[rich311k]

I do 50% a week on my tanks. I think it keeps everyone healthier and happier.

 

[black hills tj]

How much/how often is too much/too often when it comes to water changes?

 

[rich311k]

Good questions. I feel as long as you match temperature and Kh you can change as much as you want as often as you want.

 

[black hills tj]

can you explain Kh a little bit please?

 

[rich311k]

KH is the carbonate hardness of the water. It shows how much buffering ability your water has. Fish seem to be affected by drastic changes, say of more than 1 degree at a time. Let me poke around and see if I can find a good link for you.

 

[black hills tj]

hmm...the API master kit I ordered earlier doesn't seem to include a KH test.

 

[rich311k]

Here is a good link. Kh article.

It is a separate kit.

 

[black hills tj]

Thanks Rich, I'll take a look at it

If I changed 5 gal of my 29g today, would it be okay to change another 5 or more tomorrow? I did a pretty thorough change today(really vacced the gravel) and noticed more crap in the substrate than I thought. This is why I want to do another change soon.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Yes, you'll be fine. I don't think you can do too many changes. I do 50 to 75% weekly on my tanks, sometimes twice a week if I feel like it.

 

[black hills tj]

Looks like I'll be changing another 5g tomorrow. ya know what...maybe I'll do 10g. Thanks for the info guys.

 

[tropicfishman]

I do about a 40% every week and vaccum the gravel every week also. once a month I clean my canister filter. I also havea 29 gallon. Everyone says mine is overstocked too so don't feel bad lol

 

[MSU Fan]

I do 50% PWC every week (includes gravel vac - oh, and my tank is planted), and I clean all the sponges and change the filter floss on my XP3 every 2 weeks.

 

[severum mama]

For me, it depends on the tank. I've been so busy lately that I've been slacking, but the usual schedule is 50-60% weekly, except on my discus tank- that one gets 50% pwc's every 2-3 days. I have a Python, so it's just as easy for me to change 50% as it is to change 25%, you know?


As far as your tank goes, I know the water looks clear, but I'm interested to know what your test results are once your kit arrives. Also, if you're worried about KH changing since you don't have a KH kit, you can always just do smaller, more frequent changes, like 20-30% 2-3 times per week. I hope you get your new tank set up soon; that really is a lot of fish for one tank.

 

[LandGhoti]

I change 50% a week and gravel vac, and am planted. For a while I was doing twice a week changes when I had some traceable nitrites (but no ammonia) and now everything is back where it should be.

For as many fish as you have, I have to say the tank does not look crowded in your pics.

I'll also be interested to see what your params are when you get your test kit. When I had a tank in my teens, I only tested for pH too, and all the water conditioning I did was to put some Water Rite in at every gravel vac/water change. And everyone lived. 8O

 

[squawkbert]

So far, I do 40-50% every other week for my (now) moderately planted tank. I do try to go a little light on the ferts to keep from killing anything. My NO3 levels are usually just off the bottom of the scale (but I use prime, so I'm probably one to two divisions off on that reading w/ an API kit).

 

[Toirtis]

Good questions. I feel as long as you match temperature and Kh you can change as much as you want as often as you want.

I concur....my tanks all get 50%-100% anywhere from once to three times weekly. More water changes mean happier, healthier fish that will grow faster and have better immune response.