How much or many water-changes do you do per week?

[Desktop Aquatics]

I pose this question to get an idea if I am over water changing or just get an idea about what everyone else does. I personally do a 30% water change twice a week on my 17gal aquarium. It has worked great for me and my parameters are steady and the fish are extremely healthy and breeding.

What's your schedule? how much and how often do you change your tanks water?

P.S. this isn't really asking for advice, just peoples experiences!

Edited August 21, 2021 by Kylec

[Guppysnail]

In my experience if something is working do not change it. I have always given no less than 10%-20% daily +40% weekly. My source water has high nitrates I have heavy waste producers I feed generously I always have some form of fry. that’s just me. Every person has what works for them and they feel it is the best method or they would do it differently is what I have seen from many discussions on here. You can search water changes there are a plethora of discussions if that helps 😁

[Mmiller2001]

I do 50-60% every 7 days. 

[Patrick_G]

I’ve learned from participating in this forum that everyone does what feels right to them. Before I joined I was doing regular weekly 30% water changes. Now I’m monitoring parameters, and doing few if any water changes except when I’ve dosed some meds. My tanks are all planted, some heavily, so that helps keep Nitrates under control. 

[lefty o]

im not a chronic water changer. i do it when it looks like it needs it.

[Colu]

I do 25% water change once a week on all my tanks I test on reqular basis and have lots of plants if something off I can catch it early  if you have lots of live plants.and test your water on a regular basis you can get a way with smaller less frequent water changes 

Edited August 21, 2021 by Colu

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I have 5 tanks, two 20gal (with same filtration and lights), one 10, one 3 and one 9. Obviously I use the same water source and 3 of them the same substrates- obviously there are different stocking levels and plants/wood in each. It's amazing how different each little eco-system is. I test all my tanks 1x a week because I happen to enjoy it- the science part of keeping tanks is fun. When I originally started with a 20gal I would change 3 or 4 gallons a week to vacuum the substrate more than anything. That tank, despite several rearrangements and addition of plants still seems to like the same water changes, while the 20 next to it-  never needs it. Others say small tanks are the HARDEST to stabilize- I've never had that issue- my 3 gal cube is more steady than any of them- in fact I set up the same tank for my Mum for ADF and since a week before Mother's day she's not had to do ANY changes, just top offs. I don't mind changing water- I could do partial changes on all my tanks and be done in under an hour- but I'd say for me I only do it when I feel like vacuuming the substrates or if there is a parameter issue that would require it. 

[Scott P.]

One water change per week. 20-30%

[Ken]

Whenever the test strips say I should... Or I just feel like it.

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/pages/water-changes?_pos=1&_psq=water&_ss=e&_v=1.0

 

Edited August 22, 2021 by Ken
Spelling. You know what I meant.

[Odd Duck]

Depends on the tank.  Usually 50-60% weekly change on pea puffers (messy murder beans) and snail and blackworm culture tanks, from 10-25% weekly to every other week on other fish tanks, maybe 10-20% anywhere from 2-4 weeks on plant only tanks depending on how many snails in the tank with the plants, and mostly just top off shrimp tanks weekly with RODI.

[Jennifer V]

I do a ~50 percent change weekly on my 10g and water top offs in between because I end up sucking a lot of water out when cleaning up after feedings. I typically have high nitrates in that tank otherwise I would probably do less. I also do ~50 percent weekly in my 5g with some smaller changes in between but that tank has mysterious ammonia issues. 

It sounds like you've found a great formula that works for you. Nice work! 

[Maximus297759]

I do 50-70% on my 125s weekly but I’ll skip week if I don’t want mess with it. If go by test strips prob ounce ever 4-6 weeks.

[CalmedByFish]

When the parameters get bossy. 

I actually went about 4 years with nothing but top-offs on a tank that had no plants, 1 fish, and a bunch of snails. Then I bought an assassin snail, which promptly died. I emailed the company I bought it from to ask if they had any idea why... and I was informed that nitrates are a thing. 

So now I'm here. Hi! 😂

[ARMYVET]

Auto water change system.  All 15 tanks they are  20 gallon tanks get a 25 percent water every 3 days automatically.  

[StevesFishTanks]

This program runs daily at 4am. flow rate is fixed at 0.5gpm

I have other tanks that I fill with manual programs. Usually the planted 125 gets a 40/50 gallon change every 3 weeks 

Edited August 21, 2021 by s1_

[Isaac M]

The amount of water changes I do is dependent on the ecosystem I have and what my goal is at the time. I tend to run heavily planted aquariums so most of my nutrient export is through the plants. However, when nitrates start running over 40-50ppm, I will do a water change. This will happen if I am feeding heavy and often. If I feed just once a day and a normal amount, I often go at least a month without a water change and most often longer than that. The important thing for me is to test my water to keep old tank syndrome away. 

With my reef tank that has no form of nutrient export (no protein skimmer, chaeto, or other form of special filtration), I do smaller weekly water changes (10% or so). 

[Charose]

20% every other week, I keep heavily planted and lightly stocked tanks 

[Kathy F]

I honestly don't know.  I test every other day using test strips and change when they reach 30ppm or higher in nitrate and/or when I need to maintain the plants.    If I had to guess I would say the goldfish tank gets 75% of their water changed every 4 days, the community tank is 50% eveery 6-8 days, the betta tank 50% every 2 weeks and unsure about the glofish tanks since that is too new judge yet and still not fully stocked, Hospital tank changes depends on what is in there and what they are being treated with.    If I ever get in a jam and can't change the water is much I cut back on feedings until my scedule can right itself (usually happens if I am sick or if my medically complex son is struggling healthwise).  

 

   

Edited August 21, 2021 by Kathy F

[ARMYVET]

On 8/21/2021 at 12:29 AM, s1_ said:

This program runs daily at 4am. flow rate is fixed at 0.5gpm

I have other tanks that I fill with manual programs. Usually the planted 125 gets a 40/50 gallon change every 3 weeks 

May I ask what controller you are using?  I am using the Rachio 3

[laritheloud]

30-50% once per week on all my tanks.

[StevesFishTanks]

On 8/21/2021 at 8:28 AM, ARMYVET said:

May I ask what controller you are using?  I am using the Rachio 3

Orbit 57950 B-hyve Smart 12-Zone Indoor/Outdoor Sprinkler Controller

[sudofish]

When I first started I changed weekly just because "that's what you do". Now I rarely change water, I just do top offs. I look at my plants and fish. If they look good I don't do anything. I test parameters every month or so just to confirm what I already know.

[Gonz]

for my 20 gallon long with breeding albino bristle nose, it is 1 or 2  water changes as week.

My 29 gallon is once every 2 weeks and my 75 is once a week. 

However if I test and the nitrates are below 30ppm I let it ride to the next scheduled day.

[ARMYVET]

On 8/21/2021 at 10:52 AM, sudofish said:

When I first started I changed weekly just because "that's what you do". Now I rarely change water, I just do top offs. I look at my plants and fish. If they look good I don't do anything. I test parameters every month or so just to confirm what I already know.

In my main display tank I do the same thing.  I clean the prefilter weekly but let the plants and the tank do its thing.  In the fish room where I am breeding fish.  I water change alot because of the heavy feeding I do and I want to maintain excellent water conditions.  I cant say for a certainity but I feel it allows the babies to grow at an increased rate.  I could be wrong...LOL  

[HH Morant]

Once every 3 weeks, 50-67% water change in a 120-gallon tank. 13 angels, an electric blue acara, 4 bristlenose, 3 albino marbled hoplos, 2 brown hoplos, 7 corydoras. I try not to clean the 2 canister filters unless flow is decreased significantly, and it looks like that will be every 3 months or so. I don't have any mechanical filtration in the canisters, so that helps them function for a long time between cleanings and more fully develop as biological filters.