Water Changes

[CJs Aquatics]

How much water do you change? I feel like it’s something everyone in the aquarium hobby does, a link which ties us all together. Sitting here looking through my tanks etc. it made me wonder how much water do you change and how often? Some aquarists monitor there nitrate/ nitrite levels and only change when needed. Some religiously change water weekly, daily, monthly, automatically, even never. It’s a general question to whomever reads this post, what have you had the most success with? Hopefully it will provide some insights into the simple thought process which determines how everyone goes about there maintenance…

[nabokovfan87]

If I'm using a python, it's just a 40-50% water change.  I setup the python to take out water and then get the stool and bucket and siphon out the substrate (avoid some sand going to the plumbing).

If I am using buckets, I try to keep it to 2-3 buckets worth of water.  It equates to just under 50% most of the time.  The tanks aren't filled to the brim, but they are generally full / taller side of the spectrum.  For my 10G I am always struggling to not pull out too much water..... and getting the water in the tank without spilling it everywhere. 😞

A lot of that method comes from having issues with algae that sends out spores.  I change a certain amount per week to try to remove those spores.

[CJs Aquatics]

I’ve always used a python and generally did 50% a week when I’m not lazy, however I decided recently to try to be a better aquarist and change more. That being said as crazy as it sounds I’ve actually been considering not using the python and going backwards towards pitcher/ bucket daily and very small working out to about 100% a week. I’ve had some tanks parameters for whatever reason that are so drastically different then what comes from my tap I want to gradually make it closer to that without chemicals. Just wondered other people’s thought processes 

[Scapexghost]

I rarely water change. I keep floating plants so nitrates are always low and the water out here has such high alkalinity ph crashes are a non concern.

[CJs Aquatics]

@Scapexghost when you thin your floating plants have you noticed nitrates going up?

[Scapexghost]

I am also of the semi controversial opinion that nitrates under 100 ppm are not dangerous to fish

On 4/1/2023 at 5:44 PM, CJs Aquatics said:

@Scapexghost when you thin your floating plants have you noticed nitrates going up?

I usually have to clear them out every 2-4 weeks so even if the go up a little it still averages under 20 ppm. If i didnt have any floating plants i would just get a big hair algae bloom and that will eat the nitrates.

[rockfisher]

This goes against what most people do and believe. I don’t do water changes very often. If I see something I don’t like I will do one or if there is a water parameter that is out of wack.  I just top off tanks. I do have plants but not heavily planted. I use a few types of filters. Hobs, UGF, and sponge. I feed several times a day but very small amounts. I rarely have disease or other issues. I have been through stretch’s we’re I have done them. When I’m dining them often I have more issues with the health of the fish. After I loading fish days after water changes I finally stopped. The other that looks and parameters I do vacuum some so I do have to replace the water I take out. When I do I try to not remove more than 15%.  I have many tanks so the ranges  incompass all

PH 6.2-6.8 

nitrates .25-.5

very hard water

I don’t see much change in nitrates when I thin floaters. I do fertilize in the water column about every 5 days.

Edited April 1 by rockfisher

[DaniV]

I test my water every week, and I do about 25% every 2 weeks, if not every week.  My nitrates are usually low, I've never seen them go above .5, but better to be safe than sorry!

[Scapexghost]

On 4/1/2023 at 5:53 PM, rockfisher said:

This goes against what most people do and believe. I don’t do water changes very often. If I see something I don’t like I will do one or if there is a water parameter that is out of wack.  I just top off tanks. I do have plants but not heavily planted. I use a few types of filters. Hobs, UGF, and sponge. I feed several times a day but very small amounts. I rarely have disease or other issues. I have been through stretch’s we’re I have done them. When I’m dining them often I have more issues with the health of the fish. After I loading fish days after water changes I finally stopped. The other that looks and parameters I do vacuum some so I do have to replace the water I take out. When I do I try to not remove more than 15%.  I have many tanks so the ranges  incompass all

PH 6.2-6.8 

nitrates .25-.5

very hard water

I don’t see much change in nitrates when I thin floaters. I do fertilize in the water column about every 5 days.

With floaters and stems the issue will always be not enough nitrates.

What kind of crazy test kits you guys have that can detect .5 nitrates?

 

[rockfisher]

On 4/1/2023 at 7:01 PM, Scapexghost said:

With floaters and stems the issue will always be not enough nitrates.

What kind of crazy test kits you guys have that can detect .5 nitrates?

 

In the US it’s measure in parts per million (ppm).  I think every where else  it’s Mg/L

[Scapexghost]

On 4/1/2023 at 6:07 PM, rockfisher said:

In the US it’s measure in parts per million (ppm).  I think every where else  it’s Mg/L

Ppm is the same a mg/L.

[Mmiller2001]

50% every 7 days here. There's no reason to test when doing this routine. 

[rockfisher]

On 4/1/2023 at 7:08 PM, Scapexghost said:

Ppm is the same a mg/L.

  Api test shows results as

[Ninjoma]

I think changing some water is a good idea regardless of what your nitrates test at because your tank is likely creating excess of something that you aren't testing for or is becoming deficient in something you aren't testing for. I will sometimes test my water before I do water changes to try to hit my target  nitrate level. More often I just change 25%-50% depending on what I feel up to.

[Scapexghost]

On 4/1/2023 at 6:19 PM, rockfisher said:

  Api test shows results as

It goes from 0 to 5 ppm so how can you tell is .5 ppm?

On 4/1/2023 at 6:25 PM, Ninjoma said:

I think changing some water is a good idea regardless of what your nitrates test at because your tank is likely creating excess of something that you aren't testing for or is becoming deficient in something you aren't testing for. I will sometimes test my water before I do water changes to try to hit my target  nitrate level. More often I just change 25%-50% depending on what I feel up to.

Thats fair but i think you can get away with bi-monthly water changes if your concern is something you cant test for

[Mmiller2001]

On 4/1/2023 at 5:25 PM, Ninjoma said:

I think changing some water is a good idea regardless of what your nitrates test at because your tank is likely creating excess of something that you aren't testing for or is becoming deficient in something you aren't testing for. I will sometimes test my water before I do water changes to try to hit my target  nitrate level. More often I just change 25%-50% depending on what I feel up to.

You are 100% correct. Soluble and insoluble organics build up and are algae triggers. Measuring TDS is a decent way to spot this kind of buildup.

[Lennie]

Every week, %20-25, including gravel vac with very slow flow. Actually water changes increase my nitrate amount in the water as my tap reads 20, but my tanks read around 10 at the end of the week 😄 

 

[Marcelo]

I do dry fertilization and EI method so I need to do a 50% water change per week. I have a cheap and simple RO filter and some 5 gal buckets that I fill during the week so I can fill the tank on the weekend  

[Sharon M]

I have a 20 gallon long, and do 20% water changes weekly.

My nitrates are zero, b/c I have Pothos, etc growing out of the top.

I'm thinking about going to 30% a week. 

I have 11 Head and Tail light Tetras and one little Honey Gorami (Hermann).

I think water changes are the equivalent of airing out your house. 

[rockfisher]

On 4/1/2023 at 7:26 PM, Scapexghost said:

It goes from 0 to 5 ppm so how can you tell is .5 ppm?

Thats fair but i think you can get away with bi-monthly water changes if your concern is something you cant test for

I agree. That’s about how often I tend to do a gravel vac. For 10 years from the ages of 13 to 23 never heard of a water change. I know people get worried about tds. I’m not to worried about them. I’m happy as long as my fish are breeding and they don’t get sick. Algae doesn’t bother me. On the glass, drift wood, rocks. If it starts to out grow plants then I have concerns but that doesn’t happen very often. I prefer my tanks look natural and a little algae is ok. 

[rockfisher]

On 4/1/2023 at 7:08 PM, Scapexghost said:

Ppm is the same a mg/L.

 

On 4/1/2023 at 7:26 PM, Scapexghost said:

It goes from 0 to 5 ppm so how can you tell is .5 ppm?

Thats fair but i think you can get away with bi-monthly water changes if your concern is something you cant test for

Because I’m not paying attention. Your right I was not paying attention. I meant 5. I would like to see it around 20-40. 

[jwcarlson]

In my discus tank - 90% daily.

In my fry boxes take about 75% of the water daily to clean up excess food on the bottoms.  About every other day swap boxes for a good scrub down.  

In all of my other tanks I now average one change about every two weeks.  Roughly 50%, typically.

Everything gets aged and preheated water to refill because of a big pH shift between tap and aged water.

[rockfisher]

On 4/1/2023 at 9:01 PM, jwcarlson said:

In my discus tank - 90% daily.

In my fry boxes take about 75% of the water daily to clean up excess food on the bottoms.  About every other day swap boxes for a good scrub down.  

In all of my other tanks I now average one change about every two weeks.  Roughly 50%, typically.

Everything gets aged and preheated water to refill because of a big pH shift between tap and aged water.

It’s amazingly how different we can get things to live in. My discus are the same. Almost no water changes. I do clean the filter every other day. That’s about it though. I do change water in the fry boxes daily. 

[Val]

I have one over-stocked goldfish tank.  I do 20% water changes using 5-gallon buckets 2-3 times a week.  I clean my canister filter once a month and the hoses twice a year.  I've had two versions of this tank for 17 years.  The water is very stable, so I check it maybe once a month.

[Flying fox 6523]

On 4/1/2023 at 7:27 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

You are 100% correct. Soluble and insoluble organics build up and are algae triggers. Measuring TDS is a decent way to spot this kind of buildup.

Water changes is like rain in the wild to fish in a tank,
I top mine off with stored up rain water & when it 
comes to doing a 50/75% water change, I mix my tap
water with my rain water, & that's every other month
I top off every other week just to refresh the water.