How Often Should Water Be Changed And How Much?

[raptorrex]

water changes dont do any harm as long as your not doing too much at a time, all the time.

i do 30% about 3 times a week (just because i enjoy my tank maintenance )

If the tank is mature ... a 100% WC can be done with no ill affects.

thats if you considder scooping the fish up and putting them in a bucket, has no ill effect. which some may question.

How often should water be changed and how much?

How long is a piece of string?

succinctly put!

Way too simplistic!

Well given the wealth of information you just dispensed I'd say I was more helpful than you're being.

you may have been TRYING to be more helpful, but tyyrlym is quite correct imo.


incidentally the average water change amount, take from just this thread, is 30%. oddly a figure that crops up every time this subject is mentioned.

 

[tyyrlym]

Giving oversimplified, incorrect information isn`t being helpful. I know what changes I need to carry out inrelation to my tanks circumstances, but this info is unlikely to be of help to the OP.

Perhaps advice should be given in regard to the OP`s circumstances. That might help.

The OP didn't provide details on their circumstances and even with a precise fish count, tank size, plants, etc. the variables are too many to be able to say with any certainty that X% of the water Y times a week will be sufficient. The appropriate way to determine that is to monitor the water parameters and determine for your own specific tank and yourself what you need/want to do in respect to water changes to keep nitrates, the primary reason that water changes are required, to acceptable levels.

Unless the OP provides more details then "Watch your nitrates and change your water often enough to keep them to acceptable levels," is about as specific as you can get and unless basic fishkeeping has radically changed in the last 24 hours I'm not seeing how that's incorrect.

 

[Gatorbait]

2ft tank = 25% waterchange weekly
3ft tanks = 30% waterchange fortnight.
4ft tank = 30% waterchange every 3 weeks.

any above 4ft 30% monthly.

This going by a well established tank thats not overstocked, the bigger the tank, the more consistantly they become and need less maintinance.

I disagree.

There's no way large cichlids and piranhas can live a healthy life with just a 30% water change every month.

 

[5teady_2012]

2ft tank = 25% waterchange weekly
3ft tanks = 30% waterchange fortnight.
4ft tank = 30% waterchange every 3 weeks.

any above 4ft 30% monthly.

This going by a well established tank thats not overstocked, the bigger the tank, the more consistantly they become and need less maintinance.

I disagree.

There's no way large cichlids and piranhas can live a healthy life with just a 30% water change every month.

Maybe you should pay attention to the original poster,

i was going by the type of fish he has (whistles)

If you take the time to read is profile, then maybe you would know

10g tank
-2 zebra danios
-2 golden danios
-1 bronze cory
-1 golden gourami

 

[Gatorbait]

2ft tank = 25% waterchange weekly
3ft tanks = 30% waterchange fortnight.
4ft tank = 30% waterchange every 3 weeks.

any above 4ft 30% monthly.

This going by a well established tank thats not overstocked, the bigger the tank, the more consistantly they become and need less maintinance.

I disagree.

There's no way large cichlids and piranhas can live a healthy life with just a 30% water change every month.

Maybe you should pay attention to the original poster,

i was going by the type of fish he has (whistles)

If you take the time to read is profile, then maybe you would know

10g tank
-2 zebra danios
-2 golden danios
-1 bronze cory
-1 golden gourami

If that's the case then just comment on the 10g tank then. Nowhere did he say for HIS tank. And you weren't posting for his tank only unless you honestly think he's going to put 2 guppies in a 6 foot long tank?

Maybe you should pay attention to what you write. I did read his profile and I saw nowhere did he have a 4 ft tank or a 4ft+ tank that you commented on.

Either way to give out 30% water change a month is bad advice when you don't know the filtration, foods given etc. Even for his 10g tank a 30% water change a month is inadequate.

 

[5teady_2012]

2ft tank = 25% waterchange weekly
3ft tanks = 30% waterchange fortnight.
4ft tank = 30% waterchange every 3 weeks.

any above 4ft 30% monthly.

This going by a well established tank thats not overstocked, the bigger the tank, the more consistantly they become and need less maintinance.

I disagree.

There's no way large cichlids and piranhas can live a healthy life with just a 30% water change every month.

Maybe you should pay attention to the original poster,

i was going by the type of fish he has (whistles)

If you take the time to read is profile, then maybe you would know

10g tank
-2 zebra danios
-2 golden danios
-1 bronze cory
-1 golden gourami

If that's the case then just comment on the 10g tank then. Nowhere did he say for HIS tank. And you weren't posting for his tank only unless you honestly think he's going to put 2 guppies in a 6 foot long tank?

Maybe you should pay attention to what you write. I did read his profile and I saw nowhere did he have a 4 ft tank or a 4ft+ tank that you commented on.

Either way to give out 30% water change a month is bad advice when you don't know the filtration, foods given etc. Even for his 10g tank a 30% water change a month is inadequate.

you muppet,

On the type of fish he has, if he was to have same fish in the diffrent sizes of tanks i was giving him a rough idea how it works..

A well established tank, especially bigger dont need water changes as often has smaller ones..

 

[Elrohirthehasty]

Actually alot of betta keepers need to do 90%+ every few days as alot dont use filters (bettas dont like the flow).

True, but that's a specialized instance though. The advice I usually hear for bettas is to do the changes more often and keep them down to 50% at most. And its still not a 100% water change that's going to require moving the fish out of the tank and causing it way more stress than is needed for a simple water change.

I remember I had a betta a long time ago and I kept it in a plastic gallon tank. Every month I would catch it and do a 100% change! It was kinda a hassle.

Thanks for all the input everybody!

 

[Gatorbait]

2ft tank = 25% waterchange weekly
3ft tanks = 30% waterchange fortnight.
4ft tank = 30% waterchange every 3 weeks.

any above 4ft 30% monthly.

This going by a well established tank thats not overstocked, the bigger the tank, the more consistantly they become and need less maintinance.

I disagree.

There's no way large cichlids and piranhas can live a healthy life with just a 30% water change every month.

Maybe you should pay attention to the original poster,

i was going by the type of fish he has (whistles)

If you take the time to read is profile, then maybe you would know

10g tank
-2 zebra danios
-2 golden danios
-1 bronze cory
-1 golden gourami

If that's the case then just comment on the 10g tank then. Nowhere did he say for HIS tank. And you weren't posting for his tank only unless you honestly think he's going to put 2 guppies in a 6 foot long tank?

Maybe you should pay attention to what you write. I did read his profile and I saw nowhere did he have a 4 ft tank or a 4ft+ tank that you commented on.

Either way to give out 30% water change a month is bad advice when you don't know the filtration, foods given etc. Even for his 10g tank a 30% water change a month is inadequate.

you muppet,

On the type of fish he has, if he was to have same fish in the diffrent sizes of tanks i was giving him a rough idea how it works..

A well established tank, especially bigger dont need water changes as often has smaller ones..

Nice class.

So you expect him to get a 6 foot or 8 foot tank and put those fish in and was giving him advice on that? yea riiiiight.

I was only posting, not because I care what you think or believe, but because I don't want people that are newer to the hobby and see your post about larger tanks only needing 30% water change a month and think that's correct. You can't generalize like you are without taking everything into account. You have NO CLUE what his filtration is and what he's feeding so how can you be so sure 30% a month is ok for a water change??? With some foods he might have to do a minimum water change of 30% every couple days!


If you can't take someone having a different opinion than you without calling them names maybe forums aren't for you. Just because YOU think something is correct doesn't mean it is so. (Same with me, just because I believe something doesn't mean I'm right. I wouldn't call you names and disrespect you because you thought differently though) I disagree with everything you've said and I said so in a polite manner. You've done nothing but get cocky and smart aleck and call me names.

I still disagree with everything you've said in this thread, including your last post, but I'm done with you and don't care to get into a pissing contest with someone I have such a lack of respect for when it comes to their husbandry skills and socialization.

Have a nice day.

 

[5teady_2012]

2ft tank = 25% waterchange weekly
3ft tanks = 30% waterchange fortnight.
4ft tank = 30% waterchange every 3 weeks.

any above 4ft 30% monthly.

This going by a well established tank thats not overstocked, the bigger the tank, the more consistantly they become and need less maintinance.

I disagree.

There's no way large cichlids and piranhas can live a healthy life with just a 30% water change every month.

Maybe you should pay attention to the original poster,

i was going by the type of fish he has (whistles)

If you take the time to read is profile, then maybe you would know

10g tank
-2 zebra danios
-2 golden danios
-1 bronze cory
-1 golden gourami

If that's the case then just comment on the 10g tank then. Nowhere did he say for HIS tank. And you weren't posting for his tank only unless you honestly think he's going to put 2 guppies in a 6 foot long tank?

Maybe you should pay attention to what you write. I did read his profile and I saw nowhere did he have a 4 ft tank or a 4ft+ tank that you commented on.

Either way to give out 30% water change a month is bad advice when you don't know the filtration, foods given etc. Even for his 10g tank a 30% water change a month is inadequate.

you muppet,

On the type of fish he has, if he was to have same fish in the diffrent sizes of tanks i was giving him a rough idea how it works..

A well established tank, especially bigger dont need water changes as often has smaller ones..

Nice class.

So you expect him to get a 6 foot or 8 foot tank and put those fish in and was giving him advice on that? yea riiiiight.

I was only posting, not because I care what you think or believe, but because I don't want people that are newer to the hobby and see your post about larger tanks only needing 30% water change a month and think that's correct. You can't generalize like you are without taking everything into account. You have NO CLUE what his filtration is and what he's feeding so how can you be so sure 30% a month is ok for a water change??? With some foods he might have to do a minimum water change of 30% every couple days!


If you can't take someone having a different opinion than you without calling them names maybe forums aren't for you. Just because YOU think something is correct doesn't mean it is so. (Same with me, just because I believe something doesn't mean I'm right. I wouldn't call you names and disrespect you because you thought differently though) I disagree with everything you've said and I said so in a polite manner. You've done nothing but get cocky and smart aleck and call me names.

I still disagree with everything you've said in this thread, including your last post, but I'm done with you and don't care to get into a pissing contest with someone I have such a lack of respect for when it comes to their husbandry skills and socialization.

Have a nice day.

like i giv a crap what you think..

respect? i dont what your anyways.

if someone is having to do waterchanges every couple of days of feeding food, then they should quit the hobby...

If your having to regular waterchanges more often than you should be, then obviously something is wrong (that they are doing) - (obviously this is diffrent on breeding purposes)

jeeeez lol, i only do a waterchange on my 4ft once every month and beforehand the tests come up perfect, ohh that must be cos im not overstocked or overfeeeding

Most of my 2 ft tanks run off small sponge filters and they get waterchanged once weekly and beforehand the tests come up spot on as well.

If your doing things properly and going by the proper guides then your tank should be running well enough for these changes to become less the more the tank is established.

Obviously newbies make this mistake i understand, and maybe i didnt take this in to consideration, but what i put was not bad advice, just maybe wrong advice to a newbie or someone who not know lot about the hobby.


PS, i appologise for calling you a muppet

 

[Mr._Fishy]

I do ~50% weekly on my 80g, a little less than 50% twice a week on my 29g piranha tank, and 20%ish weekly on my 10g fowlr.

 

[Orodreth]

I do roughly 25 - 30% on my 40(ish) gallon once a week usually. Although at the moment I'm doing more frequent ones because I have been experiencing some higher than "normal" nitrates for no reason.

 

[tlef316]

i do 25% weekly on my 75 gallon. I'ts heavily planted and about 15% overstocked (if you're going by the 1 inch/gallon rule and counting my fish at their adult size) Its probably overkill, as i dont have nitrate issues (Havent been over 20 since it finished cycling). However, i have a sand bottom and some tight spaces where debris tends to collect, so i just vacuum the bottom every week. 4 buckets out, 4 buckets in. Takes about half an hour unless i am planting or doing a rescape.

 

[gearyboy]

I do 30% every two weeks, works for me!

and me

 

[ALW]

I do about 30% every two weeks for my 20G

 

[Gatorbait]

2ft tank = 25% waterchange weekly
3ft tanks = 30% waterchange fortnight.
4ft tank = 30% waterchange every 3 weeks.

any above 4ft 30% monthly.

This going by a well established tank thats not overstocked, the bigger the tank, the more consistantly they become and need less maintinance.

I disagree.

There's no way large cichlids and piranhas can live a healthy life with just a 30% water change every month.

Maybe you should pay attention to the original poster,

i was going by the type of fish he has (whistles)

If you take the time to read is profile, then maybe you would know

10g tank
-2 zebra danios
-2 golden danios
-1 bronze cory
-1 golden gourami

If that's the case then just comment on the 10g tank then. Nowhere did he say for HIS tank. And you weren't posting for his tank only unless you honestly think he's going to put 2 guppies in a 6 foot long tank?

Maybe you should pay attention to what you write. I did read his profile and I saw nowhere did he have a 4 ft tank or a 4ft+ tank that you commented on.

Either way to give out 30% water change a month is bad advice when you don't know the filtration, foods given etc. Even for his 10g tank a 30% water change a month is inadequate.

you muppet,

On the type of fish he has, if he was to have same fish in the diffrent sizes of tanks i was giving him a rough idea how it works..

A well established tank, especially bigger dont need water changes as often has smaller ones..

Nice class.

So you expect him to get a 6 foot or 8 foot tank and put those fish in and was giving him advice on that? yea riiiiight.

I was only posting, not because I care what you think or believe, but because I don't want people that are newer to the hobby and see your post about larger tanks only needing 30% water change a month and think that's correct. You can't generalize like you are without taking everything into account. You have NO CLUE what his filtration is and what he's feeding so how can you be so sure 30% a month is ok for a water change??? With some foods he might have to do a minimum water change of 30% every couple days!


If you can't take someone having a different opinion than you without calling them names maybe forums aren't for you. Just because YOU think something is correct doesn't mean it is so. (Same with me, just because I believe something doesn't mean I'm right. I wouldn't call you names and disrespect you because you thought differently though) I disagree with everything you've said and I said so in a polite manner. You've done nothing but get cocky and smart aleck and call me names.

I still disagree with everything you've said in this thread, including your last post, but I'm done with you and don't care to get into a pissing contest with someone I have such a lack of respect for when it comes to their husbandry skills and socialization.

Have a nice day.

like i giv a crap what you think..

respect? i dont what your anyways.

if someone is having to do waterchanges every couple of days of feeding food, then they should quit the hobby...

If your having to regular waterchanges more often than you should be, then obviously something is wrong (that they are doing) - (obviously this is diffrent on breeding purposes)

jeeeez lol, i only do a waterchange on my 4ft once every month and beforehand the tests come up perfect, ohh that must be cos im not overstocked or overfeeeding

Most of my 2 ft tanks run off small sponge filters and they get waterchanged once weekly and beforehand the tests come up spot on as well.

If your doing things properly and going by the proper guides then your tank should be running well enough for these changes to become less the more the tank is established.

Obviously newbies make this mistake i understand, and maybe i didnt take this in to consideration, but what i put was not bad advice, just maybe wrong advice to a newbie or someone who not know lot about the hobby.


PS, i appologise for calling you a muppet

I wasn't going to post to you anymore but I now feel I should after this post.

I want to say thank you for apologizing for the name calling and no hard feelings then. Things happen and it's also hard to tell the sincerity in posts when it comes to text. Thank you very much. Looking back on this whole thing I shouldn't have said I disagree in my first post. I shouldn't have quoted you and just posted and gave my opinion. That seemed to put you on the defensive right away and for that I apologize. I was just looking for your input in return and to have a debate with you as to why you felt that way. It went totally wrong from the beginning.

In a normal debate when opinions differ I would have worded things differently than I did so as not to come across like I did. I will admit that I'm very old-school and set in my ways and even though it doesn't show in my posts I do realize that when I read other peoples opinions.

I'm here mainly to try and help people with piranhas because they've been a love and passion of mine for 20 years and I feel are one of the most mis-treated fish in the aquarium world. I also learn new things and like reading users input.

We have differing opinions and I can respect that. Like I said previously, just because I feel a certain way doesn't mean that I am not open to others opinions that differ from mine.

IMO, a 30% waterchange is too little for any size tank but at least now I feel like I can respect your opinion and perhaps learn from you as to why you think that way and from other things you post about also.

Either way, I am glad we got this worked out and I hope no hard feelings from your end either because I never intended that from the start but we both got out of hand and defensive.

Thank you again and I apologize also.