Water change query

[andreisdabest]

Is 10% water change every 3 days enough or should i increase that? Its a 10gal tank with 2 mollies and lots of shrimp

 

[Colin_T]

75% once or twice a week.

 

[itiwhetu]

I do 25% once a week.

 

[hansgruber7]

I think 10 percent every three days should be fine, but personally I do 25-30% every week, which has been working well. It's less work to do once a week instead of twice. Doing large 75 percent changes is great too; it's just that you have less margin for error when you do that. If you get parameters like PH or temperature off significantly, a 75 percent change at once can be risky. If you're doing smaller changes at a time, and you get something wrong, the swing won't be as large.

 

[Tropical Tony]

I do 40-50% once a week and seems to keep everything happy.

 

[kribensis12]

I think you will find very different information from almost every person on this forum; along with many great links to many great aquarists who also have different views.

The reality is this: In the wild, fish continually experience new, fresh water. The more you change it, within reason, the more close to "natural" as your fish will experience.

I change 25-30% weekly - that includes a gravel vacuum to help make sure that there is not excess waste in the gravel causing nitrates etc. My fish are very healthy, very active and my water levels are very good (0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite and <10ppm Nitrates).

There is such a thing as too little water changes, but rarely too much. In my personal perspective (having 2 kids, third on the way, working full time and spouse working full time), the best water change schedule is one that provides a stable, healthy environment for your fish and that is consistently doable for you.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I'm in the 50%+ weekly camp unless you have a high bio-load, then it would be more volume, or more frequently. You also have a bit of a buffer if you have fast growing (especially floating) plants as they'll use ammonia as their nitrogen source. As @kribensis12 points out (and in my sig) there's no such thing as too much fresh, clean water.