You could add a space to put how many are dropped and by which fish on what day and have a survival chart. I did that when I bred fancy guppies
Your choice
Your choice
Water change schedule
- Thread starter Kamdavid
- Start date
The more water changed, the healthier the fish; this applies to volume and frequency. But most of us do not want to be doing two or three changes every day (discus breeders do this) so the consensus now seems to be once a week, with a significant volume. This is certainly more effective and beneficial than more frequent but smaller-volume changes.
For more than a decade now I have been changing 60-75% of the tank's actual volume (the amount of actual water in the tank allowing for displacement by substrate, etc) once each week. Provided the water parameters are reasonably close (GH, pH, temperature) this poses no problem for the fish, and they would thank you if they could speak.
No, fry tanks should be more frequent. I mentioned discus breeders above...it is common for many to change 90-95% of the tank water once, many twice, each day. Fry do develop faster and are healthier, which in itself proves the incredible benefit of water changes.
Yes I will definitely have room to add that information in. (If my one ever drops lol)
Id do your tests before a water change. Youd know if there was anything wrong that way. Id do atleast a 50% weekly water change. 75% would be ideal 
I checked mine once a week when i first started the hobby but i only do it now and again now (if i lose a fish etc). You just learn to see signs if anythings wrong.
I checked mine once a week when i first started the hobby but i only do it now and again now (if i lose a fish etc). You just learn to see signs if anythings wrong.
Ok. I’ll end up doing them the day before and after water change. So I can make sure everything is alright. And water changes every week.Id do your tests before a water change. Youd know if there was anything wrong that way. Id do atleast a 50% weekly water change. 75% would be ideal
I checked mine once a week when i first started the hobby but i only do it now and again now (if i lose a fish etc). You just learn to see signs if anythings wrong.
Yes this forum has been a great help , I love being a part of it.Always best to be safeTFF is always here if you need advise.
Enjoy it
Retired Viking
Fish Connoisseur
I do it once a week too, with 50% for fish and shrimp and 90% for turtles. With only shrimp and a couple of snails in a 30 gallon do you think I should still do it every week or make it every other week?
My ph right now is testing around 7.4 to around 7.6. It usually always tests around 7.0 ? Any logical reason as to why it could be higher ?Always best to be safe
Enjoy it
I decided to give this an individual post, as there has been some misunderstanding in this thread, and the posts were appearing faster than I could keep up.
First, some clarification on terms. Water tests include those for parameters, which are GH, KH, pH and temperature. There are also water conditions, such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. All of these are important and should be frequently tested initially, then less frequent once they are stable--which is the whole idea behind significant water changes: water stability; the tests (hopefully) prove you are doing it right. The pH and nitrate should never vary much if at all from one week to the next.
Parameters. Unless you are specifically targeting or adjusting GH and KH, once you know these for the source water they will remain basically the same. The temperature obviously can be controlled so that should be stable. That leaves the pH the only one of the parameters that should be periodically tested--frequently or infrequently depending--and always at a sign of a problem. The pH should stabilize over the course of the first few months, and if the aquarium is biologically balanced, and there is no adverse interference by the aquarist with the laws of nature respecting chemistry and biology that govern any aquarium, they will remain stable for years. With regular substantial water changes obviously.
My fishroom before I moved last year had eight aquaria, and all had zero GH and KH, temperature 25-26C/76-77F. Each received a WC of 60-70% weekly. The pH varied depending upon the individual tank's biological system [number of fish], but in keeping test records going over a several-year period, the pH in each tank never varied by more than one or at most two decimal points. Tank "A" had a pH of 6.2 to 6.4 over several years; tank "B" had a pH of 5 to 5.2 over the same period, etc. That is stability, and should be the goal. A variable pH over time means something is out or the system has changed.
EDIT. The pH does have a diurnal fluctuation, normal in nature and in the aquarium, especially so with live plants in the tank. The pH at the end of the "night" and beginning of the "day" will be at its lowest, and gradually rise during the "day" (when the tank light is on) to its highest level at the end of the "day." This variation can be several decimal points. Fish do not have issues with this, and it does occur in natural waters. But this fluctuation is why the pH needs to be tested at the same time of day, each day it is tested.
Conditions. Once the aquarium is cycled, and after a couple of subsequent weeks, tests for ammonia and nitrite should not be necessary; here again, at the first sign of something being wrong, always test these just to (hopefully) eliminate them. Nitrate is different. Nitrate, like pH, should never significantly vary once the tank is established. If nitrate increases from water change to water change, something is out of balance, whether it be fish load, inappropriate combination of fish species, overfeeding, insufficient filter cleanings, insufficient water changes...whatever. Fluctuating nitrate does impact fish, but it is a warning sign that something is wrong in the system. In my afore-mentioned tanks, over the same several years of testing, nitrate was always in the 0-5 ppm range in each tank.
When to test. Before a water change, always, until it becomes obvious that the tank is established and the need for frequent tests is no longer present. Future sporadic tests (pH and nitrate) should again always be prior to a weekly water change. The reason for this is to ensure you are seeing the actual permanent state of the system. Seven days after the last water change is sufficient to detect whether the aquarium's biological balance is or is not stable. You can also do the same tests the day after the water change; the stability will soon be evident, and no longer will it be necessary for these post-water change tests (unless something occurs).
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All fry tanks should have more frequent water changes; here it is beneficial to do somewhat less volume but more often.
My water parameters have always been stable. Until I tested the ph today. It’s a little higher and I don’t know if the 75 percent water change I did yesterday had anything to do with it.I decided to give this an individual post, as there has been some misunderstanding in this thread, and the posts were appearing faster than I could keep up.
First, some clarification on terms. Water tests include those for parameters, which are GH, KH, pH and temperature. There are also water conditions, such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. All of these are important and should be frequently tested initially, then less frequent once they are stable--which is the whole idea behind significant water changes: water stability; the tests (hopefully) prove you are doing it right. The pH and nitrate should never vary much if at all from one week to the next.
Parameters. Unless you are specifically targeting or adjusting GH and KH, once you know these for the source water they will remain basically the same. The temperature obviously can be controlled so that should be stable. That leaves the pH the only one of the parameters that should be periodically tested--frequently or infrequently depending--and always at a sign of a problem. The pH should stabilize over the course of the first few months, and if the aquarium is biologically balanced, and there is no adverse interference by the aquarist with the laws of nature respecting chemistry and biology that govern any aquarium, they will remain stable for years. With regular substantial water changes obviously.
My fishroom before I moved last year had eight aquaria, and all had zero GH and KH, temperature 25-26C/76-77F. Each received a WC of 60-70% weekly. The pH varied depending upon the individual tank's biological system [number of fish], but in keeping test records going over a several-year period, the pH in each tank never varied by more than one or at most two decimal points. Tank "A" had a pH of 6.2 to 6.4 over several years; tank "B" had a pH of 5 to 5.2 over the same period, etc. That is stability, and should be the goal. A variable pH over time means something is out or the system has changed.
Conditions. Once the aquarium is cycled, and after a couple of subsequent weeks, tests for ammonia and nitrite should not be necessary; here again, at the first sign of something being wrong, always test these just to (hopefully) eliminate them. Nitrate is different. Nitrate, like pH, should never significantly vary once the tank is established. If nitrate increases from water change to water change, something is out of balance, whether it be fish load, inappropriate combination of fish species, overfeeding, insufficient filter cleanings, insufficient water changes...whatever. Fluctuating nitrate does impact fish, but it is a warning sign that something is wrong in the system. In my afore-mentioned tanks, over the same several years of testing, nitrate was always in the 0-5 ppm range in each tank.
When to test. Before a water change, always, until it becomes obvious that the tank is established and the need for frequent tests is no longer present. Future sporadic tests (pH and nitrate) should again always be prior to a weekly water change. The reason for this is to ensure you are seeing the actual permanent state of the system. Seven days after the last water change is sufficient to detect whether the aquarium's biological balance is or is not stable. You can also do the same tests the day after the water change; the stability will soon be evident, and no longer will it be necessary for these post-water change tests (unless something occurs).
Have you added anything to your tank lately, some rock for example?
The pH will fluctuate diurnally, so always test at the same time of day [I included this in post #26]. Also, the pH of the source water may change, due to additives by the water authority, or seasonal rain/snow, or...whatever. Regular testing over a period of time can help to determine what is behind something like this.
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