Water Changes

iceband

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ok, so my tank has cycled, all the fish are happy, the water readings are absolutly fine, the water is as clear as a bell. Do I need to keep changing my water, if so, how much and how often? or is it a case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it? :unsure:
 
not quite sure what you're asking here, but if you mean do you ever have to change the water again the answer is yes ... you'll have to for as long as you have the aquarium. how much and the frequency depends on who you speak to, some common amounts are as follows:

1/3 every week
1/4 every week

i personally do 1/2 every 2 weeks, has worked fine for me for the 1 year i've had my rio 180. fish type also has an effect e.g. people who keep discus change water more frequently. you also get chemicals that claim if you add them you can dramatically cut back on water changes, again whether or not they're any good will depend on who you speak to. personally i prefer changing the water instead of adding yet another chemical that's going to do whatever.

don't know if this is what you were asking ... if not just ignore me :shifty:
 
I'd also like to add that if your tank is very stocked, particually if it has high waste producing fish like goldfish or pleco's or carnivorous fish etc, it is advised you should do larger water changes per week (like 40-60%) rather than 20-30% per week.
You should also clean your substrate once a week (some people do it just once every two weeks, but i personally think it is better to do it once weekly as substrate can get surprisingly dirty or stagnant in just a week)- sand can build up anerobic(sp?) bacteria and gases if it is left uncleaned or not thoroughly cleaned, while gravel can build up with trapped waste and rotting matter which can cause ammonia problems and so forth.
You don't have to buy a syphon or gravel vac to clean your substrate- netting any waste off it, then thoroughly stirring the substrate up followed by another netting and a decent size water change can be more than effective at keeping it clean if done once a week. This method seems particually good on sand as you make sure that all of the sand is properly stirred up, helping prevent anerobic bacteria or algae build up in it :thumbs: .
As far as filter maintanence is concerned, you should roughly clean it out in water from water changes every 1-3 weeks depending on your bioload in the tank and the filters ability to handle waste, you should clean the filter out in water from water changes rather than brand new water as new water, particually undechlorinated water, can kill off the beneficial bacteria and make the tank mini cycle. Over-cleaning the filter can also make it mini cycle, so you should just remove the worst of the muck instead of making it sparkling clean like new :nod: .

With other tank gear, you should use your once weekly tank cleaning session to check if everything else is working well and cleanly- heaters can build up with limescale, dirt or algae if left unchecked, which can effect the heaters ability to moniter the tanks temp accurately and heat it efficiently. The propellor/motor thing on filters can build up with muck as well, so if you can you should give it a quick scrub with a toothbrush or sponge.
Wiping the insides and outsides of the tank glass is good, but you should avoid using cleaning chemicals anywhere near the tank as these can have disasterous effects on the tanks water and inhabitants even in tiny quantities- you should also make sure your hands don't have any soap on them if you happen to wash them at any point during the tank cleaning for the same reason as well.
Also check your lighting- like heaters, lights can build up with limescale, algae or dirt- this isn't that bad, but it can weaken their strength which is bad if you have plants that rely heavily on your tank lights lighting to survive and thrive.
 
ok, thanks. I was just wondering, cos everything is very stable and I didn't want to mess it up, by changing water too often. :D
 
ok, thanks. I was just wondering, cos everything is very stable and I didn't want to mess it up, by changing water too often. :D

Don't worry it won't mess things up, it's like airing a room, freshens things up a bit. :D I find a little gravel vacing never worries any of my fish; they just come up and sniff around the vac and nibble my hand a bit.
 

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