Any Lazy Water Changers Out There?

[andyM]

I aim to do mine every week, most the time i do. Sometimes i will miss a week, but never longer.

 

[Teelie]

I have two 30's, two 10's (one is not in use atm), one 5 and several vases and smaller containers with Bettas and ADF's totalling somewhere around 100 gallons of water to do changes on. Probably why I'm so lax on doing them.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I do mine every two weeks to three weeks but I have well established tanks with low waste producing fish so I can get away with it.

Same here.

I still do my water changes weekly if i can, but i can't remember the last time i had to "clean" the tank.

I've been using the same filter medium for the last 6 months without even rinsing it. I just don't have to. It's clean.

Only reason i do weekly water changes is because I need to prune my plant growth down and it's easier to do it in a 24" tall tank if the water level is lower. My entire arm in the tank brings the water level up close to the top of the tank.

I haven't even lost a fish in 4 months

 

[Undawada]

I could be wrong, but I thought old tank syndrome was a syndrome for fishkeepers, not the tank itself. As in, after you've had a tank for a while the novelty has worn off and you don't do as much maintenance.

 

[bluefire]

for me it depends what tank it is for how lazy i am with it, i pwc my 39gal once a week but i do my 15gal about once every two weeks and even then there is nothing to vac out coz theyre low waste fish.

 

[Danno]

I dont meen to be rude or something but if you dont do manditory 1 week water changes, personally, I think maybe another hobby might be a better hobby for you. Keeping fish is a big responsibility. The fish cannot care for them selves. They dont have a rifrigerator and a toilet...you are the chef and plumer! Dont meen to get anyone angry but the fish depend on you.....

 

[jesssa]

I always do a pwc every week, but that doesnt mean the tank gets cleaned. and sometimes the water change is VERY partial. lol. like... 1 gallon of my 20 G lol. but I do more when I can.

 

[Tolak]

I've found that half the battle of getting any job done is just getting started. Seems like once you start, it isn't so bad. Probably more of a mental thing.

When you start getting more tanks, the bucket thing starts to be a real pain. It may help to get a python to make changes more bearable, I got a couple of garden hoses & a small pump a while back to save on the wear & tear on my back. With a t.v. in the other room around the corner from the fishroom, I can half watch t.v. & half keep an eye on tanks draining and filling. It's more a case of finding a setup that works for you & sticking to it.

Tolak

 

[Teelie]

I dont meen to be rude or something but if you dont do manditory 1 week water changes, personally, I think maybe another hobby might be a better hobby for you. Keeping fish is a big responsibility. The fish cannot care for them selves. They dont have a rifrigerator and a toilet...you are the chef and plumer! Dont meen to get anyone angry but the fish depend on you.....

Once a week isn't mandatory for every kind of fish and it's that kind of broad brush and generalization of the hobby that creates misconceptions and wrong ideas. Just like the one inch per gallon rule. It's a general guideline and not appropriate for every kind of fish. A Discus needs daily or near daily water changes but a large enough aquarium with low maintenence fish can last a month without a water change. It also depends on other factors as well.

Obviously every situation is different and most fish and aquariums fall somewhere in the middle but a week isn't by any means mandatory or essential for all kinds of fish.

 

[Danno]

Once a week isn't mandatory for every kind of fish and it's that kind of broad brush and generalization of the hobby that creates misconceptions and wrong ideas. Just like the one inch per gallon rule. It's a general guideline and not appropriate for every kind of fish. A Discus needs daily or near daily water changes but a large enough aquarium with low maintenence fish can last a month without a water change. It also depends on other factors as well.

Obviously every situation is different and most fish and aquariums fall somewhere in the middle but a week isn't by any means mandatory or essential for all kinds of fish.

I look at it as in nature. In nature (most aquarium fish) have some kind of recirculation current, biologically or physically. But a aquarium, even though almost perfected, cannot simulate nature correctly nor acuratly. What I really ment is that the one WC a week rule is the minimum. I still think that if your going to slack dont hurt your fish....or get some help from someone else. *Sighs heavily*

 

[Teelie]

While it's true and I'm not denying that, one week is not a necessity for all fish. You're generalizing again over the multitude of fish with different tolerance and safety levels. None of my fish are sick nor have any of them died from their water. I've kept fish for several years without problem.

 

[scottminot]

I would do water changes in my 30 gallon about once every 3 months. It was stocked with 3 silver dollars, 1 common plec, 1 dojo, and 2 corries. I've never had a problem. Silver dollars are now about 7 or 8 years old and healthy but in a bigger tank. The rest are still in the 30 and doing fine.

I do water changes more often now though in my 30 and 125 gallon tanks. I have 10 and 20 gallon planted tanks and I change the water in them about every 2 months or so. No problems.