How Frequent Is Too Frequent?

[cutecotton]

HI everyone

i have a betta in a one gallon tank (no filter or anything) - and i usually do my water changes once a week, i recently added an apple snail to teh tank and noticed that it's producin ga lot of poop! the water seems to get dirty a lot quicker. I was wondering if 2 water changes a week is too much or too stressful for the betta and the snail?

Thanks!

 

[Betta_Lovex3]

Nope! Actually 2 a week is tons better for a one gallon.

 

[33moths]

Unless you really scrub everything down every time you water change and remove your fish stressing it out, I don't think there can be too many and that it would be dentrimental to the fish. Of course, there's really no use changing it every single day - there's gotta be a balance of what would be good for the fish + ease for yourself. I say test the water for ammonia every day and when it gets poor, change it for one day less than that cycle of days. That seems good. It'd probably come out to twice a week or so anyway.

 

[cutecotton]

well i do clean the inside of the tanks everytime i change the tank. I mean it's only a 1 gallon so it's 100% water change every time (i put the fihs in a little cup while i change all the water and wash down the sides) so i think to some extent it does stress the betta out, which is why twice a week water changes seemed a little too much for him.

 

[33moths]

Perhaps it would be good to get a 2 gallon tank? They're not big, or expensive - and a little easier to clean. Plus I think it looks prettier than a bowl, and it gives them twice as much room. I don't scrub mine down - maybe once every month I will - and water changes are simpler. I do mine every 5 days or so. You can get an aquarium sponge cleaner on a stick (if you get an acrylic tank, get one specifically for acrylic, if you get a glass one, one for glass) and you can clean the insides without stressing out your fishie.

 

[cutecotton]

I thought about a 2G tank, acutally i was going to get a 5G filtered and heated but since i move around every 4 months I haven't decided if i have enough room for that yet, tha'ts why as of now they are in a 1G tank (it's not literally a bowl), when i clean the tank the fish isnt' IN the tank (he's removed in a cup and put on the table) so he's not directly stressed out by it.

It is a 100% water change though which is why i thougth two 100% water changes a week woudl be too much for the betta. But if you guys say it's okay to do two 100% water changes a week in a 1G tank with a betta and a snail then i'm gonan go for it

 

[33moths]

I don't know about 2 100% a week - I was thinking more if you changed often but left the fish in the tank. Also, I've never had a gallon container. But I'd at least try it for a couple weeks, see how your fish fairs.