How much water do you change and how often and for what? Readers want to know!

[Stan510]

For best results,I settled into 40% once a week. When I tried 50% or more? It upset the balance in the tank. Plants actually got a little paler for a few days..then as the water aged around the 5th day after a change they looked normal again. At 40% It seems to agree with everything..plants and fish. One more thing at 50% or more it's MUCH more important to have full dechlor in use. If I make a little mistake at 40%,no problems..more? Some fish get tip of fins melt the next day. Water can only be so raw..in my setup.
You?

 

[Willow06]

I do %25-30 water change in all my tanks on Sunday

 

[Retired Viking]

I do 20 gallon water change in my 55 gallon tank every Tuesday. 2 gallons treated tap and 18 gallons RO but I also leave about a two inch empty space below the normal water line so my floating plants get plenty of light so it come out closer to 45%-50%.

 

[Barry Tetra]

I do 20% daily and 70% weekly.

 

[Stan510]

Actually water change day I kind of look forward too. I save up the things that I have planned ( move plants,move things in general or REmove.) Just cleaning the glass makes it look brand new.

 

[Fishmanic]

My tanks are understocked. I do 50% WC every 10 days or so.
I clean the filter media every 3 weeks or so.

 

[Metalhead88]

55 gallon Planted community tank gets a 50% water change

90 gallon cichlid tank gets a 75%

Both once a week

 

[itiwhetu]

I do 25% weekly on all my tanks

 

[CassCats]

75-90% depending on tank size

 

[Brendanpat]

20 % tuesday evening and 30 % on Saturday. Just to keep algae under control and fry happy . Found if I left it the full week there would be alot of algae and I'm trying to keep it from growing on the live plants .hopefully get back to once a week when plants are established better and get used to my new light

 

[AbbeysDad]

To maintain high water quality, the correct volume and frequency of partial water changes should be relative to bio and plant load. Therefore it would be different for nearly every tank. Having said (er written) that, there's rarely no such thing as too much fresh water.
Here's Byron's take on Regular Partial Water Changes.
For me, I was doing 50% weekly on my planted display tank. On the heavily stocked grow out tanks I was doing 50% twice a week, but recently changed to 75% once a week.

 

[jonny-5]

I do 25% weekly, Seems to be enough for my 30 Gallon but it is understocked & only 3 weeks into a cycle

 

[Fishiemang]

75 gallon: Lots lately. 25~75% water changes. Normally, I just set up the flow so that the filter pumps out at a certain rate, and the I set up temp matched water from the tap thru my Aqueon siphon and set that up to water fall into the opposite end of the tank, then let that run for 20 mins or so. Worked pretty good. With recent events, I have been using a bit more involved process, as I am using aquarium salts and will be soon phasing that out.

38 gallon: Have not done a "water change" in 2 years now. I add water when it gets about 2 inches or so below the trim, before the line on the heater for minimum level is reached. This tank is actually, by some accounts, overstocked. It has perfect parameters and is seemingly my healthiest aquarium. I have not gravel vac'd this tank in.over 3 years.

30 gallon: I sometimes do a 20% water change on this tank, but not very often. I usually just add as it evaporates here as well. This tank is understocked, and I feed sparingly in here, so, the params stay perfect here as well. It is one of them "that shouldn't work" tanks as I have an undergravel filter on here, heavily planted and have not done a gravel vac in over a year. This tank is a giant biodome. Is another type of experimental ecosystem I built.

10 gallon: I add to this tank whenever it gets low. It is heavily planted, and has 2 fish in it. I only do a "change" when I suspect issues in there. So far, after 6 months, there have not been any. Water is pristine and excellent params.

Some have their ideas on how to handle an aquarium. Would I suggest what I do to new people? No. You have to monitor things and do things that are...unorthodox. Recently, my lack of monitoring, caused me to lose 2 of my big fish. A hard lesson, but it reminded me to keep tabs on what is going on. I have begun to build this tank into an eco system as well now. But the rest of my tanks are self sufficient. They require minimal work to maintain. I have populated my 38 gallon in such a way as it takes care of itself. This takes practice, and lots of knowledge of how the actual environment you want build will work. Right down to the cycle.

 

[FishGuest5123]

70% weekly on all tanks and pond.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

In my 150g, I do a 70% water change about four or five times per year. This setup is heavily planted, dirt-sand substrate, several years old, and very, very stable, so I can get away with that. It is also a hard-water tank with a soft-water source, so the benefits of frequent changes don't outweigh the struggle to maintain consistent water hardness.