How Often Should Water Be Changed And How Much?

[5teady_2012]

I wasn't going to post to you anymore but I now feel I should after this post.

I want to say thank you for apologizing for the name calling and no hard feelings then. Things happen and it's also hard to tell the sincerity in posts when it comes to text. Thank you very much. Looking back on this whole thing I shouldn't have said I disagree in my first post. I shouldn't have quoted you and just posted and gave my opinion. That seemed to put you on the defensive right away and for that I apologize. I was just looking for your input in return and to have a debate with you as to why you felt that way. It went totally wrong from the beginning.

In a normal debate when opinions differ I would have worded things differently than I did so as not to come across like I did. I will admit that I'm very old-school and set in my ways and even though it doesn't show in my posts I do realize that when I read other peoples opinions.

I'm here mainly to try and help people with piranhas because they've been a love and passion of mine for 20 years and I feel are one of the most mis-treated fish in the aquarium world. I also learn new things and like reading users input.

We have differing opinions and I can respect that. Like I said previously, just because I feel a certain way doesn't mean that I am not open to others opinions that differ from mine.

IMO, a 30% waterchange is too little for any size tank but at least now I feel like I can respect your opinion and perhaps learn from you as to why you think that way and from other things you post about also.

Either way, I am glad we got this worked out and I hope no hard feelings from your end either because I never intended that from the start but we both got out of hand and defensive.

Thank you again and I apologize also.

Reading back i think you have no need to applogise, i think i was the one being harsh and there is no hard feelings at all on my part..

I think everyone has thier own way of doing things and diffrent things work for some and dont for others.

The way i run my tanks works well and rarely have problems now, so i tend to pass on my info upon my experiences as im sure others do, this is where the disagreements come in, maybe its good though, cos it give people options to try diffrent things and helps them to have thier own way of doing stuff and find a way that works for them..

Im the same, im set in my ways and when someone disagrees, i do get a bit defensive i admit, but i think this is due to if my info is wrong, then why do i have no probs and well running tanks? this i need to work on and be more constructive in my replies rather than lashing out.

I guess we both deal with completely diffrent fish so are going to have completely diffrent ways of running things, and this i can respect.

anyways, no hard feeling at all, glad you replied

Wayne.

 

[backtotropical]

Elrohirthehasty,

As you can see, there are many correct but no definitive answers here. As Andywg said, "How long is a piece of string?"

Water changes depend on many factors including the size of the tank, how long it has been set up, what fish are present, what foods are given, water hardness and live plants present to name but a few, and no two tanks will be the same.

A good starting point is to monitor nitrate in the tank as an indication of whether your water changes are sufficient. Start your water changes at say 30% weekly and monitor the nitrate level. If the water changes are sufficient to keep the nitrate level in the tank close to the nitrate level in the tap water, this is a good indication that your water changes are sufficient. If not, increase the volume or frequency of your water changes accordingly.

Bear in mind however, that this is an indication only and not the definitive answer. This is because although water changes remove nitrate from the tank, they also perform other functions, such as replenishing essential minerals, replenishing the buffering capacity (also known as alkalinity or carbonate hardness), and removing other unwanted elements from the water (often air-bourne pollutants such as air freshener or cigarette smoke). There is also the fact that fish love the water changes, and i do more changes than i know i need to for this reason alone.

As i said, there is no definitive answer, and there is evidence that a tank can go for some time without a water change with no ill effects. This however, i wouldn't recommend for the average hobbyist as there are many things which can go wrong, 'Old Tank Syndrome' being the first of which springs to mind.

Think of water changes as 'opening a window in the tank', and keep your nitrate level at bay, and you shouldn't go far wrong.

There are a few things to remember when performing water changes. If these are considered, then anything up to 100% can be carried out with no ill effect.

The first is the temperature. Large temperature swings can stress fish so should be avoided, but smaller temperature swings are tolerated without any issues. Try not to move the temperature of the tank by more than a few degrees at any one time.

The second consideration is pH. pH fluctuations are known to be detrimental to fish and should be avoided. However, a tank which receives regular water changes will maintain a pH close to that of the tap water anyhow, so if regular maintenance is carried out, this isn't usually a necessary consideration.

The third consideration is hardness. Hardness fluctuations can easily kill fish, and are thought to be more important than pH fluctuations. Again, a tank which receives regular water changes will maintain a hardness level close to that of the tap water anyhow, so if regular maintenance is carried out, this isn't usually a necessary consideration.

The fourth consideration is chlorine / chloramine. This can be detrimental to fish health and can also in some cases kill the filter bacteria. This however is easily remedied by using dechlorinator in each and every bucket of fresh water before it is added to the tank.

The fifth and final consideration is the ammonia and nitrite levels in the tap water. Most of us are fortunate enough to have no ammonia or nitrite in the tap water and this need not be considered. For those who do detect ammonia or nitrite in the tap water, large water changes should be avoided as it obviously adds toxins to the water. Smaller changes are recommended in these circumstances where the filter will deal with a small amount of these toxins before any damage is done.

Sorry for the long post. Hope this helps you.

BTT

 

[Elrohirthehasty]

Elrohirthehasty,

As you can see, there are many correct but no definitive answers here. As Andywg said, "How long is a piece of string?"

Water changes depend on many factors including the size of the tank, how long it has been set up, what fish are present, what foods are given, water hardness and live plants present to name but a few, and no two tanks will be the same.

A good starting point is to monitor nitrate in the tank as an indication of whether your water changes are sufficient. Start your water changes at say 30% weekly and monitor the nitrate level. If the water changes are sufficient to keep the nitrate level in the tank close to the nitrate level in the tap water, this is a good indication that your water changes are sufficient. If not, increase the volume or frequency of your water changes accordingly.

Bear in mind however, that this is an indication only and not the definitive answer. This is because although water changes remove nitrate from the tank, they also perform other functions, such as replenishing essential minerals, replenishing the buffering capacity (also known as alkalinity or carbonate hardness), and removing other unwanted elements from the water (often air-bourne pollutants such as air freshener or cigarette smoke). There is also the fact that fish love the water changes, and i do more changes than i know i need to for this reason alone.

As i said, there is no definitive answer, and there is evidence that a tank can go for some time without a water change with no ill effects. This however, i wouldn't recommend for the average hobbyist as there are many things which can go wrong, 'Old Tank Syndrome' being the first of which springs to mind.

Think of water changes as 'opening a window in the tank', and keep your nitrate level at bay, and you shouldn't go far wrong.

There are a few things to remember when performing water changes. If these are considered, then anything up to 100% can be carried out with no ill effect.

The first is the temperature. Large temperature swings can stress fish so should be avoided, but smaller temperature swings are tolerated without any issues. Try not to move the temperature of the tank by more than a few degrees at any one time.

The second consideration is pH. pH fluctuations are known to be detrimental to fish and should be avoided. However, a tank which receives regular water changes will maintain a pH close to that of the tap water anyhow, so if regular maintenance is carried out, this isn't usually a necessary consideration.

The third consideration is hardness. Hardness fluctuations can easily kill fish, and are thought to be more important than pH fluctuations. Again, a tank which receives regular water changes will maintain a hardness level close to that of the tap water anyhow, so if regular maintenance is carried out, this isn't usually a necessary consideration.

The fourth consideration is chlorine / chloramine. This can be detrimental to fish health and can also in some cases kill the filter bacteria. This however is easily remedied by using dechlorinator in each and every bucket of fresh water before it is added to the tank.

The fifth and final consideration is the ammonia and nitrite levels in the tap water. Most of us are fortunate enough to have no ammonia or nitrite in the tap water and this need not be considered. For those who do detect ammonia or nitrite in the tap water, large water changes should be avoided as it obviously adds toxins to the water. Smaller changes are recommended in these circumstances where the filter will deal with a small amount of these toxins before any damage is done.

Sorry for the long post. Hope this helps you.

BTT

Thx!
This was probly the most helpful post!