How To Do A Water Change?

[TenaciousG_]

Hi everyone, first post

I have a 56L tank and I was just wondering exactly how to change the water, how much etc and should I use a hot/cold water mix? Had it since January but I'm curious as to how other people change their water. At the moment I do about 7L every 2-3 weeks, have a bucket getting to room temp with conditioner etc in it. Also change half of the filter at the same time, is this sufficient?

Thanks in advance James

 

[Noahs ark6]

to the forum.

7 litres every 2-3 weeks isn't sufficient. 30 litres every week would be ideal.
What I do is remove the water into a 10 litre bucket, chuck it, fill the bucket with 3/4 cold water and 1/4 boiling water from the kettle (depending on your boiler you might/might not be able to use hot water from the tap, but i like to play it safe as my boiler is ancient. If your house is modern you should be fine). Then check the temp to make sure it's the same as the tank water, then add conditioner, then syphon it back into the tank using the same syphon i used to take the water out
Don't throw away the sponges as they contain the bacteria essential for a healthy tank. Only throw them away when they literally start to fall to bits. I've only had to throw away one sponge in 5 years of fishkeeping

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

~50% water changes on every tank per week, tanks containing fry/youngsters get ~33% water changes three times a week, using a syphon and two buckets totalling 25l. I mix hot/cold tap water to get approximately similar temp to what I removed, using a slight excess of Seachem Prime dechlorinator.

Why are you changing half the media at every water change... fallen for marketing hype that says "replace media after x amount of time?" Each time you do this you are throwing away some of your bacteria colony and risking ammonia/nitrite spikes. Sponges/pads last for years, depending upon the filter in question they may need gentle rinsing in removed tank water every week (eg. a Fluval U4) or every few months (eg. Fluval FX5).

 

[mattyeatsmatts]

The amount of water you change depends on the number of fish. The more fish the more waste resulting in higher nitrates, these if too high can poison a fish.
I do about a 20% change every week on my tanks which means fresh water with minerals and less waste.

To do a 20% w/c you would need to remove around 11 litres and replace with water of a similar temperature(you can fill half of the container with hot and half cold) and add any chems.

When it comes to the filter you should never replace any of the sponges/cermaic media as these hold some of the vital bacteria used to keep the tank cycled.

 

[Cazgar]

I'd do 25/30% every week.
In a tank that small you could just use a jug & bucket, wouldn't take long.
Replace the water with temp matched dechlorinated water.
By changing half the filter do you mean removing the sponges/media & renewing them?
If so you're taking away the good bacteria.
All you need to do is gently rinse the filter media in the old tank water you've taken out, not tap water, then put back in.
Forgot to say, welcome to the forum

 

[Scales9]

I think most people on hear do weekly water changes, personally I do mine very 4-5 days,I test the water before doing any changes that way if I do get any high readings I know to change a bit more water but I usually change about 25-30%, but my fish especially the BN pleco produce a lot of waste, I use my hot/ cold mixer tap in my kitchen to get the right tempriture. The filter is a different story, this is where all the good bacteria live, the stuff that sorts out the Amonia and the Nitrite so the filter only ever gets rinsed in old tank water ( water from the tap will kill the bacteria) , I have had my tank set up since February and have yet to actually change the sponges.

 

[FishBlast]

I do daily small water changes and a 26% change during the end of the week. But that mostly because I have fry in there.

 

[tomtomtom1230]

Only throw them away when they literally start to fall to bits. I've only had to throw away one sponge in 5 years of fishkeeping

Wow really? I'm pretty religious about my water. My sponge tray holds 4 sponges, and I replace them pretty often. I replace one sponge every 3 months, give or take a couple weeks. Never have a problem with water stats or anything. It's just something that I've been doing since I've started fish keeping!

 

[FishFanatic04]

50% water change weekly on all my tanks. My philosophy- if the floor is already wet, and you already have all the maintenance stuff out, why not go ahead and haul a few extra buckets.

I fill the big tanks with a hose hooked to my kitchen sink tap. Water temperature 3-5 degrees lower to promote spawning or mimic rain in a natural habitat.

 

[tomtomtom1230]

50% water change weekly on all my tanks. My philosophy- if the floor is already wet, and you already have all the maintenance stuff out, why not go ahead and haul a few extra buckets.

I fill the big tanks with a hose hooked to my kitchen sink tap. Water temperature 3-5 degrees lower to promote spawning or mimic rain in a natural habitat.

+1 This is my regime too

 

[TenaciousG_]

Wow guys, I didn't realise I wasn't doing half enough! This will be sure to change tomorrow then even though I added 5 rummy nose tetras and 5 guppies today, or should I leave it longer and let them settle in first? As for the sponges, I am actually yet to change any because I got a new filter last week (ran 2 at a time until new one was ready) and I was going to cut the sponges in half so the bacteria still lives in one half and add stress Zyme by api also have some filter wool that obviously just cleans the water that little more, how often should I change this? I was going to do it the same but I think that will need changing more often than once a year or something xD THANKS A BUNCH FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK THOUGH!

 

[David36]

I like this.

 

[FishFanatic04]

I change my filter wool/floss once a month or so if it is filthy. I will never change my sponges or other media until they fall apart. I squeeze them the tank water that I take out once a month or more often if they are really bad and the water flow is slowed.

Change your water after adding new fish, it takes the bacteria in your filter a few days to catch up with the new bioload from the new additions.

 

[Teacher Martyn]

Don't forget your pipes!

 

[TenaciousG_]

So I should change the water today? I used to plan ahead and let the water sit for 2 days to reach room temp but everyone says that I should be able use hot tap water so that's good