Mega Cleanage

[Behemoth]

alrighties just a few general questions
doing a 100% change, should it ever be done? should i ever wash all the gravel? or is it best to keep gravel as it is and just rely on the gravel vacuum to pick up the loose stuff.

the tank has been up for 1 year, and i read that you should do an annual water change? just wondering if it's a good idea.

30 gallon tank by the way.

thanks in advance

 

[Teelie]

Never wash everything clean, especially the filter. The only thing you need to do is use a siphon to suck up detritus that gets trapped in the gravel. Water changes should be done at most once a month with smaller tanks and sensitive fish needing water changes done weekly.

You don't need to ever do a 100% water change under normal circumstances and should only do 20-30% for an average water change.

 

[MegTheFish]

Never wash everything clean, especially the filter. The only thing you need to do is use a siphon to suck up detritus that gets trapped in the gravel. Water changes should be done at most once a month with smaller tanks and sensitive fish needing water changes done weekly.

You don't need to ever do a 100% water change under normal circumstances and should only do 20-30% for an average water change.

At most once a MONTH? Enless your tank is extremly low-stocked, you should be doing a water change once a week, taking out no more then 30% of the water. However, you don't need to gravel vac each time, depending on how much you feed and how much poop your fish make. What are your tank inhabitants Behemoth?

 

[Teelie]

The bigger the tank, the less water changes it needs. Once a month on something like a 100 gallon is fine if the inhabitants are regular tropicals and not cichlids or predators. People get this crazy idea that water must be done weekly where it's not necessarily true.

There is no one-size-fits-all rule on water changes. Depending on the fish in the tank and the size of the tank, you have far more flexibility than doing them weekly. Obviously the messier the fish, the more the water changes and the cleaner the fish, the less the water changes.

Besides as I said, at most once a month, not that it should always be once a month.

 

[Jules H-T]

Besides as I said, at most once a month, not that it should always be once a month.

Without putting words into your mouth, I suspect you mean at least once a month, not at most.

J

 

[BOD]

Ok so its a tropical tank? and you havent done a water change for a year? am i reading this right?


what fish do you have in your tank?

 

[Behemoth]

i change a bucket load about every 10-15 days

i got 8 balloon mollies
6 platies
1 pleco
1 upside down catfish
1 chinese algea eater
lyretail molly
and some orange fish i don't know.

i was just curious because i read in a book that you should clean your entire tank once a year, i was just asking if it's a good idea to do it

 

[BOD]

Oh right lol! phew

Its not a good idea really the most water change ive ever done was 50% with a good bottom clean.

Dont wash you gravel out as this contains benificial bacteria that your tank needs.

Also when you clean out your filters make sure you do it in a bucket of fish tank water so you dont kill the bacteria.

 

[Jules H-T]

Dont wash you gravel out as this contains benificial bacteria that your tank needs.

Unless you are running an undergravel filter I believe this to be untrue. A tiny percentage of the bacteria lives anywhere other than the filter TBH, nothing worth worrying about.

 

[BOD]

No bacteria does live in the gravel hence the fact most people seed there tank with a bit of old filter material and a small bag of mature gravel

bacteria starts to grow in your filter and gravel

taken from this site Tropical Fish forums main site

Going and actually washing your gravel with tap water will kill a good amount of bacteria.

 

[qwikimpss]

I beg to differ. Beneficial bacteria grows on all submerged surfaces of the aquarium, be it glass, stones, gravel, driftwood...etc. They don't hold as much as a filter tho and the percentage of bacteria that grow on these surfaces is tiny.

 

[Jules H-T]

Nah there is hardly any bacteria in gravel. Anyone here done a substrate change? Did your tank go into a mini or full cycle? Pinch to a pound says no.

 

[TF Keeper UK]

I did a substrate change (gravel to sand) and that kicked off a mini cycle! Luckily I didn't lose any fish!

 

[Jules H-T]

I did a substrate change (gravel to sand) and that kicked off a mini cycle! Luckily I didn't lose any fish!

Well fair play, I stand corrected.

 

[andywg]

But then, technically the tank mini cycles every time we add food, or a new fish. The point still stands, that if the gravel is not a major part of the filtration (UGF) then there is nothing to worry about pulling it out and rinsing/removing.

It's the same as mechanical filtration on larger filter systems. I always rinse my sponges under tap water because they are not there to provide a place for the bacteria, that is handled by the bio-media behind (be it alfa grog, bio-max or whatever).