not in the slightest...

[fishyfoo]

ok one quick question you know people recommend about a 10% water change every 2 weeks - what if ur water is still as practically crystal clear (or very near clear) after 2 weeks of the fish being in the tank - shall i still do a water change anyways even tho it doesnt appear the water needs one?

 

[guppymonkey]

Water changes are not just for dirty looking water. If you wait until your water is gross looking your fish could be in danger. In their natural environment fish would have a constantly changing water supply, not just a few gallons every few weeks. I

 

[smb]

Personally I recommend more than a 10% water change every 2 weeks. If you are going to do a water change bi-weekly I would recommend a 35% water change each time.

Like guppymonkey mentioned, it's not for the dirty water. I've seen crystal clear water have over 150ppm of nitrates in it as well as traces of ammonia and nitrite. You want to change the water before it starts going bad. Not once it already has.

 

[Alien Anna]

Plus fish excrete things like hormones in their waste and those hormones can build up to unhealthy levels without regular water changes.

 

[snotirl]

Yes u should change the water no matter what ,it oxgenates it etc!

 

[freshmike]

Yeah, what they said!

 

[Kossy]

I do 15% water changes weekly this really helps in getting rid of many unwanted thingy's. Like everyone else said its not for dirty water because there are nasitier invisible chemicals

 

[Waterloo Kid]

There's a good quote in my lfs that goes like this...

Gin is perfectly clear but would kill your fish in an instant.


The colour of the water has nothing to do with its quality, it is all about the balance of chemicals in the water. After a short time the water will become stale. Think of it like being locked in a room for a few days. After a while the air will become stale and smelly. To counter that you would open the window, so effectively doing an air change. It's the same with water changes.

WK

 

[cheirodon]

I have a measly 1 gal. tank (fer now), and I was told to do at least a 25% water change weekly, and best a 40%. Even with filters 'n evrthing! I gather smaller tanks are harder to keep healthy

 

[caz27]

i do a 25 percent wc every wk....regardless if it is dirty or not