Partial water changes

[Sinuhe]

I'd like to know what's the most common amount of water to change during routine partial water changes.

 

[smb]

It depends on the fish you have.

For cichlids and piranhas I do either 3-35 to 50% wc's a week or 10-15% a day. It changes for me from week to week.

In my redtail shark tank, I do 3- 25 to 35% wc's a week.

 

[elgecko]

I change 30% ever other week along with gravel vac.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Although I did vote as an average, it depends on the types fish in the tank, as smb already mentined, as well as stocking levels in the tank, and the ages of the fish as well.

 

[FrankSlapperinni]

I do about 50% for every tank weekly plus gravel vacuuming. sometimes when there's a disease in the tank or I'm trying to induce spawning, I do a 75% water change.

 

[Sinuhe]

Yeah, I figured the amount of water change would probably vary from tank to tank, but I was interested in getting some kind of a general idea how much water other people change at once .

I change about 30% on my bigger tank, and 25% at once on my smaller tanks at once. It takes that to vacuum all of the gravel, and my tap water values are similar to the tank water values, so the fish don't mind. I usually do partial water changes once a week, unless there is some problem I'm treating that makes me do it twice or three times a week.

 

[White Whale]

I have one 2.5 gallon, one 1 gallon, two 1/2 gallons, and eight quart-sized containers. I do a 50% water change each week for 4 weeks and a complete water change on the 5th week. I siphon out bits every other day, so there is like a 5-10% water change in between for the tanks that need it. Gravel makes the cleaning hard. I was thinking about removing the gravel and stuff from five of the quart-sized tanks. It would make cleaning a snap, but then my bettas won't have a place to hide or rest near the surface.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

I do 20-25% weekly b/c I personally believe that it's stressful for the fish, even if the replacement water is the same temperature and has the same chemical makeup. I have to start doing 10% water changes every three days... (I bought two buckets for that purpose, but haven't used them for that yet)

 

[CFC]

How much water you change and how often you change it all depends on the fish and the size of the tank.

I change the water on my smaller tanks (55 and 40 gallons) twice a week, 25% on the weekend and 10% midweek and on the large tank (200g) 10% every other day and 20% on the weekend. Breeding and fry raising tanks get 10% changes everyday.

 

[slagmi]

I agree with tempestuousfury, it seems to be stressful.

Following some advice found on Marineland's web site http/www.marineland.com/articles/29Myths.asp I started changing the water in one of our tanks less frequently.

After a few months the water is crystal clear, more so than the other tanks, tests good, the fish appear healthy and happy. That tank does have a Marineland (physical/chemical/biological) filter and I believe that is very important.

I figured I would let this go on for awhile before I consider doing the same with the other tanks, but so far have found no reason not to.

I'm not saying water changes are a bad thing just that a little more time to enjoy them is good.

 

[Eelzor]

My tank is turning into quite a large community so I usually change the tank water 30% every week and vacuuming everyday.

 

[Where the river goes]

20-25% water changes once a week for both tanks with approx. 1/2 the gravel being vaccumed. I usually accomplish that w/two small water changes during the week as I've noticed the fish seem more comfortable w/the small water changes than the bigger ones.