Thinking Of Upping My Water Changes

[Royster]

I used to change 20ls out of my 60l tank once a week but on the advice of this forum I've now changed this to 10l once a week but I've seen a climb in ammonia over the last few weeks so I'm thinking of changing again to 5ls every other day or 5l twice a week but with all this changing am I running the risk of stressing my fish or causing problems with such regular changes?

 

[elisew]

I used to change 20ls out of my 60l tank once a week but on the advice of this forum I've now changed this to 10l once a week but I've seen a climb in ammonia over the last few weeks so I'm thinking of changing again to 5ls every other day or 5l twice a week but with all this changing am I running the risk of stressing my fish or causing problems with such regular changes?

This is something that will always come down to personal experience and preference as you`ll continuously get differing opinions.

I find that small water changes will do what you`re describing......fail to remove/reduce any detrimental levels in your tank any where near as effectively as bigger water changes will do.

I personally do a minimum of 50% water change a week in both of my 100G tanks and the smaller 35L tank and I rarely ever get a reading for ammonia, nitrite or nitrate (no level higher than straight from tap). The colour of my fish alone is so obviously improved after a water change and that`s one reason why I`ve done 2 water changes a week on quite a few occasions

I always wait until after the water change to feed my fish and they`re fine, no stressing throughout it at all. I think WE worry more about stressing the fish out than the fish actually are

As I say though, you`ll get differing opinions so you need to find what works for you and the health of your fish

 

[fluttermoth]

I agree 100% with elise's advice; larger water changes are far more effective than smaller ones.

I personally have never seen any detrimental side-effects from large or frequent water changes.

 

[Royster]

Right then, 10ls out wed and suns then and I'll monitor ammonia levels tues and sats to see whether or not it's working.

Thanks for the speedy replies

 

[elisew]

Right then, 10ls out wed and suns then and I'll monitor ammonia levels tues and sats to see whether or not it's working.

Thanks for the speedy replies

No worries

If it were me......I`d look at doing a minimum of 15L-20L out Wed and Sun. Obviously it`s up to you though

 

[Caprichoso]

I used to change 20ls out of my 60l tank once a week but on the advice of this forum I've now changed this to 10l once a week but I've seen a climb in ammonia over the last few weeks so I'm thinking of changing again to 5ls every other day or 5l twice a week but with all this changing am I running the risk of stressing my fish or causing problems with such regular changes?

Do what works. If you're seeing a climb in ammonia when you decrease the % of water change, then it's not going to work for you. I always recommend 50% weekly with a gravel vac(if that applies). You can't go wrong with this as it's always better to prevent an issue rather than have to fix an issue. Stress from water changes will only be an issue if the temperature is WAY colder or WAY warmer than the tank or if you forget to de-chlorinate or something. Many people will say that they hardly do any water changes at all. That is fine and that is what works for them and if you set up your tank that way and it works then that's awesome. BUT, for the average person looking for advice, I always suggest it the 50% weekly. As fluttermoth stated, you won't usually see detrimental effects from large and frequent water changes.

 

[KkAaNnEe]

You could always add more media by the way of another filter, therefore the excess ammonia you see could be consumed by the extra bacteria

 

[Lufbramatt]

Yep, to me a climb in ammonia suggests the tank doesn't have enough biological filtration for the amount of fish waste being produced. A lack of water changes should only produce high nitrate levels.