Water Changes, Question?

[rpgmomma8404]

I was talking to the friend who got me interested in fish again. I told her that I started doing water changes on my tanks twice a week (Monday's and Thrusday's). She said that seems like it's a bit much.
 
This is the same person who seems to continue to tell me about fish dying or her oscar continues to get hole in the head or other issues (luckily he recovers). 
 
But still I'm paranoid about my fish. Is two water changes a week too much??

 

[Blondielovesfish]

As far as I'm aware, there is no such thing as too many water changes. I know someone who would do two water changes a day, everyday. He had no ill effects, accept for the extra dechlorinater used.
 
What is your friends water change schedule?

 

[rpgmomma8404]

As far as I'm aware, there is no such thing as too many water changes. I know someone who would do two water changes a day, everyday. He had no ill effects, accept for the extra dechlorinater used.
 
What is your friends water change schedule?

Every two weeks if she remembers. So probably once or twice a month if that. 

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Hmm, with all of those problems, she should be doing weekly, at least.

 

[rpgmomma8404]

Hmm, with all of those problems, she should be doing weekly, at least.

I would think so. I figured she would be wondering why the heck everything she gets ends up dying. I mean I understand she works and she also has three kids. It doesn't help her husband is lazy either. I just was surprised she would say that what I was doing seemed like a bit much, lol. I mean I picked up this hobby because I just loved her tanks. I used to have fish back about 15 years ago. I just got out of the hobby because I wanted to get pet rats, lol. 

 

[baker360360]

25%weekly for me.

Can't too many water changes stress the fish? I've lost fish when doing big 80-100% water changes but never when doing quater weekly changes.

 

[NeonBlueLeon]

The problem with water changes, especially large ones, arise when temperature, pH, KH, and other parameters are too far apart.  Too frequent water changes can of course stress your fish.  If you can manage to change water matching the chemistry, and not stressing fish too much, then it's difficult to do too many.  Twice a week is definitely not too many.
 
I've been doing 10% every other day, plus 25% once a week, for about two months now.  My fish and especially plants are looking very happy!  I've been told (with no further explanation as to why) that was "too much water changes."  The results beg to differ.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Agree with above posts that water changes of twice a week is certainly not too much.

I only do one water change a week, usually about 35% and have to say I actually quite enjoy doing W/C once a week at weekends as find it quite therapeutic!

As for your friend doing water changes once every 2 weeks or worse at once a month, little wonder then she having problems with fish illnesses.

Twice a week is good, twice a month is poor! Simples!

 

[baker360360]

Agree with above posts that water changes of twice a week is certainly not too much.I only do one water change a week, usually about 35% and have to say I actually quite enjoy doing W/C once a week at weekends as find it quite therapeutic! As for your friend doing water changes once every 2 weeks or worse at once a month, little wonder then she having problems with fish illnesses.Twice a week is good, twice a month is poor! Simples!

Sounds like hard work and risky ( too get new water perfectly matching). Our filters do most of the cleaning and we do water changes to rid of the nitrate as there shouldn't be any nitrite or ammonia. If done once a week then your nitrate will be well in optimal levels. Also it should be enough to clean any algae/solid waste ect. If substrate is cleaned too often and you don't supplement the plants how are they going to get nutrients?

 

[attibones]

That is a good question. I don't know the answer to it, baker, but I do know that for me twice weekly water changes of about fifty percent are necessary. My male betta is recovering from a fish attack, and, though his fins are fleshing out and there are no signs IOC infection, the twice weekly water changes are entirely beneficial for him. Then, in my sorority tank, I do twice weekly water changes because I have 16 females in a twenty gallon. They need the extra water change to be sure nitrates don't spike. This is a well planted tank, but I dose ferts daily in small amounts. On the half week water change they get a fifty percent dose of what they receive on the weekend water change. The amount of ferts they get increases daily until the weekend.

So it all depends upon the situation if two water changes a week is a good idea or necessary. Had the single betta not been recovering for a fight, I would only be doing weekend water changes in his tank.

 

[baker360360]

That is a good question. I don't know the answer to it, baker, but I do know that for me twice weekly water changes of about fifty percent are necessary. My male betta is recovering from a fish attack, and, though his fins are fleshing out and there are no signs IOC infection, the twice weekly water changes are entirely beneficial for him. Then, in my sorority tank, I do twice weekly water changes because I have 16 females in a twenty gallon. They need the extra water change to be sure nitrates don't spike. This is a well planted tank, but I dose ferts daily in small amounts. On the half week water change they get a fifty percent dose of what they receive on the weekend water change. The amount of ferts they get increases daily until the weekend.So it all depends upon the situation if two water changes a week is a good idea or necessary. Had the single betta not been recovering for a fight, I would only be doing weekend water changes in his tank.

Yeah if the situation calls for it. I to had to do daily water changes when I first got into the hobby because I was overstocked and didn't cycle my tank before putting in all the fish. I was speaking from a well stocked , well filtered , cycled disease/injury free aquarium.

 

[Ch4rlie]

 

Agree with above posts that water changes of twice a week is certainly not too much.I only do one water change a week, usually about 35% and have to say I actually quite enjoy doing W/C once a week at weekends as find it quite therapeutic! As for your friend doing water changes once every 2 weeks or worse at once a month, little wonder then she having problems with fish illnesses.Twice a week is good, twice a month is poor! Simples!

Sounds like hard work and risky ( too get new water perfectly matching). Our filters do most of the cleaning and we do water changes to rid of the nitrate as there shouldn't be any nitrite or ammonia. If done once a week then your nitrate will be well in optimal levels. Also it should be enough to clean any algae/solid waste ect. If substrate is cleaned too often and you don't supplement the plants how are they going to get nutrients?
 

 
 
No filter can extract 100% of accumulated waste material from any tank.
 
What the filter does is to remove/convert harmful ammonia and nitrites to nitrates as the bacteria basically lives in the filter you are doing no harm in doing twice weekly water changes as long as the filter remains relatively untouched and only a gentle maintenance clean occasionally depending on your type of filter.
 
You are absolutely correct in saying water changes is to remove harmful levels of nitrates but that is not all what water changes does.
 
What this boils down to is, the frequency of water changes you need depends on your stocking levels and filtration.
 
For example, someone who keeps goldfish or perhaps several large plecos which are messy fish, the tank would definitely benefit with twice weekly water cleans.
 
Cleaning substrate depends on how you gravel vac the substrate, if too deep and too often, then there is a faint possibility you may remove too much nutrients from the plants. Gravel vac once a week is fine and just do water changes and clean glass for the other weekly water changes would be practical way of doing things. Also adding plant ferts may help to compensate for over cleaning substrates.
 
My tank for example has a TetraTec Ex1200 for a 90 litre tank, so I can say it has excellent filtration capabilities and my stocking is Threadfin Rainbowfish and RCS and a few assassin snails, once a week water changes of 35% is pretty decent.
 
BUT if I had a pleco or two in my tank for example then I would rather do 2 water changes of 35% a week with the same filter setup.
 
 
If you have low stocking levels then once a week water change is perfectly fine. I don't agree with water changes once every 2 weeks or even once a month, hence why I say water changes twice a week is certainly not too much, however more than that may be a bit overkill.
 
What works for one person might not work for another.