Water Changes

[skinpjs]

how often should i be doing partial water changes on a tank that has been running for 8 days and all levels ph nitrate ect are fine.

 

[minxfishy]

Is this a tank that is going thru a fishless cycle or a cycle with fish in?

 

[skinpjs]

Is this a tank that is going thru a fishless cycle or a cycle with fish in?

fish in cycle

 

[Colin_T]

If there are no fish in the tank then you don't need to do any water changes until the day before you add some fish.

If there are fish in the tank then most people do a partial 30-50% water change each week. However, the best way to tell if you are doing sufficient water changes is to monitor the nitrate levels on the tank. If the nitrates are staying low then you are doing enough water changes. If the nitrates go up rapidly between water changes, then you need to do more frequent water changes or reduce the load (fish and fish food) on the tank.

 

[skinpjs]

If there are no fish in the tank then you don't need to do any water changes until the day before you add some fish.

If there are fish in the tank then most people do a partial 30-50% water change each week. However, the best way to tell if you are doing sufficient water changes is to monitor the nitrate levels on the tank. If the nitrates are staying low then you are doing enough water changes. If the nitrates go up rapidly between water changes, then you need to do more frequent water changes or reduce the load (fish and fish food) on the tank.

thanks
colin t

 

[minxfishy]

With a fish in cycle, its going to depend on the levels of ammonia and nitrIte present in the tank, anything above 0.25ppm in a fish in cycle isnt healthy for the fish, technically everything should be 0 (cept nitrAte) for the long term health of the fish, but with a fish in cycle, it isnt always easy to achieve and some levels are needed for the bacteria to grow.

So anytime your ammonia or nitrIte go above 0.25ppm, then a 30-40% water change would be needed for the fish to live reasonably safely. If after a w/c the levels still arent low enough, then another w/c is needed and so on, so forth until the tank finishes its cycle, usually around 4 weeks depending on the amount of fish in the tank and the amount of waste they produce.

After the cycle has finished, then weekly water changes of anything from 20-50% weekly are advisable to deal with the nitrAte to keep it low and clean water is always good for the fish.

 

[Keithoms]

Ok, what size is your tank? How many of what fish are in it and what is:

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH