Hi guys, just need some advice. Someone told me that doing a water change too often is actually damaginf to fish? I was told it can cause them to get white spots and bleed. Is this true?
How often should a water change be done?
How often is mainly dependant on your specific tank conditions. If your tank is fuly filtered and has fully cycled then the main reasons for water changes are to reduce your nitrate level and clean the gravel.
I change about 25% in my big tank once a week which is enough for me to give the gravel a good clean but keeps the tank stable when I add cold water back in
In that time my nitrates tend to rise to about 20. If you have more bio-load in your tank your nitrates may rise faster and you may want to do your changes a bit more regularly. People with lightly stocked tanks can comfortably go a few weeks between changes since there is less toxin build up.
The other reason for water changes is if you get an ammonia or nitrite spike, or some other contaminant enters the tank. In this case it's advisable to go a larger change and temperature match the replacement water more closely so the fish don't get shocked.
Being too invasive in the tank can lead to stressed fish and stress can make them vulnerable to whitespot and such. It also depends what fish you have in the tank, some people keep Bettas in unfiltered 1 gallon jars (bad idea IMO) and change the water 100% every day or two.
So, in summary, keep an eye on your fish. They'll soon let you know if something is wrong
