Water changing

[Country joe]

I have a 200 litre tank which I would say is overstocked but mainly small fish, Tetras, I was bothered with blackbeard algae but tank is now a lot better. My water tests are always stable with my nitrates always being nil, I have live plants, i do a weekly 50% water change, i am now thinking of water changing every 2 weeks instead of weekly, would this work ,and be okay, or should I stick to weekly?

 

[seangee]

My personal opinion is don't mess with a winning formula.
Tanks are complex systems and there are a lot more factors than nitrate levels. Its impossible to predict the consequence of change, which may affect plants, fish or something else.
By all means don't worry about missing a week if you aren't around but I would just keep doing what you are doing if its working.

 

[GaryE]

Two things jump out at me - overstocked, and blackbeard algae. The size of the fish you've overstocked with doesn't matter.

I do weekly, but slip to10 days in periods like the holidays we just had. You've invested time and energy, as well as money on remedies on the tank. The stability you mention is very recent, and I would lock into a routine of 7-10 day changes, for, I don't know - forever? It's working, you don't need algicides etc now, and with maintenance, you get to enjoy watching the tank grow into itself.

I always suggest weekly partial water changes, but with a lightly stocked tank, you can drop back to every second week. If you even wonder if the population in the tank is too high though, you should stay with weekly.

 

[emeraldking]

You could try a two week water change for now and see what happens. If it's still stable, then why not...? And there's just one way to find out...
Tbh, I myself don't do a weekly water change no matter which tank that I've got overhere. And certainly not a 50% water change. But my tanks are well balanced. And yes, just like it's akready mentioned before by my fellow member, a water change is needed depending on certain factors. And also the amount of each individual water change.

 

[seangee]

I know this sounds blindingly obvious, but if you make a change remember what you changed. Trivial changes can take weeks or even months to have a noticeable impact, especially when it comes to plant health.
I have more than once tried to resolve a problem that I inadvertently introduced months earlier. I am not one for extensive testing, which is why when I find something that works in a given tank I stick with it.