how often should I do water changes?

Question

I prepare and treat the water leave it to stand for at least 24hrs, then take 10% out and clean the filter sponge etc but after about 5 to 6 days its clouding up again surely I don't need to change the water so frequently. My tank is an Aqua 40 with a pump and filter that sticks to the side of the tank if that helps. Just done a water change and tank looks crystal clear but for how long?

Answer 1

After 30 years of aquarium experience I would say that you have a fairly new tank or you are overfeeding. New tanks cloud up because they have no beneficial bacteria to eat the waste. If you over feed the same thing happens because there is not enough bacteria to eat the extra food. Contrary to popular belief aquariums need some waste in them to function as ponds and that takes time to build up this balence. When I set up a new tank I let it run for 1 month without putting fish in it just to let it settle. After that, for the first year I add cheap fish because the tank still is 'new' and chances are they will die. After the first year there now is a sort of balance so you could try to start growing easy to grow plants and adding other harder to keep fish. A tank really is not settled until after the second year. It is good to change 10-15% of the water every 90 days but water changes are overrated. I have an AQ that has had only up to 20% of the water changed every 3 months and it has been going for 15 years. Water problems come from people not understanding how to upkeep their aquariums (overfeeding, overcrowding, non-removal of excess waste, lack of adequate filtration, ect) rather than being a necessity. I also found that every tank is different, some fish do great in some of my tanks and other fish do great in others, same for plants.

Answer 2

The frequency of water changes depends primarily on rate of nitrate accumulation in your tank. The type and quantity of fish also plays a large role as does tank size. Also certain fish are messy or produce more waste than other fish.

A fully stocked tank with messy fish (example 10gal with a trio of gold fish in it) will need more frequent and larger water changes than a lightly stocked tank (example, a 180-gal with a dozen neon tetras).

Also some fish are more tolerant of poor water conditions and can exist in tanks with few water changes, while others require prestine water conditions and large frequent water changes are required (discus, rams, frontosa, etc).

25% weekly is a good interval to practice. Basically you want to keep nitrates below 40ppm. Depending on your tank size and fish, 10% weekly might be adequate, or maybe 30% three times a week, each tank is different.

When washing filter sponges and other media, always do so in dechlorinated water so you don't wipe out your beneficial bacteria colony.

Answer 3

i do a 25% water change as i have 2 very big walking catfish ( Meat Eaters ) and are very messy....my tank is 6x6x2 feet.
But for you 10% every week with water conditioner would be just fine , Clean your sponge filter out every month in old tank water NOT water form the tap .
Some tanks can take weeks to settle down , Leave yours for a week with everything turned up ....pumps / filters / heater etc..
the water will clear in time .... dont rush it... then do a water test and see how things are going ..

Answer 4

Once a month, 50/50 water change taking the water off the bottom of the tank with a special tool. It looks like a water bottle with the bottom cut off attached to a hose. When you start draining the water into a bucket, you push this tool down into the gravel and it churns the gravel and removes fecal and food particles without sucking up your gravel. By taking the water off the bottom of the tank, you are removing the most nitrites and nitrates in the tank since this is where they reside. Try it... it will work!

Answer 5

cloudy is because the are no bacteria.. can go and buy bacteria in pet shop or get some old filther sponge from aqua frens, and put into ur filter and run few days, the cloudiness will gone..

at this moment (i mean until the water get clear), then only change half of water, wait one more day, then you can bring fish home ~~!!

oh a note here, don take out or wash sponge this time, let the bactiria get active through out ur filter....

Answer 6

maybe the sponge in the pump needs cleaning or u need a new one i do mine every 2 weeks take a quarter of the water out and top back up again, or maybe your pump is not big enough for the tank so it cant cope or you have too many fish in it.

Answer 7

I have a 20 gallon fish tank, and I usually change about 5 gallons of it every 4-5 days....it seems to keep it clean and clear

Answer 8

i got fish as well and change 10% of the water every two weeks and clean out the filter that's what the man at the shop said

Answer 9

every 15 days. take half of the water in the tank, put more water in, turn the filter on, leave it on for at least 10 hours for best results, add water clear tablets,aqua safe, and one of those liquids that clear cloudy water and PRESTO it's clear!

Answer 10

you may do water adjustments as quickly as a week. a sturdy ingredient to have alongside with the water conditioner is waste administration. That facilitates decelerate and breaks down the strengthen of waste interior the tank. yet another ingredient is aquarium salt for freshwater fish. Aquarium salt help the fish soak up oxygen and improves gill function. It additionally prevents and facilitates the fish heal from ailments like ich and a few fungus'.