I have two questions for fish owners out there:
After your scheduled water cleaning day, you didn't do it for some reason. How much time was spent before you actually did it?
Why did you wait so long?
2006-09-03 06:33:05 · 9 answers · asked by Zoer 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
*sigh... I'm going to be very honest with you. I used to have a betta in a *gasp* half-gallon unheated, unfiltered betta bowl. *sigh* There, I admitted it. What's worse is, he was lucky if he got his water changed about once a month... Please don't hurt me... I didn't know any better then, and although I had access to the internet, I had no clue it was bad. The poor guy lasted about eight months. Why'd I wait so long? I was ignorant.
Now I know better. All three tanks get changed anywhere between 10-30% every week to eight or nine days (we're usually pretty religious about water changes on Saturdays though). If it doesn't get done on Saturday for whatever reason, then it gets done on a Sunday. If, God forbid, it still doesn't get done on a Sunday, then everyone gets fresh water on Monday. Though I think that's only happened once. See, we're lucky enough to have a Python (without that, I think we'd only have the two tanks up), so water changes aren't a huge pain in the butt and take about half hour for all the tanks.
And...seriously. Don't hurt me about the betta, Heywood Jablome the first. I know better now.
EDIT: Ok, judging by all the answers so far, I win, right? Oh God, most of you people shouldn't have fish...
2006-09-03 20:39:51 · answer #1 · answered by birdistasty 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have waited until the water was a bit cloudy which means there is little oxygen in the water -- that was because I went away and failed to change the water before leaving. This was not good and I don't suggest it!!
I don't remember the time frame but this was for a gold fish so I didn't have or need a filter. I'd contact a pet store by phone and talk to them because there are probably different requirements for different fish, your particular filter, the size of your tank, etc. and an expert should be answering this question.
Fish are more work than I thought, that is for sure!! Best of luck to you.
2006-09-03 06:37:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I've done runs before of as long as 30 days (when I was doing a medication cycle).
The water when you are first setting the tank up needs to run without being changed so that the bacteria colonies can establish themselves. After that - I would recommend weekly water changes (more frequent changes are not really of any benefit as far as I am concerned because you are basically just restarting the bacteria from that point again if you do them too often).
I've heard a lot of people say to do really frequent water changes, but I'm not completely sold on that - I don't see the benefit of it at all when I test my parameters (Nitrites and Ammonia, but mostly Nitrites). Once a week is when I do mine - every 7 days.
2006-09-03 06:51:30 · answer #3 · answered by sly2kusa 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I change my water at least 10-25% every other day because I have meesy fish a Oscar and Parrot fish and that water change includes a gravel vacuum but before I got really into the hobby I used to not change at all for like a month and they would always die
2006-09-03 07:13:28 · answer #4 · answered by C live 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
00Yopur Not Supposed To Take all The Water Out Though Cause Its Bad. I Havent Changed Mine in 6 months.
2006-09-03 13:16:14 · answer #5 · answered by decoyaryan 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
3 days
2006-09-03 06:34:39 · answer #6 · answered by CROWN_PRINCE 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
well, I change my fishes water like once every 2 months, if it starts growing algea, then get sucker fish, they clean the bowl very well.
2006-09-03 06:35:58 · answer #7 · answered by Curl 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
my fishes had ick, didnt want to mess with them til they got better, but they ended up dying
2006-09-03 06:34:53 · answer #8 · answered by rugbrat86 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i change it every week
2006-09-03 06:52:32 · answer #9 · answered by snchim 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋