How Much Water Should I Remove From The Tank When Cleaning?

Question

How Much Water Should I Remove From The Tank When Cleaning? Ain i'm hearing alot of differnt times to clean...some people say 6 months and others tell me 2 months to a year. HELP ME!!!!! O btw i have a 60 galleon Tank

Answer 1

There's no exact amount but 30-40% is a good amount to remove, and you should do it about once a month. Test for levels of ammonia and that will tell you when it's about time for a water change. If the ammonia levels are higher than usual, do a 50% water change instead.

Answer 2

This is a question that can have more than one correct answer, depending upon your water parameters.

If your ammonia or nitrites are high, more frequent (once or even twice per week) with 50% changed are in order.

Nitrates are good determining factor weather your water changes are adequate in an otherwise healthy established aquarium. For freshwater, this is generally 25% changes every two to four weeks. But if your Nitrates are above 40-50 ppm, more often, larger changes may be in order.
For Saltwater, make sure your Nitrates are below 20 ppm and you maintain a high alkalinity, if not more a more efficient water changes are in order.

Using a gravel vacuum will make your water changes more efficient. So will products such as Python Water Changers or even better the 'Aquarium Cleaning Machine'
Relatively new scientific evidence shows nitrifying bacteria to be sticky and adheres to the surfaces like glue, so vacuuming will not harm established colonies of nitrifying bacteria.

For more about aquarium cleaning, please read this article:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_cleaning.html


For more about Ammonia Nitrates, ECT:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html

Answer 3

Depends on the tankmates,and th type of aquarium. How many fish do you have? Is it overstocked? Is it lightly stocked? Freshwater? Marine? Brackish?

a good rule of thumb is to test your water weekly for ammonia, nitrites & nitrates. As long as ammonia & nitrites are at 0ppm, do a 25-30% water change when the nitrates reach between 20-30 ppm (for fresh & brackish water)

depending on your stock, this could be weekly or it could be monthly...

For marine tanks you need to keep the nitrates lower, so unless you have enough live rock or a deep enough sand bed to keep the nitrates down biologically then you will have to do water changes to keep the nitrates below 20ppm. Again it depends on the stock.

If you have enough live rock & a deep enough sand bed then you may never have to do "water changes" and may only need to top off your tank to keep the salinity & the specific gravity stable.

edit: the benefical bacteria do not live in the water column. They live in the filter, gravel, biowheel etc... Large water changes do not affect the biolgical filter (benefical bacteria) unless allow the bacteria colony to dry out or you use untreated tap water. The chlorine & chloramines in untreated tap water will kill your biological filter, and strip your fish of thier slime coat, leaving them open for infection from parasites & disease.

BE careful with large water changes though they will not harm you bioligical filter, they can still harm your fish with even a minor change in temperature 2-3 degreees, lack of fish slime, or change in ph.

Answer 4

If you're talking about fish, there are two different methods of water changes for two different types of water. Freshwater needs to have about 10% of the water in the tank changes out AT LEAST once a month and saltwater needs to have 10% of it's water changed out AT LEAST once every 3 months.

Answer 5

Cleaning amounts and times depend on the stocking of the tank? If you have an oscar 100% once a week is the least amount of cleaning you can expect. If you have nothing but tetras you can do 25% once a month.

What do you have in the tank?

Answer 6

Use a substrate vacuum cleaner once a week, & perform a 20% water change also on a weekly basis.

Answer 7

I change about 25% once a week. Make sure and use reverse omosis water or at the very least treat your tap water to remove chlorine

Answer 8

20-30%

Answer 9

Just use a strong paper towel and clean, you don't need to take any water out or anything. Just keep everything in the tank.

Answer 10

depends wut fish u got. if u got big fish, then do a 35% water change every week. if u got a lot of smaller fish then a 25% water change every 2 - 3 weeks. trust me