I just started a ten gallon tank when should I do first parital water change?

Question

My ph, ammonia,nitrates are all good I have 5 small Benoues aries tetras and a Brazzilian sword plant about a week into it water is cloudy should a wait till it clears or do parital water change now??

Answer 1

Can you be more specific about your ammonia and nitrites? They should both be at 0.

Anyway, you should do regular weekly water changes of about 25% (so 2 to 3 gallons). When did you set it up? If it's been 5-7 days, then go ahead and do a water change. You can do water changes more often than that if you want to, though; it won't hurt the tank, but it can be unnecessary.

It's normal for the water to be cloudy - you can do a small water change now and it will help, but the cloudiness will go away on its own as the cycle progresses. Also if your ammonia or nitrites are above .25, then you should do a 50% water changes.

Answer 2

Well, your tank is not overly stocked. The water can be naturally cloudy in your area. My water is usually cloudy at first but it clears away after a day or two, but your case sounds strange. I doubt it's really that dirty after a week unless you overfeed them to an extreme. Partial water changes of from 30-40% every week should be done to maintain water quality. With only 3 tetras, you can remove around 30% of the water.You can clean it monthly and completely but it's awful for the fish. What kind of filter do you have? As long as you don't have an overly weak filter you should be fine. You only have 3 small tetras. I would try a water clarifier that doesn't add phosphate and doesn't alter the ph.