how do i change the 20% of the water for a 10 gal fish tank?

Question

my first fishes to own and i'm clueless. i have 5 fresh water fish in the tank and fake plants.

Answer 1

If you figure that 20% is equal to 1/5, draw the water down about 1/5 to 1/4 of the height of the tank. A gravel vacuum would be the way to go here - just scooping water from the tank doesn't get all the fish poo and gunk at the bottom of the tank that gets into the gravel. Small ones don't cost a lot, and this will keep the really nasty stuff from building up. You'll also need a bucket for the gravel vacuum to siphon the tank water into. (if you really want to measure the amount you take out of the tank to be consistent, pour two gallon jugs of water into the bucket and use a permanent marker to mark the water level - then you only have to fill the bucket to this mark when you clean and you'll know you took out the 20%.

You may want to start by using an algae scraper or a sponge made for aquarium use (household sponges are treated with chemicals for cleaning - don't use these inside the tank!) and wipe down the glass first, so you can siphon out anything that gets wiped/scraped off.

Leave the fish in the tank when you clean it (some even like to watch the stuff getting pulled out of the gravel by the siphon - make sure you don't catch any while doing your water change!). You can take the fake plants out from time to time and wash them under hot water (no soap) and clean with an old toothbrush to remove any stubborn algae or spots.

Below are some websites with useful tank maintenance info:

Answer 2

First, get a bucket with a few gallons of tap water and treat the water for 48 hours with a chemical remover(similar to one used at start-up).
Second, leave the fish in the tank and get a siphon, move it around in the gravel while pumping about 1/2 the water out into another bucket.
Third, replace the water with the new chemically treated water. Add this water slowly because the cold may shock the fish. I would add a bit about every 30 minutes until filled.
That's it...Your done!

Answer 3

Hi Dee, welcome to the hobby!

20% is about 2 gallons so it's not hard at all. You will need your dechlorinator, a bucket, a thermometer and a gravel siphon. You can use a new bucket from any store, like a plastic mop bucket from Walmart or somewhere. Everything else is available anywhere they sell fish or fish supplies and is cheap.

Unplug your filter and heater before you start! Use the Gravel cleaning siphon to siphon off the water as you clean the gravel. You need to get as much of the gunk out of the gravel as you can. It's perfectly ok, in fact a good idea if you go up to 2 1/2 to 3 gallons per water change if you need to to get the gravel clean. Now rinse off your filter pad in the old tank water to get the junk off and replace the carbon in the pad. If you can't replace the carbon, then just rinse the pad one week and replace it the next. Then dump the old water and refill your bucket with water close in temperature to the tank. Add enough dechlorinator for the water in your bucket and pour it back in the tank. That's all there is to it! Just a few minutes once a week to really, really help keep your tank and fish clean and healthy.

Hope that helps!

MM

Answer 4

You can take a big cup, and scoop the water and dump it outside, till it appears that the tank is a little more than halfway full still. (make sure you don't scoop anything but water into the cup though!!!). Then you can use tap water and treat it with special water cleaner type thing (you can buy it at pet stores) and refill the tank. Try to find what the suitable termperature for your fish are, because if there is adrastic temperature change, the fish could die. And remember to treat the water with the special cleaner thing from the pet store. It is probably good to chance the water about once every 1-2 weeks.

Answer 5

take out 2 gallons of water...use a siphon near the gravel on the bottom...get rid of the water....get 2 gallons of fresh water at the same temperature as the tank ...add some chemicals to remove the chlorine and chloramine and then add it to the tank.