I used to own betta fish in water bowls. I loved having them, but I hated changing the water. I would like to own fish again, If I get a good filter, and scrub the side of the tank every week or so, Do I have to change the water? If I do, how many times do I have to do it a week? Thanks............=)
2007-07-21 10:29:57 · 23 answers · asked by dorkiii 6 in Pets ➔ Fish
Yes you still have to clean it, but only about every two weeks. Every two weeks do about a 1/4 water change, and add some water conditioner. Also, purchase a gravel vacuum which is a thing where it sucks out all the bad particles from the bottom of the tank without picking up the gravel. So all in all, every two weeks do a 1/4 water change, add water conditioner, and use the gravel vacuum.
2007-07-21 10:39:31 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
That is a 20 gallon tall. Get a good hang on the back filter for 30+ gallons. the penguin marineland 150 or 200 would be great. fishless cycle the tank to avoid doing multiple large water changes to save fish from dieing during the cycle. Than use a gravel vacuum to change 25-35% of the water once a week. You can get a python gravel vacuum to make water changes much esier, it might seem a bit expesnsive and possibly a bit of an overkill for a tank that small but Its always an option. And algae eating fish or creature is gonna add to the biolode, making more mess to create more algae than you may have had in the first place, so only get them if you like that kind of fish.
2016-05-19 06:35:59 · answer #2 · answered by catherine 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A good fish keeper changes the water, does periodic tank cleaning. That is just part of the care. If you keep a single betta in a big tank (say, a 10 gal. tank) all alone, you might be able to not have to change the water for a few weeks because that one fish won't put a great bioload on the tank, won't use up the minerals and stuff in the water very fast. But eventually you will have to do a water change simply because the bad bacteria will grow and eventually degrade the tank conditions and affect your fish's health. In a smaller tank, a filter will help but it won't be able to keep up with the amount of waste, ammonia, nitrites the fish deposits. If you keep one betta in a 5 gal. tank, you only have to do partial water changes about every 2 weeks. In a 1-5 gal. tank you need to do water changes at least once a week. In anything smaller than 1 gal.every day to keep your betta healthy (the smaller the tank, the more water changes you HAVE to do).
2007-07-21 11:03:29 · answer #3 · answered by Inundated in SF 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
If you have a filter in a tank, it just collects the poop, it doesn't make it vanish. You still need to vacuum the gravel using an aquarium siphon once every 2 weeks. Change the filter pad once a month. Fish tanks are not self sustaining like lakes, there is no water cycle to purify the water in a tank. By the way, no living animal eats poop or other kind of fish waste, not Catfish, not snails, not Yankees fans.
Nosoop4u
2007-07-21 11:10:30 · answer #4 · answered by nosoop4u246 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Yes you still have to do water changes but you only have to do partial changes. I recommend 10% weekly, but many people will do 30% monthly instead.
When you say "scrub" the side I hope you mean that you will use an algae pad and wipe off any algae from the glass.
You should never empty a tank with a filter to clean it.
2007-07-21 12:12:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
You always will have to clean a fish tank no matter what kind of system you have. And a partial water change is always recommended because it introduces oxygen into the tank to promote better fish health. Sorry, no way around it. Clean it more often and it will be less of a hassle.
2007-07-21 10:38:25 · answer #6 · answered by Elise W 1 · 3⤊ 1⤋
You should never do a complete water change on an established aquarium.This upsets your bio-bed(or bacteria balance).
You can change about 20% of the water every 4 months or so.
As long as you have a good pump and keep changing the filter regularly(it depends on how many fish are in your tank) you should be fine.
2007-07-21 10:38:12 · answer #7 · answered by iron maiden77 5 · 3⤊ 2⤋
If your tank is properly 'settled' you won't have to 'clean' the tank, but you should 'change the water' every week ... but not ALL the water ... remove half (either by dipping or by suction) and add new water. Do this only one time a week ... make an 'appointment' with your fish, and do it at the same time every week, and your fish would applaud ... but their fins won't reach that far.
2007-07-21 10:35:39 · answer #8 · answered by Kris L 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
My grandmother has a 75 gallon fish tank. She has two large filters, & many fish that naturally eat gunk on the walls & such. She just recently cleaned her tank, & with the size only cleans out all the water about once a month. Depending on how big of a tank, & what kind of filters you have will depend on how many times a week you should completly drain the tank. If you have a small corner fish tank for your betta, cleaning it out about once a week should be fine.
2007-07-21 10:35:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 4⤋
i have a 10 gallon fish tank at ny house. ive had for around eight months and have done a complete water change. you do need to change the filter every couple months, and add new water every couple weeks for it will evaporate. you dont realy need to scrub the sides. i dop advise though getting a pump the you put in and it cleans the gravel. i do that every couple months.
2007-07-21 10:34:11 · answer #10 · answered by Ian W 1 · 2⤊ 2⤋