Will I need to change aqarium water???

Question

I have a planted 10 gallon tank, and couple little fishes. i have a homemade co2 system for my plants. just wanna know do i ever need to change the water. with everything in the tank cycling are there any harmfull biproduct in this setup?

sorry forgot to mention i also got a bio wheel filtert hat eats up all the ammonia. and the byproduct is nitrates, and wonder if the plants absorb these ? if if does then there would be no need for changing water, right?

Answer 1

Yes! Plants will not completely eliminate all the toxic waste products the fish produce. And consider this, the plants are also producing waste. The only real possible way this could work is in a HEAVILY planted HUGE tank. In a space as small as a 10 gallon, even a few fish will soon die from their own waste. Change about 10% of your water every week, and you will be in good shape. Email me if you have any questions.

Nosoop4u

EDIT: Your filter doesn't "eat" ammonia. What happens is, ammonia is trapped in your filter, bacteria break down ammonia and turn it into nitrite, and then, the nitrite is broken down into nitrate. Nitrate is fish-safe in low quantities, but the plants will NOT consume all of it. Especially in such a small tank, you stand no chance of creating a "self sufficient" tank.

Answer 2

Don't be ridiculous. Those things you have help maintain the water, but you still need to do 20 percent changes weekly. Everyone has what you have, those aren't miracle items. Biowheels don't clean up ammonia, they produce healthy bacteria (which can help with ammonia, but in a little tank, which is unnatural compared to the wild, it will still quickly grow out of control if you are too lazy to change the water)
And the person who said monthly changes is way wrong -- you actually need to change water MORE OFTEN with a smaller tank, since the water gets dirtier quicker -- less room for the junk to go. duh! That is one reason people like to give their fish appropriate room -- like 10 gallons at least per goldfish -- not only so the goldfish are healthy, but it means you don't have to clean the tank like daily lol.

Answer 3

Yes, please change the water. Plants can't clean up all the mess that fish make. For example, fish emit pheremones that can stunt growth if allowed to build up in the water. There will also be plenty of solid waste that needs to be removed. Water changes are never optional in a normal fish tank.

Answer 4

For your tank, you still need to change the water because of the nitrate build up. Most plants do not use nitrate, they really prefer ammonia.
You could have a self sufficient tank, but there are plenty of things to be done before you can do so. tons of plants, soil substrate, etc...

Answer 5

There are siphoning systems sold at pet stores now that you don't have to empty the whole tank to clean it out. It makes it so much easier to clean and re fill your tank. One of the products is called Python No-Spill Clean. Here is a website that will show you what it looks like.

Answer 6

yes you do fishes pee and poop in the water so waters get dirt and could go on the plant.So you might not put the plant it but you do have to change the water i suggest you get a filter for the tank so the water would be clean and you dont have to change the water

Answer 7

With that small of a tank you probably don't need to do a water change except about once a month. It depends on the type of fish, I'm assuming passive fish with tank size. I know pple disagree but I usually do about a70% water change when I clean my tanks, been working for years for me.

Answer 8

Yes

Answer 9

umm you have to do a 20% water change every so often but PetSmart will do a care evaluation of your tank if you tell them about it and they will tell you exactly to the T what you have to do and watch out for. I had the same prob but easy to fix good luck!