How often should I do water changes for my fish tank?

[LaraFaes]

Hey guys! It's me If you have to attend to other fish hobbyists that are having emergencies or something, go ahead xD But what I want to talk about is how much do I change water. I have a kind of small tank, and I want my fish to have the best way of life possible, so I started feeding them a lot in the morning instead of 2 times a day (They're not sick and I don't want to build up too much gunk in the aquarium) They're doing fine! But the last time I syphoned the aquarium, a LOT of dirt spite the fact of cleaning it two weeks ago. I'm thinking, what if I change the water every 3 days? The filter is not doing it's job filtering (pretty unfortunate) and my syphon's pressure is so low, some of the dirt doesn't get sucked and leaves the aquarium with a bit of filth everyday.

Would that be too much cleaning?

 

[rmorris_14]

Hey guys! It's me If you have to attend to other fish hobbyists that are having emergencies or something, go ahead xD But what I want to talk about is how much do I change water. I have a kind of small tank, and I want my fish to have the best way of life possible, so I started feeding them a lot in the morning instead of 2 times a day (They're not sick and I don't want to build up too much gunk in the aquarium) They're doing fine! But the last time I syphoned the aquarium, a LOT of dirt spite the fact of cleaning it two weeks ago. I'm thinking, what if I change the water every 3 days? The filter is not doing it's job filtering (pretty unfortunate) and my syphon's pressure is so low, some of the dirt doesn't get sucked and leaves the aquarium with a bit of filth everyday.

Would that be too much cleaning?

How big is your tank and its filtration?
what is the fish stocking list?
how many gallons are you currently changing and how often?
What are your current water parameters?

 

[PatW]

There is cleaning and there is cleaning.

I have a sump. My tank water runs through filter socks and that removes the particulates. I have a Skimmer that removes the macromolecules and probably bacteria size stuff. I have macro algae in the sump under a light and they absorb the nitrates and phosphates. Yeah sort of complex. Even then normally do a 14% water change once per month (or more if I am on the ball). The water change is mainly for replacing micro nutrients.

Feeding twice a day is a fair bit. But it depends on the amount each time. It sounds like you are trying to remove particulates and that is tricky in your set up. You could run your tank water through a high volume filter say twice per week and that would probably clean up the tank. Then clean the filter after every use. I used to do that sort of thing back in my freshwater days’

A water change is a different kind of beast. It is a brute force method for exporting nutrients and correcting tank chemistry. But it is a cumbersome method for cleaning a tank of debris and sediment.

You might want to look into using a canister filter or something like it.

 

[LaraFaes]

I'm changing about 40%, I can't say about the filtration but I got 6 Glofish and a 15 gallon tank n_n

 

[LaraFaes]

There is cleaning and there is cleaning.

I have a sump. My tank water runs through filter socks and that removes the particulates. I have a Skimmer that removes the macromolecules and probably bacteria size stuff. I have macro algae in the sump under a light and they absorb the nitrates and phosphates. Yeah sort of complex. Even then normally do a 14% water change once per month (or more if I am on the ball). The water change is mainly for replacing micro nutrients.

Feeding twice a day is a fair bit. But it depends on the amount each time. It sounds like you are trying to remove particulates and that is tricky in your set up. You could run your tank water through a high volume filter say twice per week and that would probably clean up the tank. Then clean the filter after every use. I used to do that sort of thing back in my freshwater days’

A water change is a different kind of beast. It is a brute force method for exporting nutrients and correcting tank chemistry. But it is a cumbersome method for cleaning a tank of debris and sediment.

You might want to look into using a canister filter or something like it.

Yeah! I'm not worried about the difficulty of water changes, I actually like it; the thing is I can't get another better filter since I live in a desolated town xD So I just wanted to ask if water changes every 3 days is too much..

 

[rmorris_14]

Yeah! I'm not worried about the difficulty of water changes, I actually like it; the thing is I can't get another better filter since I live in a desolated town xD So I just wanted to ask if water changes every 3 days is too much..

It could be... you don't want to bottom out your nutrients and cause other issues. Best thing to do would be check your parameters before the water change. If they are low, dont do the water change.

 

[LaraFaes]

It could be... you don't want to bottom out your nutrients and cause other issues. Best thing to do would be check your parameters before the water change. If they are low, dont do the water change.

I have no way of knowing the parameters... The nearest specialty store is kilometers away Maybe I'm just going to do water changes every 1 week. XD

 

[rmorris_14]

I have no way of knowing the parameters... The nearest specialty store is kilometers away Maybe I'm just going to do water changes every 1 week. XD

you could probably get a test kit on amazon that will given you a general idea of where you want to be. I think 40% water changes ever few days might be a little much.