File :-(, x, )
Just wondering Anonymous Prime !/RDa1B/y1o
Is it possible to be doing "too much" regular water changes to a tank?

I do anywhere from 20-50% water changes a week, and this guy at a pet shop kinda freaked out on me when I told him this.

Also, setup is a 20gal with 3 fish in it, averaging about 5" each.
>> Anonymous
thats too much

also, "regular water"?

do you mean dumping tap water into it?
>> Anonymous
do you dechlorinate the water?

I think 50% a week is way too much
>> Anonymous
you should do a partial water change at least every other week, but once a week is better. I do 1/3 of my tank a week. Anywhere from 20 - 50% is reccomended,though when I used to do 50% the cycle got a little fucked, so I cut back.
>> Anonymous Prime !/RDa1B/y1o
>>184285
I guess I worded that wrong, of course the water's dechlorinated and also PH regulated.

>>184287
Alright that does make sense, my Rocket Gar's been acting a little stressed lately though he has calmed down. I'll cut back and only do a few gallons a week - Thanks.
>> Anonymous
I do 10-20% every week
>> Anonymous
>>184330
This would be the correct amount of water change to do. 50% is far too much.

Not that this is the case with the OP, but people think they can go a month and change out 50% rather than do weekly (or every other week) water changes.

Nothing is worse than when someone comes into my job and says "okay so I decided to clean my tank, took out all the water, washed all the gravel, put my fish back in, and now the water is cloudy and they're dying, what happened? I thought I was supposed to do water changes?"

Well sir, first you're a fucking idiot. Aquariums are "easy" to care for if people put in the required steps. Let it cycle a month, regular water changes, vacuum the gravel (no the filter doesn't take out large solid material, no catfish and plecos do not magically suck up all waste meaning you don't have to clean the tank now) and stop putting your light on for 20 hours a day.
>> Anonymous
There are some circumstances where fifty percent is acceptable, for example a large tank stocked with large waste producers such as predatory catfish or bigger cichlids and plecos. The reason for this is because most of the beneficial bacteria in the tank resides in the filter media and in the gravel, not suspended in the water itself.

I smaller tanks with smaller fish the main risk of changing so much water is PH shock or temperature shock
>> Anonymous
>>184346

Be careful here.

Water changes are something of a "band-aid" for an improperly balanced tank. If your tank is perfectly set up (correct filtration, number and type of inhabitants, correct feeding amount, etc.) then water changes aren't needed at all. A properly set up tank is self-sufficient.

Of course, it is difficult to get everything EXACTLY correct so water changes are used to help keep the water chemistry where it should be. However, if you are finding that such massive water changes are NEEDED, then that is a sign that something is wrong with the tank, such as too many fish, the wrong kind of fish, overfeeding, a failed filter (or too small a filter), or some other problem such as a disease or contaminated water.

Think about it this way: if you have to take your car to the mechanic every once in a while, that's OK. But if you're having major work done every week, well, that's a sign that something is wrong!
>> Anonymous
point made, for sure, but you must appreciate the fact that once you start getting into fish two feet and up maintaining an ecosystem to any extent of the definition becomes near impossible

Although, in the fifty percent a week scenario, I would very strongly advise changing twenty five percent twice a week over one big one, because any fish can be shocked, of course. I was just using it as an extreme example, I suppose, of how some fish keepers feel it is necessary and use the method with few problems
>> Anonymous
OP,

Is there a particular reason why you are doing these drastic water changes? Are you testing your water and changing because something is off? Or are you changing it based on a guess or "just becasue"?

You may not need to change it this much. Or, if you're testing water and something is out-of-line then there may be a better fix than water changes (e.g. fix the problem, not the symptoms). Can you fill us in on that?
>> Anonymous
>>184355
That is wrong.
You feed your fish, your fish poop.
The Nitrate in the water does not just vanish into air.
A water change is always needed.
>> Anonymous
>>184374

Wow, look. Someone else who thinks they understand the Nitrate cycle, but they really don't.

Yes, you feed the fish. Fish poop. Poop contains ammonia, which is toxic.

In a properly setup tank, Nitrosomonas bacteria convert the ammonia into Nitrite, which is toxic. Nitrite is then converted into nitrate by a different type of bacteria (nitrobacter).

Nitrite is only very slightly toxic to marine life so it's a minimal concern in the first place. Furthermore, it is again broken down into gaseous nitrogen by heterotrophic bacteria, which live in gravel or sand (and can be found in certain types of filters). Gaseous nitrogen simply leaves the tank by evaporation. In addition to being bacterially broken down, Nitrates are also absorbed by plants. (Nitrates being key to plant growth, hence nitrate fertilizer).

So, if your tank is properly set up: it is cycled, contains a reasonably sized sand/gravel bed, and it includes live green plants, then your nitrates will be naturally processed without the need for water changes.
>> Anonymous
>>184363
I'm not trying to troll OP but I think he's changing the water so frequently because he doesn't know any better and doesn't want sick fish. Maybe drawing a parallel between a litterbox and a fishtank where a litterbox needs to be changed frequently. So far he's been lucky with his fish but hopefully all of your advice will prevent the untimely death of his fish.
>> Anonymous
>>184378
Ho ho ho, merry christmas. Wiseass.
Denitrification of Nitrate is almost neglectable.
Yes, it happens by bacteria in the gravel, but on a very small scale.
Unless you have a lot of plants or enjoy algae growth, change your water.
>> Anonymous
>>184404

Dentrification and the consumption of nitrates by plants most certainly do occur in a properly set up aquarium.

You are right that if you don't have plants and you have a minimal gravel/sand bed, then yes, you would certainly need to do water changes. But then again, a tank with no live plants and a tiny sand bed is far from "properly set up". You need to pay more attention to the tank than just the pretty fish that are in it. Plants and substrate-dwellers are just as important.

Water changes in that instance is a band-aid "fix" for not having plants and a good sand bed in the first place. Set up your tank properly, let it cycle, and test your water regularly: you'll see that you rarely will need to do water changes.
>> Anonymous Prime !/RDa1B/y1o
OP here,

Ok I probably should've explained why I was doing such drastic water changes. First off, I have my 20 gallon set up - inside it I have a 5-6" Rocket Gar, a 5" Alligator Pleco, and a 4" Bichir, (I even had a 7" Gobi Dragon in the tank before but I gave him away to a friend.).

I've had these fish all in my 20 gallon setup until I can get my bigger 150 gallon setup going, need to fix the filter. Anyway, to keep up with the changes I was doing up to 50% changes a week, now that I have 3 fish I guess I can ease up with the tank, especially with the info I've gathered.

Anyway, thanks again guys.
>> Anonymous
i never change the water in my tank. All fish alive 3 years counting.