# What is the best water changing method?



## Pat805 (Oct 12, 2011)

Out of all the water changing methods out there which one is the best for the fish? I have heard 10% a week - 70% water change a week.... even also 10-20% per day. which one is the best?


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

I do 30% water change weekly! Always same day/schedule! My Africans & Adult discus I do 50% W/C


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Depends on the stock, bio-load, what you are trying to achieve, etc. In other words, there is no definitive answer.

I do 40% on my display tanks and 30% on my conditioning tanks. Discus growers do 99% water changes. Planted tank keepers may do 10% or no water changes. See where I am going with this?  Typically as long as your ammonia is 0, nitrite 0, and nitrate 5~20 then the only thing you need to worry about is the pheromones/hormones the fish release that can't be tested for!


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I think this also depends on the kind of fish you keep (e.g. discus requires bigger and more frequent water change), and what you want to achieve (grow them out fast vs just keep them from dying)and the kind of tank (planted tank, barebottom..etc) and the tank mates you have (e.g. 10 gold fish vs 10 neon tetra).
You can go by the nitrate level of your tank to set a target at which you will do a water change. For example, you may set 15ppm nitrate as your target and aim to restore your water at 5ppm as you starting point. You can test the nitrate level regularly until it is at 15ppm. Mark down how many days it has taken for the level to reach 15 ppm. This is how many days you should perform your water change. Then try to change say 30 % and check the new nitrate level. If it is still higher than 5ppm you know you need to change more water next time, may be 50%. If you already get 5ppm then you can just keep 30% next time. Keep monitoring your tank this way to find out a schedule that works for you.
But for Co2 injected planted tank if you are dosing EI it is recommended that you perform a 50% weekly. Also, you need to replenish the redox balance in your water and water change can help to keep algae at bay as well so you should perform frequent water changes even if your nitrate level may be very low.


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

I do 25-30% weekly water change on my 90G and 12G tanks. 10-20% twice a week on 20G apisto tank and 10-20% biweekly on shrimp and 3G tank. all on fridays( around 5-7pm). never missed it even when i had flu with fever lol


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## DBam (Aug 9, 2010)

How about you share with us your tank specs and stocking. Maybe we can give you better tailored advice, or perhaps the other replies have given you the answers you needed to read.


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## shift (Dec 21, 2012)

I do 25% ish.. weekly ish.. some times less than a week.. some times 2 weeks.. try to once a week on average.. to many tanks!


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## Pat805 (Oct 12, 2011)

ok what do you guys think about this, im about to start maybe a 4 zebra pleco 55 gallon soon with a few cardinals and rummys in there and want to try breeding them what do you think would be the most effective for them so they dont die... they are expensive. Its gonna be a bare bottom tank with starting out 4 zebra plecs and probably gonna add 4 more later in a month or so.. but its a 55 gallon tank so im not quite sure how often its gotta be.


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## donjuan_corn (May 6, 2010)

What kind of filters will you be using? If you have a bare bottom, are you putting any driftwood in there or plants?


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

I do 50% 1x/week water changes on high tech EI dosed planted tanks. I may do it more frequently if I'm noticing more algae or I might do a bigger water change after treating with medication, H2O2, etc.


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## DBam (Aug 9, 2010)

What are your biological filtration sources going to be?


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## lancergtsguy (Aug 15, 2013)

I do 30% water changed weekly myself. 

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## Pat805 (Oct 12, 2011)

I am currently 2x Aqua clear the biggest one hob, and I have driftwood in there but none of them seals off the bottom to trap poop, always a big gap at the bottom for water to flow. I am also gonna add some caves in there maybe a couple tiles to lift up the caves so poop dont get trapped inside the caves.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

A suggestion for you, keep it a species only setup.Tetras such as the ones you mentioned are fine, but i would not add any other larger fish or catfish for that matter.Filtration for a setup like this can be a canister,a HOB,or sponge filters.As to how many are needed for each depends if your stocking plan goes through as planned.Zebras are hardy if you ask me(personal experience),i ve kept them with no fuss whats so ever following a consistant maintenance routine.What you should be considering is a layout properly setup for them to breed,what foods you'll be feeding,ratio of females to males,plenty of flow throughout the setup, to name a few.Breeding these guys will take a long time as well,mature a bit later compared to other hypans plecos.They are a species that hides as well, so something to think about if you have intentions of seeing these guys out and about.I feed lights out, and barely through the day.Better odds of getting all of them to eat equally.Any questions just ask!


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## Pat805 (Oct 12, 2011)

Thanks Luke that is what I'm planning species only I'm adding 4 young ones in a couple days then prob 4 adults by end of year or end of January. I am feeding shrimp pellets I got from Charles, maybe I'll get earthworm sticks I heard those make them grow faster, 
Also by your routine for these guys to be hardy, what do you recommend for my setup and soon to be eight of these guys. I'm also wondering for the tiles in picking up Is small scraps at construction sites is It safe after I wash it in hot water?


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Pat,

Those two foods are good, speaking of i have to stock up as well running low They do like meaty foods compared to others, so a varied diet helps with a bit of everything in between.They will let you know if they don;t like it.Hikari massivore/carivore? (sorry with spelling) pellets are plus with them.High protein content and other goodies that drives them nuts come meal time.Look for pieces of slate or flat stones,try adding some sand in as well if your planning on, or no substrate works.Just a bit, iam sitting under an inch mark which i think is just enough, before you run into problems with poop and other uneaten foods decaying everywhere.Sand down any sharp edges on them stones,slate,rock etc last thing you want is them getting clipped some where.This goes for driftwood as well, i used a bit of it in my setup now.You'll be amazed how they jam themselves into most tiny places or odd spots.Do take the time to clean off any items you come across, and make sure they dont leach stuff into the water column.Ive personally applied almond leaves as well, don't mind the 'tea look' and there's benefits to them and the tetras in there, just do your homework.


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## Pat805 (Oct 12, 2011)

Thanks do you think is best if i do like 10% water change everyday? to keep water fresh?


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

I personally wouldn't do 10% each day, i leave mine towards the end of the week usually and do up towards 20-25% sometimes a bit less seeing i use a decent sized canister with plenty of bio media, and a large Aquaclear with the same setup as backup.The way i see it is,careful with the feeding and make sure to vacuum any debris between your rocks/slate/caves/wood.I think you mentioned a 55g? could be wrong, but small water changes once or twice a week would be alright.Make sure you keep consistent water temps, they do like it on the warmer side.28-31C is where i keep mine.



Pat805 said:


> Thanks do you think is best if i do like 10% water change everyday? to keep water fresh?


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## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

If you happen to have a drain below your tank, it's relatively simple to add a continuous automatic water change system. I've added one to my 155g for about $50 worth of materials. The result is crystal clear water and constant nitrate rates - no build up over the week, and no Sunday buckets/hoses, water mess etc. I can control the rate of water exchange with a simple ball valve to adjust for new fish/changes in feeding. My other recent addition is a nano hydor that I placed below my other main hydor that runs full time. Waste naturally gathers below the main hydor. I let the waste gather, and the nano is on a timer and only runs part of the day. It blows the waste out into the flow of the main hydor which then pushes it into the filters. I clean the filter socks once a week, and the main filter once a month. That's all the maintenance I do other than cleaning kids fingerprints off the glass. No vacuuming of the tank required.


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