[steelersx]

Are they really necessary? When I have my180 going a 25% daily would be crazy.
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[keepsmiling]

Not for cichlids, no. Is your tank cycled?

 

[steelersx]

Not for cichlids, no. Is your tank cycled?

Oh yeah, it's cycled. I just read so many threads of people doing 25% every day or every other day. Seems excessive
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[jaysee]

Seems excessive
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It is.

 

[Tolak]

You should only need to do 50% water changes if you've got a cycling problem, or with some medications. You'll also come across this with certain breeding situations, but for a reasonably set up & stocked cycled tank it would be excessive.

 

[rickey]

I do 15 to 20% per day in my stocktanks but only because it automatic. Timer goes off, valve opens adds water, extra water out the overflow.
R

 

[Romad]

My guess is that you're looking at betta fish threads. Typically, the people who keep bettas in 1 gallon or less need to do pretty frequent water changes.

But for a larger cycled tank with zero ammonia & nitrIte and nitrAtes in a good safe range it's certainly not necessary. 25% to 30% a week depending on your stocking level is a pretty good rule of thumb.

 

[keepsmiling]

I do 50% per week, but I have messy goldfish. I just left a shop that hasn't done a water change in 2 months on a 180 with discus. And the water and tank were crystal clear. You could barely see the water.

 

[jaysee]

In my experience frequency of water changes has little to do with water clarity. Clarity is more a function of filtration.

 

[keepsmiling]

Well if they were mine I would have been changing the water. I don't think I have ever not changed water in two months...*gasp*

 

[jaysee]

I have - clarity was completely unaffected.

 

[rsskylight04]

I've only ever done daily water changes when there is a problem but I do change 25% every week in all my tanks. Do you thonk that's too much or unnecessary?

 

[jaysee]

I think that's just fine. You can always do more if you think it's necessary.

For me, I don't do any less than 50% changes. If it's been a couple months, 50%. If it's the usual month or so, then I change about 80%.

I believe it's important to do a massive change periodically, if you normally do small changes. Small changes don't clear out the water like large ones do.

 

[Tazman]

Monitor the Nitrates in the tank, your aim when doing a water change is 24 hours later to reduce them to half of what you tested prior to the change.

What filters are you using on the 180g tank. In my 75g I can get away with not doing a water change for 2 weeks, although I do a 50% change once a week. When changing water, you are not only helping to reduce nitrates but removing other unwanted things in the water. One being pheromones that the fish produce to potentially attract a mate.

In a large tank, you can slightly reduce the water change schedule but I would not do less than 50% per month.

 

[steelersx]

Monitor the Nitrates in the tank, your aim when doing a water change is 24 hours later to reduce them to half of what you tested prior to the change.

What filters are you using on the 180g tank. In my 75g I can get away with not doing a water change for 2 weeks, although I do a 50% change once a week. When changing water, you are not only helping to reduce nitrates but removing other unwanted things in the water. One being pheromones that the fish produce to potentially attract a mate.

In a large tank, you can slightly reduce the water change schedule but I would not do less than 50% per month.

I have order a sump system and 950 gph
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[Roccus]

every tank has it's own requirements... like shoes, one size does not fit all.. a water change schedule needs to be tailored to your individual tank and it's inhabitants... the amount of stock, plants and type of plants and stock all make a differance.... personaly for my tank, a 15% water change once every 10 days seems to work in keeping the NitrAte levels < 20 PPM...once you find ( through testing) what works best you can tailor your water changes to match...

 

[Agent13]

Daily water change is generally discus keeping advice. They need more water changes then your average fish.
Almost all of my tanks get 50-70ish% per week. To me the percentage I do makes no difference in effort other then leaving the hose hooked up longer. But every tank definately has different needs. Where all my other tanks are perfectly fine going a month without a water change i wouldnt ever go that long with my african tank. My African cichlids really do need perfect water quality to thrive and means little to no nitrates.

 

[jaysee]

Many of the discus keepers that change the water daily believe that they are reducing growth inhibiting hormones released by the fish, thereby maximizing the fish's growth.

 

[rsskylight04]

water testing

I read somwhere in the threads that water changes should be done as a result of water testing, not according to a time schedule. I think I agree,but what about those other things in water that are not measured by water test kits? Pheremones, stress hormones... . I think I'll keep to my weekly changes for now, but always learning more and willing to adjust to new knowledge.

 

[Agent13]

I read somwhere in the threads that water changes should be done as a result of water testing, not according to a time schedule. I think I agree,but what about those other things in water that are not measured by water test kits? Pheremones, stress hormones... . I think I'll keep to my weekly changes for now, but always learning more and willing to adjust to new knowledge.

Well yes and no. Thats waiting for your tests to show a number you dont like before you correct it.
It would be interesting to see how long before hormones in your water effected your fish. I wouldnt really want to find out that way but it would be cool to know.