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Changing water in a freshwater aquarium?
americangirl_chelsea asked:
Is it a good idea to perform a complete water change? Or is it better to do a partial water change?
Is it a good idea to perform a complete water change? Or is it better to do a partial water change?
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22. November 2008 at 5:32 pm :
partial….you need to leave some of the natural stuff already established in the tank for your fish…..empty about 2/3 of the way at the most….and recheck levels of chemical after the fresh water acclimates to the other….about 24 hours…..
26. November 2008 at 3:02 am :
i have a ten gallon tank with a filter and i do a partial water change..
28. November 2008 at 12:38 pm :
do parcial a complete will kill all the good bacteria that cycles all the bacteria in your tank
28. November 2008 at 2:24 pm :
It depends if you are using a filter or not. I just have a regular bowl and I change all the water. Make sure however if you are using tap water if you have bettas to use a declorinizing agent. bassically make sure theres no chlorine in the water.
1. December 2008 at 8:44 pm :
never do a complete water change! this will kill of all your beneficial bacteria. partial water changes of about 25% every 2-4 weeks is sufficient. remember not to do them too often since its a good thing for your tank to be a little dirty. and don’t forget water conditioner to kill of chlorine in the tap water.
2. December 2008 at 3:10 am :
Do not change all the water in your tank! This will remove the beneficial bacteria in your tank. It is mandatory for the good health of your fish to change 10-20% of your tank water every week. Replace the water with reverse osmosis water, distilled water, or pre-conditioned tap water only. You should also be vacuuming the gravel/substrate in your tank at least once per week.
If you have a bowl, you honestly need to get a tank with a filter and fitted lid. (For tropicals such as betta, you should have a heater. Goldfish are cold water species and don’t require a tank heater.) Water changes are extremely important for bowls. You will need to change at least 50% of the water daily replacing it with distilled or pre-conditioned tap water.
4. December 2008 at 3:09 am :
Your nitrifying bacteria do not reside in the water. These are the good bacteria that keep your tank cycled. These bacteria reside in the filter media, and to a small extent in the substrate. The only exception to this is if you are running an undergravel filter, you will have a large portion of the nitrifying bacteria in the gravel in that case, as the gravel doubles as filter media.
Bacteria that cause disease do reside in the water, and will have a tough time living in a cycled tank’s filter due to biological exclusion. This also applies to the surfaces of decorations, and the inside of the tank itself. Ever notice the slimy feel to objects in a mature tank? This is the bacterial film, good nitrifying bacteria, that do create biological exclusion. This extremely thin film is multiplied many thousands of times over in your filter media. This film is a sign of a mature tank, as opposed to one that is cycled and not yet mature.
Changing 100% of the water would be tough, as it would leave your fish high & dry. As long as the parameters of the replacement water are the same or nearly so as that of the tank it is safe to change as much as you like. I change 90% daily on angel fry tanks for the first week, every other day the second week. Fry are more fragle than adult fish, if large water changes were bad I wouldn’t have thousands of angels in various states of growing out living just fine down in the fishroom. Adults get anywhere from 50% to 80% weekly, depending on if they are being used for breeding, pairs that are being rested, or potential breeders growing out.