How often should water be changed?

[maurice]

I was just wondering what some of the pro's suggest on how often i should change the water in my aquarium once everything is cycled and good?How often,and how much should i change,any tips and tricks?Thank you for any help!

 

[ivanfj]

I do a 25-30% water change every other week. It's better for you to prepare the new water 24 hr before the water change to allow the salt to mix well.

 

[maurice]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[sly]

You can speed the process up a bit if you use an air stone to airate your water while you are mixing it. Also you want your mixed water to match to the temp of your tank water. You can use a heater to get your water warm or you can use a DI filter and run warm tap water through it until your water temp is whatever your tank temp is.

 

[maurice]

I am using 2-12" air stones in the tank all the time,is this ok or does it matter?I just like the look of the bubbles against the background,but didn't know if it was ok or not.Any opinions?

 

[trainfever]

The airstones are not for in your tank. They are for in the container where you are mixing your saltwater? You're not mixing the salt right in your tank, are you? I was told that too may bubbles can cause your nitrates to rise. Something to do with too much oxygen in the water. Oh yea, I change 5 gallons a week in my tank.

 

[maurice]

I have not had a problem as of yet with my water,but if the stones are a bad idea i will take them out!I just had them in there for looks,the lfs said my water was fine last week when i took a sample to them.

 

[mudplayerx]

You should do 5% weekly water changes. If you do changes less frequently, but with more water, you risk needlessly stressing your animals and killing beneficial bacteria. I don't want to start an arguement though.

 

[maurice]

Thank you for the replies everyone!This site and the knowledge of the people on here are great and have helped me alot in just a few days!

 

[scubadoo]

It really depends on what your have in your sytem and what you are trying to accomplish.
I change about 5-6% of the water each week. If I am having a problem such I may change a little more.such as high nitrates.
In my opinion, no magic formula as each sytem is different. You should target 20-25% a month...but this could be greater given bioload, filtration, etc.
Both methods have pros and cons...smaller changes vs one or two large changes per month.