my mother says that some fish cant handle weekly water changes and that im doing to many water changes and i am explaining to her to keep the nitrates down you need to change the water and for some reason she doesnt believe me so can you guys chime in maybe im wrong but i dont think so so what do you guys think i do water changes once or twice a week i have an arowana flag tail peacock bass and twin spot catfish thanks guys
help me win an argument
- Thread starter thechief
- Start date
if I could perform 100% water change per day with the same temp and chemical parameters, I would!! 
Not doing water changes is like a human not taking a shower lol. I don't think the fish appreciates swimming in filth just as a human doesn't like being smelly/dirty. I believe there is no such thing as too many water changes. By no means will the fish be hurt by keeping its surroundings clean. Sorry if I offended anyone that hates showers 
You can NEVER do too many water changes.
Tell your mom to just think about where these fish come from in the wild. The water in their natural habitat is pristine and perfect. Nature doesn't have to do 25% water changes, vacuum the substrate once a week, and run a Fluval FX5. In nature, everything is balanced. Some fish are hardier than others but that doesn't mean that they won't benefit from frequent water changes. A goldfish will benefit from water changes just as an arowana will.
If I could do a 100% water change every day and collect rain water for them to live in, I would. Unfortunately, we have to be realistic. It's still an aquarium, not a river. lol But as long as we try to replicate their natural environment and water quality to the best of our ability, we will have healthier and longer living fish.
I do 30% water changes twice a week on all my tanks (even on my mbuna tank that only has three 2" saulosis in it right now). With the fish that you have, water changes twice a week is a good idea. I wouldn't do any less than once a week with that stock. It's always a good idea to increase water changes, never a good idea to decrease.
Good luck. I hope you convince her.
Tell your mom to just think about where these fish come from in the wild. The water in their natural habitat is pristine and perfect. Nature doesn't have to do 25% water changes, vacuum the substrate once a week, and run a Fluval FX5. In nature, everything is balanced. Some fish are hardier than others but that doesn't mean that they won't benefit from frequent water changes. A goldfish will benefit from water changes just as an arowana will.
If I could do a 100% water change every day and collect rain water for them to live in, I would. Unfortunately, we have to be realistic. It's still an aquarium, not a river. lol But as long as we try to replicate their natural environment and water quality to the best of our ability, we will have healthier and longer living fish.
I do 30% water changes twice a week on all my tanks (even on my mbuna tank that only has three 2" saulosis in it right now). With the fish that you have, water changes twice a week is a good idea. I wouldn't do any less than once a week with that stock. It's always a good idea to increase water changes, never a good idea to decrease.
Good luck.
I hope you convince her.Well yes and no. I would never do more than 50% unless for emergencies. It's almost impossible to get the same temperature of the new water coming in and it can shock and kill some sensitive fish. Also most tap water sucks. Ever notice how after a water change the water is cloudy? And to get rid of all the harmful chemicals takes some time because most people fill their tanks with tap water and add the conditioner. Well that all has to mix in a large area. It's better to do frequent small water changes than one large one. I've seen many fish lost due to water changes done wrong.
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a water change can only help, but your mom may be right you dont need to change the water, everyday per-say, but you do need to change when your levels get high