Water Change - Little and often or big once a week

[Backfromthedead]

If I can, I like to get 3x 50% changes in per week with my current tank. I rarely accomplish this though due to time constraints, so I am more likely to do one 75%+ change on the weekend. I always get at least one per week, but my WC schedule is pretty much when I get an hour free at home I change water.

I do believe more frequent smaller changes are better than the huge "fin level" changes though, especially if you're keeping species that prefer much different chemistry than your source water. It's a subject not studied enough imo, that is to say what exactly are the long term health effects of repeated, rapidly changing water parameters on your fish.

 

[RD.]

Raised in pH that ranged from 8.0-8.2 That breeder had 40+ yrs experience with Discus. He also did 50% weekly water changes.

How much to change and how often is all relative to numerous factors.

Not necessarily. Water changes are dictated by bio-load, so what one feeds, and how much, and how many fish are in a specific volume of water, will be the deciding factor regarding water changes. A local breeder of 40 or so odd years did 50% weekly water changes, once he stopped feeding beef heart. As he said, warm water + beef = beef soup.

The fish below were some of his last Stendker discus that he was raising out on 50% weekly water changes, 100% pellets, before his untimely death. RIP Don.


View attachment 1399070

View attachment 1399072

View attachment 1399075

 

[ken31cay]

Living in Dubaii , it is probably safe to assume, your tap water is desalinated sea water (like my tap water here on an island off the coast of Panama).
After the desalinization, buffers are normally added to bring pH up to make it aethsetically drinkable, but how far is the question.
Here in Panama it comes from the tap at an 8.2 pH, and resists change.
For me.....keeping discus, or any other Amazon soft water species would be an exercise in futility, unless I had an RO unit, and artificially added tannins.

My water comes in at 6.4 pH - 6.6 pH and settles at around 6.8 pH 24hrs later. Of course it becomes unstable pretty quick after putting it in a tank with fish. For Discus I used to fill two 55gal brute containers with water the night before and gas them off for the ~100gal or so water change the next day.

I think I have good water for Discus, and I've heard other Discus keeper's accounts keeping them (domesticated, not wild caught) in hard water (>8.0 pH), others keeping them in well water ( 7.5 pH, mid to low levels of carbonate & magnesium), etc., and my take on it is that it doesn't seem to matter significantly. Seems to me that the biggest factor in keeping Discus healthy is just changing lots of water & regular, meticulous tank maintenance.

 

[ken31cay]

Raised in pH that ranged from 8.0-8.2 That breeder had 40+ yrs experience with Discus. He also did 50% weekly water changes.

How much to change and how often is all relative to numerous factors.

Feeding pellets would indeed make a difference, as would age of fish, tank bioload, etc.

 

[Tj203]

Hey Everyone,

I have 3 tanks at home a 180G, 150G, 75G and am currently doing a 70% weekly change on the 180G, 50% on the 150G and 30% on the 75G.

This obviously leads to big quick changes in the nitrate level etc..... I also live in Dubai and in the summer months I have to fill tankers up and leave them to cool down for 24/30 hours before doing the weekly changes and this is a pain and the wife isn't keen on having a bunch of blue containers around the house.

I have a few questions:

1) I wanted to understand if changing 20% daily on the 150 and 180 would keep the levels more stable and still keep nitrates at a nice controllable level?
2) Prime dosing, will I dose enough for just the water change or the whole volume of water in the tank each day?
3) I have 2 FX6 canisters on both tanks, would adding a sponge filter to each make much difference to water clarity and nitrates?

With that many tanks is it possible to do a continuous water change system? That's what I use it's also the best for the fish as it has the least amount of parameter swing that's the only thing that matters the more stable you can keep the water parameters the better therefore I think smaller water changes are better if you cannot do what continuous water change system.
I just set up a 2:10 and hooked up my continuous water change system today.
Here is a calculator to show you how much water you're changing in a specific time. You just enter in all your parameters I'll probably be dripping 4 gallons an hour to start in my 210 and either back it down or increase it from there depending on how to buy a load is doing.

I love fish I hate maintenance I just want to be able to watch them so anytime I could make it easier for myself I will I just took down a 600 gallon that I probably only had to touch every 4 to 6 weeks to clean out the algae scrubber and that's about it

 

[G8zzaj]

If I can, I like to get 3x 50% changes in per week with my current tank. I rarely accomplish this though due to time constraints, so I am more likely to do one 75%+ change on the weekend. I always get at least one per week, but my WC schedule is pretty much when I get an hour free at home I change water.

I do believe more frequent smaller changes are better than the huge "fin level" changes though, especially if you're keeping species that prefer much different chemistry than your source water. It's a subject not studied enough imo, that is to say what exactly are the long term health effects of repeated, rapidly changing water parameters on your fish.

I am averaging 2 large water changes a week in the winter as it is easy due to the water coming out of the tap at a similar temp to the tanks, my issue is the summer months when the water is coming out of the tap too hot so I need to fill up containers and let them sit for 24 hours to cool. Having all 3 tanks in the front room = 7 125 liter containers in the room 4 out of 7 days a week which doesn't please the wife!!!!!!! So was looking at an easier way to manage this and thought 15/20% changes daily wouldn't matter with the water being warmer as it's a small amount and would not change the temp of the tank

 

[G8zzaj]

With that many tanks is it possible to do a continuous water change system? That's what I use it's also the best for the fish as it has the least amount of parameter swing that's the only thing that matters the more stable you can keep the water parameters the better therefore I think smaller water changes are better if you cannot do what continuous water change system.
I just set up a 2:10 and hooked up my continuous water change system today.
Here is a calculator to show you how much water you're changing in a specific time. You just enter in all your parameters I'll probably be dripping 4 gallons an hour to start in my 210 and either back it down or increase it from there depending on how to buy a load is doing.

I love fish I hate maintenance I just want to be able to watch them so anytime I could make it easier for myself I will I just took down a 600 gallon that I probably only had to touch every 4 to 6 weeks to clean out the algae scrubber and that's about it

That would be the ideal goal, I'm not too sure how I would hook it all up and if it would be on show too much or would require too much plumping, we are in a rented villa so can't do anything to damage the property?

 

[Tj203]

That would be the ideal goal, I'm not too sure how I would hook it all up and if it would be on show too much or would require too much plumping, we are in a rented villa so can't do anything to damage the property?

I used the fridge ice maker water line you could tee off that don't even need to cut it and then all you got to do is run a flexible hose to either a drain or outside.
If you don't have a drain that could be gravity fed you can use a float switch and a small pump.

My setup is very simple

 

[jjohnwm]

It's incredible to read posts from around the world and hear about the completely dissimilar problems faced by various people trying to achieve the same ends. Water coming out of the cold water tap that's too hot to use in your tank...wow...just wow...

For the record: I would do just about anything to be able to set up a continuous drip/flow system. I am always looking for the easy way out of doing work, and that's got to be the ultimate short cut. And, of course, the best way to maintain absolutely stable parameters. But for some folks, like myself, circumstances dictate that such a system simply can't be made to work.

But doing frequent and large changes is the next best way to avoid large parameter shifts. The common idea repeated here over and over seems to be that a large water change automatically equates to an equally large shift in parameters. That's only true if the water changes are spaced out long enough for the tank water to change or degrade significantly between them. But changing it frequently enough that it doesn't have a chance to degrade too far from its original state prevents large parameter swings.

This won't work for you if your water is insanely expensive...or if you do your changes by slogging around with buckets...but if you have abundant clean water available to you and can set up a simple plumbing system to deliver it and remove it, it's the next best thing to continuous change systems.

 

[RD.]

The common idea repeated here over and over seems to be that a large water change automatically equates to an equally large shift in parameters. That's only true if the water changes are spaced out long enough for the tank water to change or degrade significantly between them. But changing it frequently enough that it doesn't have a chance to degrade too far from its original state prevents large parameter swings.

Exactly. It's all about stability. My only issue is the tap water here in NW Canada in winter becomes too damn cold, and it is saturated in gas, which means that for some species of fish that are sensitive to this, their slime coat peels off if subjected to massive water changes. Solution to that problem - I no longer keep those species, because I simply don't have room for a massive storage tank, and I prefer to flush my tanks weekly. Most fish no problem, but others, such as Discus, H. temporalis, it's an issue if the water change is over 25% or so. This is what works for me.


Continuous drip systems can be great, but again, the amount of drip vs the bio-load in the tank is what this all boils down to. A continuous drip may, or may not, work better than large frequent water changes, in the same tank. It all depends on how that drip is dialed in by the operator. A local fish buddy changed out approx 100 gallons per day via drip, on a 600 gallon set up, and still fought to keep his nitrates in check due to the bio-load in his comm tank. The OP is going to be in the exact same situation with the current stock in his 180. Mission impossible.

For those that have missed this: 180 Gallon - Asian Aro, BD Stingray, Polleni