Do I Need To Do A Water Change

So it has been 1 week since I added my Male Betta JI'm to my cycled 10 gallon tank (used hardware store ammonia). I did some ammonia and nitrite readings throughout the week, and saw 0 of both.

It is now a been a week, and I measured my nitrates. They are 5ppm. I have some Moneywort, Anubias, and Moss Balls in the tank.

Do I need to do a water change?

I know one reason to do WC is to remove Nitrates. But if I have so little, is it nessecary?

Or should I do like a 25% to replace some minerals for the fish and the plants?

Thanks

 

I would do a 30% water change weekly to maintain a happy tank!

 

Water changes also replace the minerals and reduce other unmeasurable things in the water

 

If you did a large water change after the cycle, and just before you added the betta, probably not.

Might be educational to see how fast your nitrates rise to 20ppm.

With a 10, and just 1 betta, + plants, you may be able to keep nitrates under 10 ppm with water changes every other week. Depends on feeding.

This from someone that always recommends water changes.

 

I didnt do a water change before I added the fish. I did a water change about a week before I added Jim.

When I added him, the nitrates were next to 0, but definitly not 5ppm.

Before I added Jim, I was processing 1 to 1.5ppm ammonia in 24 hours

 

there is more to water changes than just reducing nitrates.

"Nitrates also promote overgrowth of . Phosphates have a similar effect. Changing the is the best way to keep nitrate and phosphate levels low.
Wastes are not the only reason water needs to be changed. Trace elements and minerals in the water are important to the health of your fish as well as the stability of the water chemistry. Over time they are used up or filtered out. If they are not replaced, the pH of the water will drop. Furthermore, the lack of trace minerals will adversely affect the vigor and health of the fish. Giving your fish fresh water regularly is much the same as giving your kids vitamins to keep them strong and healthy."




Old Tank Syndrome
How to avoid 'old tank syndrome'

 

Skavatar,

All very good information.

But this tank has been set up for one week.

Most people do a large water change after completing their cycle since the process usually results in high nitrate levels.

I answered the OPs question with the stipulation that he’d done a large water change just prior to adding the fish (1 week ago).

 

If JI'm poos and pees in that water I'd do a weekly water change. You're just looking at 3 gallons a week so no big deal. A lot of people think why mess with it if it seems okay. Weekly water changes are part of every experienced aquarists routine and for good reason.

 

So what would be a good routine to get into? Weekly WC & substrate vacuum, monthly filter clean / inspection?

Edit: what would be a good % change? 30? 50? 25?

 

Sounds fine to me. But I like to clean my filter at least once a week because of my messy platies. Yours should be fine

 

So what would be a good routine to get into? Weekly WC & substrate vacuum, monthly filter clean / inspection?

Edit: what would be a good % change? 30? 50? 25?

25 to 30 percent each week. I'd say vacuuming and filter cleaning depends on the tank and the filter. You'll figure that out as you go along but ignoring any of it is not the way to go.

 

I personally do at least 1 50% water change in all of my tanks every week but they are all moderately to heavily stocked. Some tanks get 2 50% water changes.

But you have a very low bioload with 1 betta in a 10.

As was spoken to earlier, replacing minerals is also part of the equation. They help the beneficial bacteria, the plants and the fish.

I would test my nitrates regularly for a while. See how fast they rise. Then figure out a water change schedule that will keep nitrates below 20ppm.

But a minimum of a couple of 25-30% water changes monthly regardless of nitrates.

 

25% per week for a betta in a 10 gallon would generally be ok

 

every week there are atleast a dozen new threads from people asking for help with fin rot, ich, and other diseases.

most fish keepers say "poor water quality is the leading cause of diseases"

I advocate weekly 50% water changes, in the hopes of reducing the cases of fin rot, ich, and other diseases we see so often on here and other fish forums.

rinse out the filter media whenever you do water changes, put some of the old tank water into a bucket and swish it around, get the crud out of it.

 

Thanks all for the advice. I know water changes seem to be tank / stocking specific, so that is why I asked. This is my first tank / fish, so I wanted to make sure I don't mess up.

I did a 50% WC today, which allowed me to more easily rearrange some of my plants, and remove some of the ones that weren't doing so hot.

I also cleaned the intake sponge in the old tank water, as that was super dirty with all the old dead plant stuff on it. The media in the filter didnt look dirty, so I'll probably do that bi-weekly, and the intake sponge weekly.

I treated the new water with Prime, and made sure it was within a degree of the tank water that was left in the tank, to help prevent any stress on Jim.

I forgot to mention before that I'm using Aquarium Co-OP "easy green" liquid fertilizer for my tank (1 pump per 10 gallons per week, per the instructions).

Thanks again for all the help!

 

Saw a video, he said to place a plastic bag around the intake sponge before removing it so all the crud doesn't come off while its still in the tank.

 

Skavatar.

Great idea.

I have a couple of tanks I clean my intake sponges 2Xs a week, trying to contain the loose material.

I’ll try the bag tonight.

 

Skavatar.

Great idea.

I have a couple of tanks I clean my intake sponges 2Xs a week, trying to contain the loose material.

I’ll try the bag tonight.

It worked way better than wrapping my hand around it.

Thanks.

 

every week there are atleast a dozen new threads from people asking for help with fin rot, ich, and other diseases.

most fish keepers say "poor water quality is the leading cause of diseases"

I advocate weekly 50% water changes, in the hopes of reducing the cases of fin rot, ich, and other diseases we see so often on here and other fish forums.

rinse out the filter media whenever you do water changes, put some of the old tank water into a bucket and swish it around, get the crud out of it.

Every weekend. Without fail.

You can't over filter-I'm using an Eheim 250/2213 rated for tanks 80-250 L. My tank? 60L. oem filter pads and Seachem Matrix in the canister. I would have bought a 350. Also, I took an old powerhead, cut the bottom out of a water bottle, stuffed and then tightly packed in some polywool and fitted it into the powerhead. Cost me 20 cents to make, not including the water that I bought at the store to drink. 3.5" of crushed gravel-not sure is it's coral or not (bought in unmarked bags) but with a KH of 18 out of the tap, I don't worry to much about buffering. Trying to establish an anereobic zone in the deep bed. A few plants to help with the NH3/NH4, NO3/NO4 and PO4. Thick, tough leafed varieties that the cichlids don't try to eat and don't all over the tank (causing problems).


"...say "poor water quality is the leading cause of diseases." This is the absolute truth.

Change the water-change the water-change the...lol, you get the point.