How often do you clean your betta tank?

Just curious, as I'm not sure what is the ideal schedule. I have two betta tanks (both around 20 litres) and three goldfish tanks. The goldfish are super messy and I have to clean those tanks once or twice a week each. But with the bettas I'm not really noticing any drop in water quality.

For example it's been a fortnight since I cleaned out the betta tanks. The tanks are small enough that I just take out the bettas and do a 100% water change and scrub all the diatoms and remove dead plant leaves, etc. (By the way one of my bettas has a little plastic container that I call the "betta bus" that she LOVES to swim into and be taken out of the tank temporarily Also she thinks she's one of the cats, but that's another story )

I tested the water in one of them today, and there was no ammonia and almost no nitrates. They have lots of plants, and the bettas seem happy and healthy, so I don't know if the tanks need cleaning again yet or if it could wait another week or two.

 

is the tank cycled?

 

Yes of course

 

I change about 60% of the water once a week. It's only a 9 gallon tank so it doesn't take long.

I use a siphon, I leave the fish in, some weeks I trim the plants and scrape the glass, some weeks I don't.

 

50% once or twice per week. Even if levels are in check it's still good to do weekly WCs to replace minerals and remove things from the water that we don't or can't test for. I personally would never go more than 1 week without a WC even if my fish seemed fine.

 

I would recommend doing a 25-50% water change every week if you can instead of a 100%.

 

The problem with doing fewer water changes is that you find out you weren't doing enough when your fish get sick.

 

I do 50% once a week with my fully cycled betta tank.

 

I do about 40 to 50% every week, regardless of tank parameters. Pristine water is the way to go!!!!

 

I agree with above comments of a 50% water change weekly. Changing 100% is a lot of yo-yo effect. But if it works for you, why change it? Since when are you using this schedule?

 

I agree with above comments of a 50% water change weekly. Changing 100% is a lot of yo-yo effect. But if it works for you, why change it? Since when are you using this schedule?

I usually do a pretty big water change on all my tanks each week. The goldfish tanks get 80% each week to bring the nitrates down to acceptable levels, and one of them is still cycling so gets a half-weekly 50% change too.

With the betta tanks I've done 100% changes once a week ever since I got the bettas, mainly because I get a lot of diatoms in all my tanks. By the time I've scrubbed everything off in the old tank water, everything looks pretty brown and it's been easier just to change all the water.

 

I wonder if you get the diatoms because of the big water changes as the tank does not have a chance to fully mature. But that is just my thought process.
As long as the Bettas are happy and healthy.

 

I wonder if you get the diatoms because of the big water changes as the tank does not have a chance to fully mature. But that is just my thought process.
As long as the Bettas are happy and healthy.

I think yes, quite possibly. I never get any green algae, only brown. The problem is they are bare bottom tanks (including for the bettas) but also have a lot of plants in pots. I have the lights on 8 hours for the plants, but that seems to encourage the diatoms too. And with the bare bottom tanks, any diatoms are super noticeable

 

What kind of filter do you have running in them? It might be mulm you're seeing on the bottom.

 

1-2 times per week at

my tanks are 8 and 10 gallon

 

What kind of filter do you have running in them? It might be mulm you're seeing on the bottom.

No, it's diatoms unfortunately. It appears everywhere but mainly on the walls and clay pots. I don't really get mulm with the bare bottom, everything gets sucked up by the filters.

 

Chiming in because I seem to not align with many other comments. I have a planted 5 gallon (betta only) and do 25% every other week. 9 months on this schedule and betta is perfectly happy and healthy. My water parameters also never seem to budge, but by two weeks it's evaporated a bit anyway so I vac a little more and then top off. Easiest tank I've ever had!

 

Good morning!!

What are your parameters?

I would recommend doing a 25%-50% WC every week if Nitrate (Ammonia and nitrite I am assuming to be 0 right?) is over 0. If Nitrate is 0 then maybe 10%-30% every other week? You will want to test your water often to find out how long it will go without a Nitrate spike, and then set your schedule for a change on the day or 2 before it spikes.

Doing a 100% change will yo-yo your cycle every time you do it, 100% WC are not recommend.

Doing the large change won't get rid of the algae, if anything it will make it worse. You could cut your lighting schedule to 6hr a day (you could even get a timer switch to turn it on and off). You could also add some more live plants.

 

I do 40% once or twice a week in all of my tanks!