Frquency of water changes for new tank

[Kestrel's Nemesis]

I'm getting into the swing of things with my new tank. I got it cycled and stable water parameters. Waited two weeks and 1 water change (plus retested parameters) before adding half my clean up crew. I still have more CUC critters to add.

 

How often should I be changing water in my newish tank (It's 4 weeks old tommorow) with one water change so far. I have a 12 gallon nano. Does the frequency of water changes shift over the age of the tank?

[xerophyte_nyc]

In my opinion, routine water changes may be one of the best habits to get into. There are many benefits that I don't need to repeat.

 

I good general rule of thumb, if you can keep up with it, would be 20-25% of the total water volume every week. A smaller tank, like yours, could stand to benefit even more with higher % or frequency, while larger tanks can get away with changes less often.

[Pickle010]

+1 weekly

[JBM]

yes to weekly.

 

however a overly generalized statement of X% a week is misleading. Every tank is different & thus requires different husbandry. You need to figure out what percentage of water changed will keep your reading at zero. Yes a 30%+ w/c weekly will keep your parameters in check, but is it cost/time effective?

 

start with 1.5 gallons weekly untill your day after testing shows you need something larger.

[Kestrel's Nemesis]

Ok, weekly it is.....I assume that my day after testing should indicate 0 on the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates?

[Ferrari_Jones]

I do 3 gallons twice a week in my 14 gallon biocube, but I'm on the tail end of a winning battle with GHA and will be switching back to one water change a week. Good rule is to always have enough water mixed on hand to do a water change, because you never know what can happen.