How long do i need to change my water??

[eggtart20]

Hi,

Just wanna know how long and how much do I need to change my tank water? My tank is 50.5cm*28.8cm*40cm can hold around 12 gallons of water. Another thing is how long do I need to change the filter??Sorry I was really "SOTONG" at this as I first time keep fishes. Can anyone help me?? Thanks!!!

[Terryz_]

25% water change every week.. Filter media not sure but i change every month...

[eggtart20]

Thanks for your advice!! Arigatou!! =)

[terryansimon]

25% every month?!

urh okay. =\

[Terryz_]

every week lar...

[terryansimon]

oh sorry read wrongly. =\

[FuEl]

Depends on the person.

[sjsheng]

i change 20% every 1 1/2 months.. lOls..

[jas_soh]

Depends on the person.

cannot agree more.. lol.

[jas_soh]

eggtart.... you change your water for a few reasons:- a) remove nitrite/nitrate b)trace elements and essential nutrients are consumed by corals/fishes c)some animals/corals died and produce ammonia spikes...

hence, it would depend on your i) observation skills (see if any fish or corals die) ii) smelling (see if you can detect any died fish/corals as some livestocks give off pungent smells when died or dying iii) intuition (when you think trace elements which are essential for growth of corals/fish are reduced to to very low levels)

and lastly iv) when your test kits say that your water parameters have gone haywired and it's high time you do something about your water.

[blacknails]

Yap most times by just observing your tank you would know when it's time to change...

And do listen to the little nagging voice inside that tells you to change water... But seems I ignore it all the time... Hehehe

[harmony]

For mine..a 3ft tank (without sump/refugium)... weekly 20% water change.

[harmony]

Also...agreeing to previously stated, water parameters (quality) is another good guage to tell when to change water..

[Dazza]

Well for me at initial stages of tank (1st 6 mths) I chg water 10% every week. Then it became 10 % every 2 weeks (6 mths to 1 yr). No after about 5 years, I chg 20 % 1 to 1.5 mths.

Geuss no hard n fast rule. If u keep all fish plenty of carnivores then hv to chg more frequently lah. If corals n invert tank then not so frequent but need more dosing of chemicals like iodide, strontium & calcium lah.