Water Change Question???

[HKat]

Hi All,

Simply, I do water changes every week on all my tanks.....somewhere between 10%-20%.

I vacuum the gravel once a month and do a 24% water change at the same time.

When doing a water change......should I be vacuuming each time or am I doing the right thing here??

Thanks, in advance, for any help!!


Harris

[Hooked Newbie]

Opinions on this will vary. You are probably going to be ok with your approach, but personally I do a gravel vac with each 25 - 50% change weekly. Anything in the gravel that is allowed to sit will have a chance to foul your water with ammonia given enough time. Alot of the answer will be based on what size tank it is, what your stocking is, what you feed, and how you test.

[Cathy G]

Yeah, I usually do 30-50% water change on each tank each week. I gravel vac at least a portion with each change. How much you change really depends on stocking, tank size and the type of fish you have. (Like Hooked Newbie said). For instance, I do at least one 50% change per week in tanks with Blue Rams.
Cathy

[msjinkzd]

I too do a gravel vac every time I do a water change, it doesn't take much more effort and it can only help your water quality. I do weekly 20% changes on my community tanks.

[wakemenow]

I wish I could vacuum the gravel more vigorously and frequently, but the live plants wouldn't really appreciate that. So instead I gently nudge the gravel in spots away from the plants' roots. Water changes are done once every other week, usually 20-30%.

[Rbishop]

I am another that gravel vacs at every water change, though my water changes are usually 30-50%.

[HKat]

Hi guys, many thanks to your responses......I am a maniac when it comes to testing.....I test 1-2 times each week (it also helps in getting the kids involved....they think the testing is fun)!!!

But may be I will start siphoning partially at each water change......maybe 1/3 of the gravel at a time!!

Thanks again ladies and gents!!


Harris