how many water changes/day?

A 5 percent change a week

I would think that a 5 percent change each week would be fine unless you have some major problem you are trying to clear up. Anything else and you are just making work for yourself and stressing out your fish needlessly. :dance:
 
Also

You might want to think about changing your light bulb to something a little more white, if you have the standard daylight buld, it could seem that your water is a little cloudy...I have the same issue right now...the water is perfectly clean and clear, but the daylight buld makes it seem yellow and cloudy to some degree.
 
quick update

Ok I did about a 50% (I say about cause it wasn't fully 50%) water change today, changed my lightbulb (WOW what a difference) I didn't change it when I got it and who knows how old it was, and put a new carbon filter in before I went to work. I came home tonight and my water is almost completly clear again!! Still has a little cloud in it but not much, I tested my water and the nitrItes are still a little high (.26) was hoping my ammonia kit would come today so I could test it but it didn't.
So it looks like I'm finaly on the road to recovery!! :clap: :dance2:

Thanks everyone!!!!
 
Yes, I know that a 5% change would be inadequate...that is why I didn't really say anything about that. I personaly have to do around a 30% water change every 2-3 days because I am overstocked (due to newbie mistakes), and until I can get something bigger I have to do these water changes. My levels had all been good until recently I am guessing with my bulb being so dim, stirring the tank up like crazy rearranging when I got my newest plant with the combination of to many fish in a 30/g had something to do with it. But luckily I haven't lost any fish and my water is clearing up (aside from the slightly high nitrIte level).
I'll just be happy when I can finaly get my 55/g I have so desparately been trying to get, almost had it twice now but had unexpected life cr** happen that changed that so now I am back to saving up for it (a little over half way there now!!)

Thanks again,
Gin
 
Hey now...

It would depand on your tank size which I didn't ask...I was assuming it was my size, which it probably was not. If you have a 55 gallon tank, than yes, 5 percent would not be enough, but if you have a 15 gallon, it would be plenty I would think. Do you really change 50 percent of your water at a time? That seems like an awful lot to me to do every week. I have always heard that it is much better to do weekly 5 to 10 percent changes than 50 percent changes...your fish would stress it seems to me. I have have very good luck so far with 5-10 percent each week or even every other week.
 
Five percent is not a sufficient water change in any tank. IMNSHO that is terrible advice. What you have heard is grossly incorrect. That advice dates to the early 1930s and went out of fashion before that decade was over through the efforts of Dr. Willian T. Innes.

Current best practice calls much larger water changes than Dr. Innes suggested, about 50% partials in any normally stocked tank or in any supplemented planted tank.

While it true that the average in the hobby is much lower than that, it is equally true the average hobby fish lives no longer if as long as it would in the wild, and likely does not attain its full size potential either. With good care, in captivity both of those marks will matched at least and commonly on lifespan and not infrequently on size, significantly exceeded.

It might be good to review your practices.
 
swich your falter cartreges. Do you have fish in the tank? If you do than more than once a day can and will stress them to death. once every 3 days if you must should be ok. Are the plants live? if they are fake add as many lives as you can afford.
 
Wait a second RTR are you saying that tanks should have 50% water changes? that seems a bit much too me, my fish seem fine and i do 25% weekly changes.
 
Forgive me...

Forgive me for I am lowly newbie to this forum, but not to fishkeeping...I have done very well thus far, my fish are healthy and happy.

I would never do a 50 percent water change every week, that seems very excessive and needless stress to the fish. Math was never my strong suit..I have a 30 gallon tank, I do a 5 gallon change each week or so. Let me get my calculator out.....................that what 16.6 gallons at each change.

So other than my math being bad, I still would not do 50 percent at a time.
 
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