How often do you need to change the water in an aquarium with and without a filter?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The problem of how often to change the water in the aquarium is still open. Not only amateurs argue about this, but also professionals. And so far they have not come to a consensus. Let's try to figure it out together. No matter how different opinions on this issue, everyone agrees on one thing - there should not be a sharp change in water, when the composition of the water completely changes and the balance of the environment surrounding the fish is disturbed. That is, one way or another, changing or changing water is always stressful for the inhabitants of the aquarium, so you should try not to disturb their usual conditions of detention too much.

Why completely replace the water

Before you decide how often you need to change the water in the aquarium, you need to understand why this is being done. A complete water change is done in the following cases:

• In the water beginsrapid growth of green algae and from this the water begins to bloom.
• Fungal mucus appears on the glass of the aquarium, on the ground, on decorative elements.
• The water is so heavily polluted that the soil begins to turn sour. In this case, an unpleasant odor comes from the water.
• The aquarium got some kind of infection, either with new fish or algae.

Keep in mind that no matter how hard you try to “fit” the parameters of the new water to those that the old one has, they will still be different. With a complete replacement, the ecosystem of the aquarium changes radically. And this can lead to great stress for all its inhabitants, including their death.

Why partially change the water

Here it will be described in more detail about something else - how often you need to change the water in the aquarium partially. This replacement is also called a water change.

It is clear that you need to do this procedure. But let’s be clear that not everyone thinks this way. Some believe that an aquarium can exist for years with a once established ecosystem; it will be so balanced that it practically does not differ from the natural habitat. And such aquariums do exist. But these are, as a rule, sparsely populated aquariums, respectively, they almost completely lack any waste products of their inhabitants. However, this is rather an exception to the rule.

In any natural reservoir, there is always some kind of, even minimal, circulation of water. If sheis completely absent, then this one will sooner or later begin to bloom, then turn into a swamp and die. In an artificial pond, there is no water circulation at all. We are not talking now about the one that is created with the help of a compressor, namely the renewal of the liquid. In any water in which there is at least something living, decay products are formed in the form of toxins and nitrates - these are the waste products of its inhabitants.

So why, after all, and how often do you need to change the water in the aquarium? If you explain on the fingers, then such a substitution is designed to simulate the circulation of water in nature. But how often should this be done? This is influenced by various factors, including the volume of the aquarium.

Aquarium 10 liters: general points

Question: how often should I change the water in a 10 liter aquarium? It depends on how populated it is. If there is a filter, then the water can be changed once or twice a week, replacing about a fifth of the total water volume, that is, about two liters. Keep in mind that due to the small volume of the aquarium, even a minimal fluid change is much more difficult for the inhabitants to tolerate than in larger tanks. This is due to the fact that there is so little water that even a glass can significantly change the established ecosystem.

But more often than not, such small containers are not intended for permanent keeping of fish, they usually serve as a seedbed for fry, and a filter is not placed in them. Then judge how often you need to change the water in an aquarium of 10 liters without a filter,need a little different way. If you keep fry in it, you should see that the water in it is practically not polluted. Accordingly, you can safely keep them in this water, without replacing it, until the moment when they grow up and can be transplanted into the main aquarium.

Aquarium 20 liters: general recommendations

In principle, we answered this question already in the previous paragraph, because a 20-liter tank is also considered very small for permanent keeping of fish.

The only thing that can be given more attention is the problem of how often you need to change the water in a 20 liter aquarium with a filter. Let's first define how the internal filter works, what it is for. As a rule, small aquarium filters draw water inside themselves with a small pump and pass it through a filter material - usually foam rubber. The liquid, passing through the foam rubber, leaves all impurities in it and under pressure, is thrown into the aquarium by the same pump.

From this it becomes clear that the amount of water that can be filtered is limited by the size of the filter material. And in a small aquarium, it is simply not possible to put a large filter, respectively, the device will clog very quickly, and the water will have to be changed again. From the foregoing, it becomes clear that small aquariums are practically unsuitable for the constant keeping of fish, regardless of whether a filter is installed in it or not.

Aquarium 50 liters: generalMoments

How often should I change the water in a 50 liter aquarium? First of all, it depends on how many inhabitants it has and what kind they are. Probably, everyone knows that there is more waste from some fish and water is polluted more often, and vice versa with others. In principle, in such containers it is possible to change the liquid once every 10-14 days, depending on the degree of contamination. The same can be said about how often you need to change the water in a 50 liters aquarium with a filter - usually no more than once every ten days. And if you run a cleaner into it, for example, catfish ancistrus or, as it is also called, catfish sucker, then you can not change the water for 2-3 weeks.

Aquarium 50 liters: what to look for

Focus on the color of the water, its smell, the amount of feces in the soil. Don't add too much food so that it doesn't decompose and clog the tank. From improperly selected live algae, water also very often begins to bloom. At least, it has long been noticed that in containers with live algae, water becomes contaminated faster than with artificial ones.

Aquarium 100 liters: general recommendations

How often should I change the water in a 100 liter aquarium? Such containers for keeping fish are considered the most suitable for their permanent residence. In addition, they are much easier to care for. This is due to the fact that, as a rule, up to 20% of the total volume of water changes, and with large volumes it becomes polluted much more slowly. In principle, 100 liters is not such a large volume of the aquarium. It is considered the minimumto keep the fish comfortable. The same principles apply to a partial water change as for a 50 liter aquarium.

Aquarium 100 l with filter

If we talk about the problem of how often you need to change the water in a 100 liter aquarium with a filter, then things change a little. The peculiarity is that a more powerful filter with more modern filter materials, which are also equipped with water disinfectants, can be placed in a container of this volume. Usually in such aquariums it is enough to make a partial liquid change once a month, and sometimes even less often. Again, focus on the factors that have already been listed above.

In fact, what does the filter give us? The ability to change the water in the aquarium less often. But how much less often? It depends on many things, including how good and effective the filter is installed. There is no single answer to this question - it cannot be said that it is necessary to change the water in an aquarium without a filter strictly once a week, and with a filter - once a month. You can buy a filter for "five kopecks" and put it in a 500-liter aquarium, or, on the contrary, you can find the most modern filter in a 50-liter aquarium and forget about what a water change is for 2-3 months.

From all of the above, only one conclusion can be drawn: the question of how often to change the water in the aquarium can only be answered by its owner, based on experience in care.

Helpful tips

To make it easier to navigate at the initial stage of aquarium care, the following will be givensome recommendations:

• Defend water in a container with a wide mouth - this way all the bubbles will come out faster.
• Stay liquid for at least three days.
• Never pour all the liquid from the tank into the aquarium - leave some water at the bottom so as not to pour in the sediment.
• Never use tap water.
• If you see that some of the liquid has evaporated, do not just add water, still take some of the water from the aquarium.

Sea Aquarium

Now aquariums with marine life can be found not only among professional aquarists, but also among amateurs. Replacing the water in them is slightly different. And first of all, the fact that it does not use tap water, but distilled water, to which special sea s alt is added, which is purchased at a pet store.

The water in such aquariums also needs to be updated periodically. But with what frequency? In principle, the answers to this question will be the same as for freshwater aquariums. But it is believed that the amount of renewed water can be greater and reach up to twenty-five percent of the total volume of the aquarium. Under it should be understood not the entire volume of the aquarium, but the volume of water that is directly available in it. Accordingly, you can pour only fifty liters of water into a container of two hundred liters and run fish into it - then the volume to be replaced must be calculated based on fifty liters.