Kevinguyen
Reefing newb
I have an 8 gallon tank. I was wondering how I should do water changes. Everyday? Weekly? Biweekly? How much? 10 perecent or 20 percent. Thanks
Water changes while cycling a tank
- Thread starter Kevinguyen
- Start date
little_fish
Moderator
For a younger tank or a tank with algae issues, i would do 10% every week. If its an older, more stable system, then 20% biweekly is fine.
jcegt87
Dude Dude DUDE!!!!!!
when cycling i wouldnt and i didnt do ANY water changes once your ammonia and nitrite go down then do your first water change and keep up with them once you have a schedule
once a week is what i do for my 10 gallon
once a week is what i do for my 10 gallon
AmberSunrise
Reef enthusiast
Cycling can be done differently for everyone. My first tank I bought "live rock" from my local store I threw in pellet food and let it disintegrate as the water went through its cycle until everything was zero. Took about 3 weeks before I did a water change once the nitrates when up.
With my newest tank I bought my live rock from tampa bay saltwater who says not to use any food in there but instead says this
"As soon as the level gets above one part per million, change enough water to bring it down to safe levels. For example, if your test shows that you're at 1.25ppm, you'll need do approximately a 25% water change to get it below 1ppm. It may take 4 to 7 days or more of water changes until the tank cycles."
He also says most people cycle in about a week with his method so I am following his suggestions this time to see how it goes.
Are you using live rock?
With my newest tank I bought my live rock from tampa bay saltwater who says not to use any food in there but instead says this
"As soon as the level gets above one part per million, change enough water to bring it down to safe levels. For example, if your test shows that you're at 1.25ppm, you'll need do approximately a 25% water change to get it below 1ppm. It may take 4 to 7 days or more of water changes until the tank cycles."
He also says most people cycle in about a week with his method so I am following his suggestions this time to see how it goes.
Are you using live rock?
Kevinguyen
Reefing newb
I have base rock that im seeding right now with some small pieces of live rock. I also have live sand and water from an established tank.
Smitty
Reef pro
Once established, you can do 10-20% changes every week...although I read on this site somewhere someone owning pico tanks and doing 50-100% water changes on his tanks, and never having issues...but his system was a few years old also, so he had enough bacteria built up.
