How often do I need to change the water in the aquarium

Even before the aquarium appeared in the house, many caring owners think about the conditions of the underwater world. And one of the main questions is the frequency of water changes in the aquarium. Here opinions differ even among the most experienced aquarists. Someone changes the water twice a month, another boastfully says that he does not change the water at all and everything is fine. In fact, this question is very important and requires finding the optimal balance.

Do I need to change the water in the aquarium

The aquatic environment is a system of interaction of plants, fish and organic compounds. Over time, the beneficial bacteria grow in the aquarium, adapting the aquatic environment to live in it living organisms. If you change the water too often or even worse, replace it completely, the beneficial bacteria and organisms will not be able to repopulate the water space again and again.The water will remain dead, and living organisms will begin to die. This leads to an excessive love of "purity" and frequent changes of water in the aquarium.

Along with this, do not neglect the change of water in the aquarium and refuse this procedure completely. Supporting life in a closed water system, we are trying to bring life in the aquatic environment closer to natural conditions. And on earth there is not a single reservoir into which at least one river or stream would not flow. If the water circulation in the pond is disturbed, if the living environment does not receive fresh water, the system sooner or later dies. The fact is that the pieces of decomposed plants, the remains of fish, as well as other organic wastes poison the water, leaving a huge amount of toxins and nitrates in it. Over time, the concentration of these poisons increases, the immunity of fish decreases. This will sooner or later lead to illness or even death of the inhabitants of the aquarium. Therefore, to reduce the concentration of toxins, the water must be partially changed. That is, we remove part of the “poisoned” water, clean the aquarium, and then add clean water. Only in this way can you maintain the normal life of all organisms in the small underwater world.

How often do I need to change the water in the aquarium

By the word “change” we will mean a partial change of water in the aquarium. Usually part of the replacement water is 10-15% of the total. In some cases, the percentage can go up to 20, but should not exceed 25%. In this case, the aquatic environment system will recover much longer. But the question arises as to how often to change the water in the aquarium? How many times a month or year you need to change the water so as not to disturb the aquatic ecosystem? Each owner focuses on their conditions of keeping the fish, the size of the aquatic inhabitants, the age of the aquarium. We will determine the average, and focus on the time of settlement of the aquarium.

1. If you first populated the aquarium with fish and plants, the water system is just beginning to live. In this case, you need to leave the aquarium alone for at least several months. During this time, the biological balance will come back to normal, the fish will begin to settle down, and the plants will take root. The water in the new aquarium does not need to be changed in the first three months.
2. After three months, when you notice the formation of the first “garbage” at the bottom of the aquarium, you can replace a small part of the water with fresh one.To do this, drain approximately 10% of the total aquarium, clean the glass and the bottom, and then pour in new fresh water. Such a water change should be done every two weeks until the aquatic environment in the aquarium is completely mature.
3. Six months after the start of life, the aquatic ecosystem is considered mature. The water in such an aquarium needs to be changed once a month, changing 20% ​​of the total fluid volume.
4. One year after the launch of the aquatic ecosystem, the aquarium is considered old. That is, the system has grown so much that it is rather difficult to unbalance it. In this case, the water in the aquarium should be changed every 2 weeks, about 25% of the total. In this case, you must not forget to do a thorough cleaning of the aquarium bottom. Regularly changing the water and cleaning the bottom, you can maintain the water system for many years, avoiding global cleaning of the aquarium.

Over time, the owner of the aquarium itself begins to understand the need for water changes, focusing on the degree of contamination of the aquarium, the condition of the fish and the dense population of the plants.

How to change the water in the aquarium

To the fish in the aquarium feel good, the plants are not damaged,and all the garbage has been removed, cleaning and replacing water in the ecosystem needs to be done correctly. So, how to replace the water in the aquarium?

1. To begin with, we calculate the age of our aquarium and, according to the scheme, we remove some of the water (10-25%).
2. The removed water is not drained, but left in a small cup. It is necessary to wash the filters and other equipment. This is done intentionally, so as not to flush vital parts under running water.
3. After that, you need to wash the walls of the aquarium with a clean rag. The rag should be tiny, so as not to catch the fish or plant with its volume. In addition, the rag should not come into contact with soap formulations, even in the past. The ingress of aggressive detergents (even in small quantities) into the water is fraught with illness and even death of the inhabitants. If some walls of the aquarium are not cleaned with a rag, you can try to scrape the dirt with a simple blade. After such a cleaning, the glass will become absolutely transparent.
4. Do not forget to cut off part of too thick plants, as well as remove painful and broken processes.
5. It is time to clean the ground. In any pet store you can find a siphon - a device for cleaning the soil from any organic impurities.One end of it is placed in the aquarium, and the other is left outside. With the help of a powerful stream of water, everything unnecessary is absorbed into the apparatus, leaving the soil crystal clear.
6. If it is necessary, it’s time to rearrange the decorative elements, transplant plants and other transformations.
7. And only after the "general cleaning" you can fill in fresh water in the volume that was removed from the aquarium. You can pour a little more (considering evaporation). However, remember that you can not pour simple tap water into the aquarium. Water must first be defended for several days in an open container. The fact is that tap water contains a huge amount of air bubbles in its composition. If these small bubbles get into the water, they may be in the body of the fish. If tiny air bubbles get into the blood vessels of a fish, it will develop a gas embolism, which can lead to serious illness and even death. That is why the water should first be defended for at least 5 days. Pouring water into the aquarium, do not drain the water completely - chlorine and other settled harmful substances remain at the bottom of the container.For upholding large amounts of water, you can use plastic construction packaging.

This sequence of actions will help you replace the water properly, without harm to living microorganisms.

How to replace the water in the aquarium completely

You need to understand that the complete replacement of water in the aquarium is the launch of a new aquarium. Fish should be removed in a jar of water, the tank should be completely emptied, rinsed and sanitized with antiseptics. Then comes the sorting of infected fish and plants. Sometimes, in order to distinguish a sick fish from a healthy one, a veterinarian may be required. Only healthy organisms are colonized in a clean aquarium to prevent re-infection.

Aquarium is a real underwater world, with its own rules, laws and beauty. And in order for this world to be in a biological balance, it needs competent and regular care. When it comes to changing water, you need to stick to the golden mean - it is very important not to overdo it and at the same time not to neglect cleanliness.

Video: tips on the content and arrangement of the aquarium