I don’t see this subject covered a lot these days, and I think it is due to most people in the fishkeeping hobby assuming that it should be common knowledge at this point. But for many new people to this hobby, it actually isn’t hence I decided to cover this part of the hobby today. Unlike their natural habitats like rivers, streams, and lakes, the aquarium you have setup is a closed ecosystem system. Nothing gets in or out of your aquarium without your intervention, including water which in their natural habitat gets done via the rain and other sources. There is a lot of chemistry going on other than just your ammonia cycle. But the nitrogen cycle is the primary reason why we do water changes in our aquarium. And as such, water changes should be a vital part of regular aquarium maintenance.
A good rule of thumb is to change 20 percent of your aquarium’s water each week. If your tank is heavily stocked, bump that up to 25 percent each week. A lightly stocked aquarium may only require water of 10 to 15 percent. So why should we do water changes exactly? Besides removing ammonia, which is a byproduct of the nitrogen cycle. The nitrogen cycle is a natural biological reaction, it begins when decaying food and fish waste produce ammonia. Ammonia is very toxic to fish and, in the small confines of an aquarium, can eventually kill them. Fortunately, however, ammonia is “food” for nitrifying bacteria, which are present in water. The nitrifying bacteria “eat” the toxic ammonia, producing nitrite, and nitrates are less toxic to fish which we then can remove by adding live plants and doing regular water changes.
Another reason we do water changes is it helps to replenish minerals and other trace elements. This can be especially important in tanks with crustaceans (snails and shrimp) that use these minerals to form their skeleton or exoskeleton. Water changes are especially significant for a planted tank, we often dose liquid fertilizer in our water. This can happen anywhere from 2-3 times per week to every single day. This will help remove access nutrients not being used by plants, and it will prevent algae growth. To sum up, this entire article, changing your aquarium’s water will not only help reset your tank’s nutrients. And, it will also get rid of built-up toxins released by your fish and other aquatic life. Now that you have read this entire article, you now know the reason why water changes are so important.
