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How is it less maintence with a bigger tank?

1K views 20 replies 12 participants last post by  Littlebittyfish 
#1 ·
The title states the question. Lots of people say it how is that true? :question:
 
#2 ·
Well for example
A 5 gallon tank can cycle, so there for if having a filter on it and its already cycled, then you only have to do a water change once a week

A 1 gallon on the other hand cant cycle, so a filter would be pointless, so you would have to do 2 50% water changes a week and 1 100% water change a week



Correct me if im wrong on anything
 
#5 ·
Explain cycling :D
 
#6 ·
A simple way of describing cycling.... Fish give off ammonia--which is toxic to them. This stuff called Nitrites eats ammonia, but is still toxic to fish, but then, nitrates eat the nitrites...and nitrates are far less damaging to a fish. So there is a balance. The ammonia is eaten away by the nitrites and then those are eaten by the nitrates...meaning fewer water changes :)

Bigger tanks also are more stable temp wise, so you won't deal with fluctuating temperatures as much. If your heater gets too hot, the fish can escape to the cool end of the tank.
 
#7 ·
How often do you have to change a 10gl? Also could i use my 25 watt heater in a 10gl?
 
#8 · (Edited)
in my 10g i change 25% a week .. mostly to get off that protein stuff on the top .. and once a month i do a gravel stir siphon thing

and i wouldn't use a smaller wattage heater in the 10g .. it could cause it to over heat .. since it would take a lot more time and energy for it to heat 10g .. generally you want 5watt per gallon minimum .. so a 10g tank needs 50watt heater .. u can put a bigger watt heater into a smaller tank .. but not a smaller watt heater into a bigger tank ^_^ if that makes sense

bigger tank does make a big difference .. in my 20g .. i do a 35% water change like once a month .. everything is stabilized in there
 
#9 ·
more water = more dilution of the bad stuff fish give off - ammonia.

imagine the nitrogen cycle as a circle - fish excrete ammonia through gills and bodily fluids; bacteria need time to build up to eat the ammonia which converts to nitrites, new bacteria move in to eat nitrites convering to nitrates which is much less toxic to fish. nitrates are removed by water changes and/or natural plants (you'd need alot to do much good though)

it takes usually a good month to get the cycle going and established. once established, all those good bacteria take care of the ammonia/nitrites almost immediately. you change the water once a week to get rid of nitrates, which when built up over 40 ppm is toxic to fish.
 
#11 ·
Myates is right, and you can "filter" a tank with plants. You can't uproot them every week, they would probably melt (die) on you out of spite. However, there are plants like duckweed and moss balls that can be easily moved and don't mind it.
 
#12 ·
You also NEVER have to do 100% water changes on 10+ water changes ;-)

In my 10 gallon, I have it fully planted and cycled. I top off the water at the end of the week and every 2 weeks I siphon the TOP of the gravel (the plants like the debris and such) and remove 25-30% of the water... That's it.

In my 2.5 gallon full planted I have to do a water change weekly (about 75% full siphoning of gravel) and the next week I do a full 100%... yes! Taking the tank apart and scrubbing it sparkling clean and rinsing out the gravel. I even scrub off the decor.

My 10 gallon takes up in a month maybe an hour or two of my time in maintenance... My 2.5? An hour a week! That's a big difference in my opinion.

Also, I don't have to remove my fish in my 10 for water changes, in my 2.5 I always do and have to fully acclimate them back.

I don't know, I just ENJOY my 10 gallon more. I'm not worried all the time over it. I want to switch the 2 I have in 2.5s into 5 gallons, and hopefully put them in the 6.6 gallon bookshelf aquariums in time.

Plus, how happy, active, and colorful your fish is in the bigger tank is priceless in itself.
 
#13 ·
+1, but but make 5+ gallons. I never have to do 100% on my 5 gallon cycled. I do water changes once a week just to remove some muck, maybe trim the plants, but the water quality is still perfect after a week. It could probably go 2 weeks without a water change, and that is with 2 male bettas in the same tank!!! (It is divided, for anyone who wouldn't guess that...)
 
#15 ·
Kyt- I realise a lot of what I was saying came out a tad wonky. "10+ water changes" err.... 10 GALLONS. It was late and I was on my phone in bed. Forgive me! Yes, 5 gallons+ you don't have to, but like Myates said, in a 5 gallon totally unfiltered, it's good to take it down every month or two... I personally wouldn't do every month because it ruins the cycle.
 
#17 ·
Yeah, my 5 gallon is filtered, planted, cycled, and been up and running for over half a year now. It is definitely in the "never tear down" section. Though I suppose it is sort of torn down when I move it 3 hours home... Right now I actually have a 2 gallon that I never do 100% changes on. Only 33% changes. It is planted though. You can't really do 100% changes on a planted tank.
 
#18 ·
for whatever reason you may skip a water change for a week or so (I dont suggest this..but stuff happens)..be it illness or other... a cycled tank 5+gallons is less likely to have deaths/illnesses to the fish than a unfiltered tank under 5 gallons.

also...By the time you have to rinse out and clean the unfiltered tank you end up using about the same amount of water if not more than just doing a water change on a larger tank. My cycled 10 gallon only needs 3 gallons replaced weekly with gravel siphon...My uncycled 3 gallon tank needs 1 50% and then a 100% weekly..so that is 4.5 gallons of water to keep up my 3 gallon unfiltered weekly...not including the water used for rinsing it out. Anything in my cycled tank gets rinsed in old tank water I siphon out during water change.
 
#19 ·
For me, smaller tanks are WAY easier to clean. Take the fish out, remove the decor, dump all the water out, add back decor, fill up with water, add conditioner, re introduce the fish. That takes 5 minutes.

However, for the 20 gallon - I have to siphon the water out but since its on the floor I can only get about 1/3 out with the siphon. Then remove all the decorations, stir up the bottom to get the crap out with a little container. Then re add everything. This takes well over an hour.

The two ten gallons are easy, I can use the siphon to get all the water out, they are not on the floor, so yeah...

None of my tanks have filters - no place to plug them in.
 
#21 ·
For me, smaller tanks are WAY easier to clean. Take the fish out, remove the decor, dump all the water out, add back decor, fill up with water, add conditioner, re introduce the fish. That takes 5 minutes.

However, for the 20 gallon - I have to siphon the water out but since its on the floor I can only get about 1/3 out with the siphon. Then remove all the decorations, stir up the bottom to get the crap out with a little container. Then re add everything. This takes well over an hour.

The two ten gallons are easy, I can use the siphon to get all the water out, they are not on the floor, so yeah...

None of my tanks have filters - no place to plug them in.
Have you considered sponge filters? You can hook up to 6 filters on 1 air pump if you get the right sized pump..This is what I plan on doing soon with my tanks and freeing up some plugs.:)
 
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