Help with water changes for my new setup?

[soady]

Hello,

I have a divided 8 gallon tank which is filtered and heated with only a female and a male betta on each side. I have never checked the water values because my bettas are great. My question is:

How frequent water changes should I make and what percentage?

More info: It is not a planted tank. The temperature is constant 26 Celsius (80 Fahrenheit) in both chambers. The filter makes minimal water movement (the surface is perfectly still). It has been running for 6 days now and the water looks perfectly clear. I also added one small jar of water because of the evaporation.

Thank you!

[MyRainbowBettaFish]

if your tank is cycled, i would say 25% per week, thats what i do in my 10.

if it isnt cycled, you want t clean it more frequently. never do a 100% on this tank as it will kill the good bacteria.

cheers! MRBF

[soady]

Thank you for the super fast response! Any advice on the cleaning, other than plastic siphon? Thanks once more.

[MyRainbowBettaFish]

Originally Posted by soady

Thank you for the super fast response! Any advice on the cleaning, other than plastic siphon? Thanks once more.

no problem! I use a siphon, and when i do a water change i plunge it into the gravel to get rid of debri. i have sand, so i just hover the siphon above the sand to get all the poop :)

oh yah, and dont forget to swish the filter media in the old tank water you removed t get rid of mulm and debri build up.

[soady]

Thanks! And the best thing about divided tanks is that I can clean one chamber at a time! My tank is divided with a plastic cover with 2,5x0,5cm horizontal holes all over but I also have a full glass divider which I will use when I clean the tank - it won't disturb the other chamber at all! :)

[shellieca]

A tank that has only been running for 6 days needs to have about a 50% water change every 2-3 days to keep ammonia levels in check. I suggest getting a liquid water test kit so you know if your tank is cycling properly, otherwise you'll only be guessing when its complete.

[soady]

Thanks, Shellieca, I will do more frequent water changes in the first two weeks, although 50% every few days sounds too much.

[shellieca]

I made the suggestion based on my personal experience with fish IN cycling, its up to you what you want to do. I tested my water daily & averaged a 50% (to keep ammo/nitrites at 0) water change every 2-3 days for 8 weeks on my 10g tank & my 46g took about 5 weeks to fish IN cycle. I always do a 50% water change as it doesn't hurt anything & I think, based on advice from more experienced aquarist, its better to give my fish as much fresh water as possible each week.

[soady]

Sounds great, I honestly didn't think about ammo/nitrites level and getting it to 0. Once it reaches 0 can I continue with smaller water changes, 25% a week? Thank you!

[shellieca]

Once the tank is cycled, its the nitrates you need to keep in check with the weekly water changes as well as replenishing other minerals & such water contains. As I stated I always do a 50%+ water change on all 5 of my tanks, its up to you what % you want to do. Most experienced aquarist I've had contact with do 50%+.