Water Changes in your Planted Tank

[dm]

I know the BB tanks are changed heavily but many believe planted tanks don't need it as much or as often. How much/often do you do your planted tank?

[Ralph]

I do around 5% per day now (35% per week). I just find it easier to do a small daily amount.
It is less stressful on the fish I think.
I don't have to worry about my side-mounted heater breaking.
It is harder for me to put it off if I do it everyday.
It keeps the water in more consistent parameters for the fish and the plants.

[Ivan]

I'm with Ralph, get the junk out as it accumulates. Rather than leaving it a week to get into the substrate.

[ChloroPhil]

Mulm=free plant food.

Superficial surface skims are ok, but let the stuff get down to the roots for your plants to use. Plants with large root systems like Crypts and Swords pull a great deal of water into the substrate every day and keep it well oxygenated so there's no need to worry about anaerobic areas. A mature substrate is much more stable and is worlds better for your plants than adding substrate fertilizers...it's also FREE.

[Ivan]

Mulm is ok but not uneaten beef heart.

[ChloroPhil]

Do you have any bottom feeders? Cories and Loaches love that stuff..:) I'd also recommend Malaysian Trumpet Snails. They're the ones you see in the LFS with the conical shells. MTS are the aquarium equivalent of earthworms and do a phenomenal job of eating up all the food your bottom feeders miss as well as keeping the substrate from compacting. Even if you don't have plants MTS are *HIGHLY* recommended. They're livebearers and don't eat living plants so you'll have no eggs or chewed leaves messing things up. Most LFS will be more than happy to get rid of some if you ask.

[Ivan]

I think I know which ones you mean, thanks for the tip dude!
Ivan

[ChloroPhil]

You're very welcome. That goes for everyone else too! Go get some snails!

[Ekar_Ogrit]

20% twice a week. Balance between keeping it clean and my own laziness. I do have MTS snails, Amano Shrimp, and loaches as far as cleaning up uneaten food on the bottom goes(Those shrimp seem to like fish food much more than algae :-\).

[ChloroPhil]

I've found that to be the case too. I normally only feed once a day to keep the fish lean and healthy so my shrimp are usually out prowling for algae. This works well for my algae eating fish too...:)

[ZaPPPa]

Yup.. Those snails are very good. I used to have small patches for blue algea on the bottom of my tank. No matter what I tried, it would always be there. Huge water changes, vacuuming the sand, new clean sand... it just didn't matter. Then I introduced some MTS's and a day or two later the sand was clean and no more algea on the bottom.

[caspias]

"Nitrogen and Phosphate are nutrients, not pollutants!
Algae is caused by an imbalance in nutrients. Maintain a balance and there will be no algae.
Healthy plants equals healthy fish. "

How to balance the nutrients?

[Ralph]

Phil talks about this at length in this excellent thread:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=7;action=display;threadid=4888