# Water changes after initial setup of planted tank



## Hanuman (8 Aug 2019)

Hello everyone,

I would like to have an explanation with some degree of details, explaining the necessity of regular water changes (say 2/3/4 or more times a week) during the initial few weeks after setup.

I understand that the overall idea of water changes is to get rid of the organics in the water to minimize algae growth and development. I would like to know whether those regular water changes is a 'must' during those first few weeks or not and why exactly. If there are any other explanations than the one stated above can you please explain? We are assuming here the tank has been adequately planted with all sort of plants and with substrate such as ADA or any other that contains fertilizing elements.

Also do these regular water changes have any impact on the nitrogen cycle?
Finally, would there be any good reason not to do these water changes?

Any details on the rational would be appreciated.


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## Hanuman (10 Aug 2019)

Anyone ?


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## zozo (10 Aug 2019)

As so often said in this forum it's not an excact sience and for the biggest part it can only be explained in theory. Since no 2 setups are the same and do not develop/evolve the same.

But new fertilized substrates most likely contain Ammonia and or Urea based Nitrogene. This leaches back into the water column and mainly is toxic to water life. Excess should be flushed out by water changes before life stock is added. Than the number of water changes needed can vary in how much and how long this stuff leaches back into the water column. With inert substrates that do not contain that stuff you can suffice with a lot less initial water changes. 

Than when a tank is freshly setup, the majority of the plants in it likely are terrestrial form bog plants, that need to addapt and transition to submersed form and grow. It goes together with most plants shedding and melting all its old emersed form leaves. This shedding and leaf melting process is an organic polution. It releases a load of proteine and sugars to the water column. And if it's left in there it will be transformed to nitrite and ammonia before it is turned into Nitrogen. A new tank needs a few weeks or months to build up a bacteria population in its substrate large enough to get to a sufficient nitrogen cycle. Healthy growing plants aid this process and live in symbiosis with these bacteria in and on their roots. Obviously for this they need to have/develop healthy growing roots and leaves. As long as this circle aint round ammonia build up isn't sufficiently converted back to nitrogen. Once plants are healthy and mature enough they also will take up ammonia directly as food source.

This cycle should be completed and stable with healthy growing plants before adding fish that poop and need feeding. Because feeding and pooping is an extra strain delivering ammonia to this cycle on top.

The main goal of doing enough water changes is to get the excess ammonia and nitrite out of the water column. And indeed also excess organics out before it gets a chance to turn into nitrite and ammonia.

An additional pre with doing sufficient water changes is phatogen build up.. Fresh and clean water is the best medicine there is to keep an aqaurium healthy.
If you source water from the tap is in prestine quality you can't do to much water changes. Even tho doing less can be sufficient, that's the theory part where common sense and experience commes looking. 

Water changes have no impact in the nitrogene cycle, because the bacteria responsible for it are living in the substrate, filtermedia, biofilms and in on the plant roots. Very little of them live in the water column.


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## Edvet (10 Aug 2019)

Not a must but it has been shown to be beneficial. Most often there are plants transferring from emersed state ( the way they have been grown by the plantproducers) to surmerged. Their leaves are in the proces of being shed and replaced, these dying leaves produce harmfull products (toxins). Also by lowering the waterlevel and thus raising leaves above it will add CO2 to these plants through direct contact with atmospheric CO2. Maintaining cleanliness in the tank and rubbing the leaves clean from a layer of dirt/algea will improve the ability of the leaves to ''breathe'' and the general health of the tank.
Can a tank function without these: yes.
Will it make a tank healthier: definitly
The amount of people coming here with problems who don''t do regular waterchanges: huge.
Also being hands on with the tank will improve ones ability to spot problems, can be as easy as a tank ''smelling'' wrong or dirty, or just being busy with the tank and notice something going wrong faster.


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## Hanuman (10 Aug 2019)

Ok so nothing new to what I was aware of. It is mostly for good measures and prevention and depends on each setup. Overall beneficial but not a requirement. I supposed that even without initial water changes one could bring the tank "up to standard" with some degree of good husbandry later on but it would just take longer. If I didn't make this obvious, my question included the hypothesis that there wasn't any fish in the tank. My question was specific to plants health and overall tank conditions prior addition of any fish/inverts or whatnot.



zozo said:


> Water changes have no impact in the nitrogene cycle, because the bacteria responsible for it are living in the substrate, filtermedia, biofilms and in on the plant roots. Very little of them live in the water column.



One hears among fish keepers/ breeders (non-planted tanks) that water changes are not advisable during a fish-less cycle. Water changes are certainly a must while cycling with fish for obvious health reasons of the fish and because fish will produce ammonia. But I have also read somewhere that even when doing fish-less cycling, water changes could be beneficial as high levels of ammonia and nitrite displace oxygen and nitrifying bacteria need oxygen.



Edvet said:


> The amount of people coming here with problems who don''t do regular waterchanges: huge.


Ahah. Yeah. My questions was more specific to water changes during the cycling period though or more appropriately put after the first few weeks after tank setup.

I did 70% daily water changes for the first 2 weeks when my 90cm tank was set up. Might have been too much but the tank was heavily planted and the substrate heavily charged according to the manufacturer. A lot of the plants melted but then grew fine. Now on a 50% weekly.


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## JonRivers (26 Aug 2019)

Question regarding water changes.

Is it better to do little and often or larger quantities and less frequent?

thanks


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## Edvet (26 Aug 2019)

Large is better as it removes more pollutants. 
Also with low waterlevel you can scrub leaves clean and plants high up in the tank will be in contact with atmosphere.




Hanuman said:


> One hears among fish keepers/ breeders (non-planted tanks) that water changes are not advisable during a fish-less cycle. Water changes are certainly a must while cycling with fish for obvious health reasons of the fish and because fish will produce ammonia. But I have also read somewhere that even when doing fish-less cycling, water changes could be beneficial as high levels of ammonia and nitrite displace oxygen and nitrifying bacteria need oxygen.


For doing a fishless cycle in a nonplanted tank i would add a small source of bacterial food ( some fishfood or so) and no ammonia . If you can seed the tank with existing bacteria ( from a filter in use or rinse the bacteria off the roots of a healthy plant from your garden) you will distribute the bacteria in your whole tank fast, just run it a few days and add fish/livestovk slowly, maybe combine it with some large waterchanges the first few days. If there is a posibility to add floaters or some pondplants you will add stability to the tank.


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## JonRivers (26 Aug 2019)

Thanks!


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