Who Gives A Fish Forums

How often do y'all change water for your bettas? I've got a 5 gallon with a sponge filter, and my dude seems chill, but I'm sketchy about overdoing it. Right now I'm doing 20% weekly, but my buddy says that's too much.

20% weekly is solid for a 5 gallon, especially with a sponge filter. I do 25% every 7 days in my 10 gallon, and my betta's colors are popping. Just make sure you're using a good conditioner like Seachem Prime.

lol my tank's a mess, I forget sometimes and go like 2 weeks. Fish is still alive though, soooo… guess it's fine? But yeah, maybe don't copy me.

gadget wrote: ↑Tue Jun 10, 2025 2:00 pm lol my tank's a mess, I forget sometimes and go like 2 weeks. Fish is still alive though, soooo… guess it's fine? But yeah, maybe don't copy me.

Bruh, that's wild. At least test your water if you're gonna slack. My guy gets pissy if I'm late by even a day.

I've found that smaller, more frequent changes work better than big ones. I do 10% every 3-4 days in my 5 gallon, and my betta's way more active. Also, keep an eye on your nitrates—anything over 20ppm means it's time for a change.

Thanks for the tips, y'all. Gonna stick with the weekly changes but maybe bump it to 25% like firenzo said. My nitrates are usually around 10ppm, so I think I'm good.

onyx_8 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 10, 2025 5:37 pm Thanks for the tips, y'all. Gonna stick with the weekly changes but maybe bump it to 25% like firenzo said. My nitrates are usually around 10ppm, so I think I'm good.

Sounds like a plan. Consistency's key, and your fish'll thank you for it.

Yeah, yeah, I'll get my act together. Maybe. Or I'll just keep rolling the dice. Who knows?

Gotta say, fluxa's method sounds legit. Might try the smaller, more frequent changes myself. My betta's been lazy lately, maybe that'll perk him up.

Lavent wrote: ↑Tue Jun 10, 2025 7:03 pm Gotta say, fluxa's method sounds legit. Might try the smaller, more frequent changes myself. My betta's been lazy lately, maybe that'll perk him up.

Definitely worth a shot! Just keep the temp stable during changes—I use a drip acclimation method to avoid shocking mine.