How Often To Change Water In Guppy Tank?

Water plays an important role in a guppy’s overall growth and behavior. To maintain water quality of tank, performing regular water changes are important.

The question is how often to change water in the guppy tank?

You should change about 25% of your tank water every week. The frequency of water changes and percentage of water depends on the number of guppy fish, plants, tank size and water parameters.

As a beginner, you may have few questions such as:

–> How to know when to change water in fish tank

–> How to change guppy water

Let’s find the answers in this article.

How Often Should You Change Water For Guppies?

To maintain a healthy aquarium environment for your guppies, regular water changes are important.

The frequency of changing water depends on various factors such as the number of guppies, size of the tank, and the water condition.

Usually, experienced fishkeepers recommend a 25% water change every week for a well-settled guppy tank.

When your tank is overcrowded with guppies, then water gets polluted easily due to fish waste or uneaten food and even lacks oxygen.

Hence, it is necessary to change the water more frequently.

In such a situation, you have to change water twice a week to keep optimal water parameters.

The golden rule to avoid overcrowding in an aquarium is to follow one inch of guppy fish for every gallon of water.

A common question is, “What kind of water do guppies like?” Guppies like hard water, where pH level is between 6.8 and 7 as well as warm water as they are tropical fish.

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Are Aquarium Water Changes Necessary?

Yes, performing regular water changes is important to maintain a healthy environment for your guppies.

What are the benefits of water changes in aquariums?

There are numerous benefits of water changes:

1. It increases the oxygen level in tank and helps to maintain clean clear water.

2. Changing water helps reduce harmful bacteria like ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

3. It removes fish poop, dead guppy fish, decaying plants and other organic waste.

People have query, “Which water is good for guppy fish?” Filtered, purified or distilled water which is chlorine-free and has ideal water parameters for guppy fish.

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Important Things To Consider When You Perform Water Change

When you perform water change you should consider the following:

1. Test the water quality

Before water change, always check water parameters.

You should only perform water change when ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and pH levels are not maintained.

Every week, I check tank water quality with the help of API Master Test Kit.

2. Don’t perform more than 50% of water change

A major water change will fluctuate water temperature and guppies feel stressed.

As a result, guppies get sick and may die.

3. Dechlorinate the tap water

Tap water contains harmful chemicals such as mercury, chlorine and lead. There is a high proportion of chlorine in tap water which can kill guppy fish.

Before putting tap water in your guppy tank, always treat the tap water with the help of water conditioner.

I use API tap water conditioner to remove harmful substances from tap water.

4. Use aquarium water to clean aquarium accessories and other equipment

To wash tank accessories like filters, decors, and plants always use aquarium water.

Do not use tap water as it will remove beneficial bacteria from it.

5. Refilling the tank at a slow pace

Once you clean the tank, the next step is to fill it with water.

The tank should be filled at a slow pace reason being it will disturb the balance of substrate.

When you add water rapidly, your guppies feel shocked and they may come under stress.

A frequently asked question is, “What do guppies like in their tank?” – Guppies like ideal tank conditions, oxygen-rich water, toxins-free water, a variety of food, places to explore and hide in the tank.

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How To Change Aquarium Water for Guppies?

Before you change water and start cleaning tank, take note that there are two types of bacteria present in tank:

– Beneficial bacteria is good for keeping guppies healthy and tank clean. It is generally present in aquarium equipment, so always unplug and not clean them.

– Harmful bacteria are harmful to guppies’ well-being and can cause various diseases or sicknesses. It arises from leftover food and other waste which spikes in ammonia, nitrates and nitrites.

The step-by-step guide to change aquarium water for guppies:

Step-1 Unplug Aquarium Accessories

To avoid any harm to the electrical gadgets such as lights, filters and heater, remove them before water change.

Step-2 Collect all things

Gather all required things for cleaning tank and changing water:

– One sponge

– Two Buckets

– Water Conditioner

– Siphon Vaccum Cleaner

Step-3 Wipe the tank glass

Use a sponge to clean the inside glass of aquarium. Don’t use any cleansing chemicals for cleaning glass.

Step-4 Clean all the decorations

Using tank water rinse the tank decoration.

Step-5 Rinse the filter

Rinse the sponge of the sponge filter a few times.

In canister filter wash mechanical filter. Don’t clean filter media as it contains beneficial bacteria.

Step-6 Use Siphon to remove waste

To remove waste on substrate use siphon vacuum cleaner. It is a great tool.

Step-7 Drain the tank water

Drain 25% of tank water, but this extraction depends on your aquarium size.

Step-8 Dechlorinate the tap water

You should dechlorinate tap water in a bucket which removes harmful chemicals in it. Use water conditioner to treat tap water and make it safe for guppies.

Step-9 Water temperature

Check and match tap water temperature with aquarium water temperature. Ideally, it should be between 72°F-78°F.

You can either use a heater in tap water bucket to get temperature close to tank or even leave the tap water bucket for a while.

Step-10 Pour treated tap water in small batches

Now the tap water is ready for guppies, so start adding in batches with the help of a small container or you can pour with bucket.

This process will neither stress guppies nor disturb the aquarium environment.

Step-10 Plug Aquarium Accessories

When water change is successfully done, then reconnect all the tank accessories.

The products I use for water change – – API Master Test Kit to check water quality – API tap water conditioner to remove harmful chemicals in tap water – Laifoo Aquarium Siphon Vacuum Cleaner helps in cleaning gravel and sand.

Above steps will help to change water in guppy fish tank and also clean it.

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Why Are My Guppies Dying After A Water Change?

There are some reasons guppies died after a water change:

– After a long time, if you are changing more than 50% of tank water.

– While performing a water change, there is a drastic change in water quality.

– You are rinsing filter media when cleaning filter, then it removes good bacteria and there is a spike in ammonia.

Guppies come under stress and may even pass away.

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Can You Keep Guppies In Tap Water?

Yes, you can use tap water for guppies only if you treat it before adding in guppy fish tank.

Tap water contains harmful chemicals such as mercury, chlorine and lead.

There is a high amount of chlorine in tap water which can end the life of your guppy fish.

You should dechlorinate tap water with water conditioner as it takes out all the harmful substances present in tap water.

After this process, you can keep guppies in tap water.

What kind of water do you put in a guppy tank? – You should put treated tap water in a guppy tank. Make tap water free from all harmful substances with help of water conditioner.

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Conclusion –

How often to change water for guppies – It depends on several factors like number of guppy fish, plants, water quality and size of tank. In general, you can change a quarter of the tank water every week.

There are numerous advantages of changing water such as increased oxygen level and removal of waste from water.

Before you change water, you should consider some important points mentioned in the article.

I have given a complete guide on how to change water for guppies.

If you have any questions, do comment below.

Happy Guppy Keeping!

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FAQS

1. Do guppies like clean water?

Yes, guppies like clean water rich in oxygen.

2. How do I know if my guppy is happy?

You can know if your guppy is happy, if you see guppy fish swimming around the tank and being social.

3. How long does a guppy live for?

The average lifespan of guppies is 2 to 3 years.

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