How Often To Change Guppy Water?

Water is the most crucial thing in our fishes life as they live in them for their whole life. For making sure that they live comfortably and happily, ensuring favorable water conditions for them is essential.

It is necessary to know how to keep a good water condition for our guppies. Performing a water change is the primary factor when maintaining good water conditions. So let us know when and how to change the water. So, How often to change guppy water? Let us find out.

35% weekly water change regularly is necessary to maintain good water quality. Performing a water change helps keep the water clean and prevents ammonia spikes. Also, consider adding a good filtration system with biofilter media to maintain good water conditions.

We will discuss how often to change the guppy water and whether it is necessary or not in this article. So, let us get into it. 

How often to change the water in the guppy tank?

We should perform a weekly water change of at least 35% to ensure good water quality.

However, it also depends on the number of guppy fish you are keeping in the size of the tank.

If you are overcrowding your guppies tank, water change will be necessary more often.

So, if your tank is getting dirty by the fish leftovers and wastes every other day, you have to perform a water change every three days.

Consider adding a good filtration system to clean the water from solid debris and other waste.

Also, avoid overcrowding your guppies tank, resulting in your guppy’s aquarium water getting polluted faster than usual.

An overcrowded tank will also lack oxygen, making your guppy fish suffer from breathing.

Follow the one-inch one-gallon rule to ensure that you are not overcrowding your guppies tank.

The one-inch one-gallon rule means one inch of fish per gallon of water.

Is performing a water change necessary?

Performing a water change is very necessary to keep the water clean and safe from harmful chemicals like ammonia and nitrite.

Not performing a water change will contaminate water with the guppy’s leftover and other waste.

Contaminated water will result in a spike of ammonia in your guppies tank.

Your guppies will suffer from skin burns and swim bladder disorder because of an ammonia spike.

Contaminated water will also result in excess growth of algae.

So, performing a water change is essential to keep the water condition clean and safe for your guppies to live comfortably.

Can guppy fish live In dirty water conditions?

Guppies are freshwater fish and require good water conditions to live comfortably.

Guppies will not be able to survive in muddy water conditions for long.

Contaminated water will result in an ammonia spike, affecting guppies by burning their body.

Provide your guppy fish with good water conditions to ensure their longer lifespan.

Also read: Can Guppy Survive In Muddy Water?

Why did my guppy fish pass away right after a water change?

These are the reasons behind your guppy fish passed away right after a water change:

1. You have performed a water change after a long time.
2. You have performed a massive water change.
3. The water parameters you added vary from the water parameters in which the guppy was living.

All these situations will make your guppy fish come under stress.

Guppy fish under stress will lose their appetite and become prone to various diseases and parasites for a long time. 

Also read: My Guppy Died After A Water Change.

Things to be taken care of when performing a water change

These are the things you should take care of when performing a water change:

1. Never perform a major water change.
2. Make sure to dechlorinate the water when using tap water.
3. Don’t use tap water to clean aquarium decors and other equipment.
4. Never pour the water quickly when refilling the tank.

Never perform a major water change.

Performing a major water change will result in a sudden change in water chemistry, making your guppies come under stress. 

The temperature of the water you will add to your guppies aquarium will vary from the temperature of the water present in your guppies tank. 

Sudden changes in water temperature will make your guppy fish come under stress. 

You must know that guppy fish under stress for a long time will be prone to diseases and parasites and even pass away.

Treat the tap water before adding it to your guppy’s aquarium.

Make sure to dechlorinate the water before pouring it into your guppies aquarium.

You can also place your guppy in a tank water bucket and then treat the tap water into the aquarium.

Some water conditioner only eliminates chlorine from the tap water. 

So, we recommend using API TAP WATER CONDITIONER as it eliminates chlorine, chloramine, and other chemicals. 

You can buy this product on amazon: API TAP WATER CONDITIONER.

Chlorine is not harmful to us but will affect your guppy’s health, so make sure to use a water conditioner when performing a water change.

Avoid using tap water to clean aquarium decors and other equipment.

We should never use tap water to clean aquarium decors and other equipment like a filter, as it eliminates all the good bacteria from these things. 

There are good bacteria present in our fish aquarium system, which helps break down harmful chemicals like ammonia and nitrite. 

Using tap water to clean all these things will eliminate good bacteria, and the possibility of an ammonia spike in your guppies tank will be there. 

Instead, use the tank water to clean all the aquarium decors and filter media present in your filter to keep the beneficial bacteria safe and alive. 

Also read: Do Guppies Need Hiding Places?

Avoid speedily adding the water.

Adding the water in a quick manner will make your guppy fish come under a high-stress level. 

It will be like an earthquake in the aquarium, making your guppy fish come under stress. 

Also, the substrate present in your guppy’s aquarium will get disrupted, making the water cloudy and dirty.

Consider adding water slowly to your guppies tank to ensure things are stable.

How to perform a water change for guppies?

Things needed while performing a water change:

1. Two buckets
2. One sponge
3. One gravel siphon 

Steps to perform a water change:

1. Fill the tap water in a bucket and treat it with a water conditioner to eliminate chlorine, chloramine, and other chemicals.
2. Unplug all the equipment like the heater, filter, and wavemaker from the aquarium system.
3. Clean the filter using tank water instead of tap water to clean the biofilter media.
4. Clean all the aquarium decors using tank water.
5. Start cleaning the glass of your guppies aquarium using the sponge. Don’t use any chemicals to clean the glass.
6. Use a gravel siphon to siphon out all the solid debris from the substrate.
7. Now, extract the water from your guppy’s aquarium.
8. Now see the water temperature of the remaining water present in the aquarium.
9. You can match the water temperature of the tap water by using a heater or leaving it for some time.
10. Once the water temperature gets close to the remaining water temperature of the aquarium, add the water to your guppies aquarium.
11. Reconnect all the equipment and add the decors back to your guppies aquarium.
12. Your guppy’s aquarium is now super clean and a good place for your guppies to live. 

Also read: Can I Use Aquarium Water For Plants?

Can I use tap water for my guppies tank?

You can use tap water for your guppies tank.

However, as discussed above, treating the tap water is necessary before adding fish and when performing a water change.

Tap water contains chlorine, chloramine, lead, mercury, and other chemicals which can affect your guppy’s health.

Chlorine is safe for us, but it can affect your guppy fish so that they can even pass away.

So, consider using a water conditioner when performing a water change using tap water.

Also read: Can Guppy Fish Live In Tap Water?

Is rainwater safe for guppies?

We don’t recommend using rainwater for the guppies tank as rainwater can contain harmful chemicals which can affect your guppy’s health.

Rainwater doesn’t contain chlorine but can contain toxins that will affect your guppy fish in the future.

Also, rainwater doesn’t contain minerals, and the pH level also varies, which can affect your guppy fish.

So, consider using treated tap water when performing a water change in your guppies tank.

Conclusion:

Performing a weekly water change of at least 35% is necessary.

However, it also depends on the number of guppies you are keeping in the size of the tank.

If you are overcrowding your guppies tank, water change will be required more regularly.

Performing a water change will help you keep the water quality good and prevent your aquarium from developing harmful chemicals like ammonia and nitrite.

Also, consider adding a good filtration system with biofilter media to keep the water clean and safe from ammonia and nitrite.

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Reference: NCBI, ResearchGate, ScienceDirect, CABI