water change 1 week into cycle

[rbtwo4]

ok now i get a lot of different stories on how to make water changes after a week of cycling. now i heard 75% is this true? or is it 10%? i have a 30 gallon tank with my powerheads going and skimmer (which is pulling out nasty crap) got my HOB wet/dry running also. thanks guys

[kau_cinta_ku]

just your normal 10-20% will be good enough the cycle will do everything else

[rbtwo4]

do i have to "scrub" the rock like people say or should i just use a "baster"?

[kau_cinta_ku]

a baster or a powerhead always worked for me, scrubbing it will take off nasties and also goodies. so I would rather have the goodies left on, and let the nasties die off with good water quality

[kevin2000]

Depends on whats in the tank and whether your tank has finished cycling.

Many/most people cycle their tanks with nothing in the tank other than some std cured live rock .. in those cases changing the water in mid cycle doesn't make any sense. On the other hand if you have fish or live rock with lots of "life" then changing the water to remove ammonia will help preserve that life.

Whats in your tank?

[rbtwo4]

well i have 40lbs of live sand in the tank too and 40lbs of live rock. and ive been using the baster so i assume im doing ofk so far.

[kau_cinta_ku]

doing good so far. water changes imo save alot of the goodies that normally can't handle high ammonia levels so keeping it down with water changes helps

[rbtwo4]

thanks alot! how often should i do water changes? 1 week good?

[kau_cinta_ku]

every week or other week will be good during cycle and every week after cycle is what i did

[rbtwo4]

thanks kau_cinta_ku

[kau_cinta_ku]

anytime