Aquarium newbie here: Do fish tanks with filters still need water changes frequently?

Yes. Maybe monthly you’d want to change about a third of the water. The pet store should have these special vacuums for you to use to filter out the rocks and stuff on the bottom.

I just stir up the bottom, and get the crap in suspension. Then I remove about ½ the water, replace it with new treated water, and replace the filter. Once the crap is filtered out I replace the filter again.

Change 10–20% of the water weekly. The carbon should be changed every 3 weeks. The foam pads not need to be changed, just washed out. I dont know what other media your running so if ya let me know I can tell you how often it should be changed. Dont change filter media at the same time as a water change because it will reduce your bioload and can push a semi cycle on it.

As far as the water change goes, I wouldnt stir up the crap and do it that way. Your going to end up missing a lot of it. Its much better to just get a siphon and hit the rocks with it that way you will still remove all the crap without putting it into suspension and causing you to remove more water than necessary.

@uberbatman is correct. I just don’t like using the siphon because it makes a gawdawful mess if you slip. We just have a 3 gallon tank with one goldfish. I’m not that emotionally invested in it as it cost me a buck.

@Rarebear god awful mess if you slip? I dont follow…. slip in what sense?

@uberbatman The water goes all over the floor.

You can add some nitraban to the water and that can stretch out the water change schedule a lot longer. For me anyway, doing a water change every week is just too much action to deal with. I keep 2 oscars in a 55 gal tank and I do a 20% water change about every 2½ – 3 weeks and it stays really clear. And oscars are some really poopy fish.

@Rarebear ohhh thats why you just get a semi long hose and a bucket to siphon it into. Problem solved.