50-100 mg prop ED is the norm. sounds like 50 for you though. as far as var no water retention there. i hear you have to run that fairly high for serious gains though. never ran it myself but just what i heard.
I ran Var last summer with tri tren winny and test cyp before i went on vacation figuring that it would harden me up, but in all my vacations pics it looked like i was holding alot of water.