changing water

[andyt_uk]

now to many of you this may seem rather dumb, but...

why do we do water changes?
- seems to me if all is going well, doing a water change is going to upset the whole aquarium environment and probably cause more harm than good.

if you do convince me i really do need to do them as a matter of course..

how?
- i imagine syphon off some water (pretty obvious) and syphon back fresh water - treated with dechorinator of course - but what about temperature? do you guys heat your fresh water or just change small enough amounts so that tap cold water wont make much difference (this time of year my tap water is ~< 10^C)

when?
- well i figure that is more of a matter of personal preferrence and whenever you have the time..

 

[CFC]

The main reason for changing water is to keep nitrates at acceptable levels so when and how often is down to the individual tank, a large tank with a low stocking of small fish may only need a 20% change once a month but a small overstocked tank or a larger one with large fish may need a 20% change every other day.

When i do water changes i dont usually bother warming the water apart from when i am changing water in fry tanks , the cold water often can trigger breeding behaviour in some fish and as yet i have yet to see using coldwater doimg any harm, just make sure the temperature dosent drop more than 2 degrees celcius to avoid shocking the fish.

As for when fry and breeding tanks get 5% changes every day and display tanks get 20% twice a week.

 

[andyt_uk]

The main reason for changing water is to keep nitrates at acceptable levels so when and how often is down to the individual tank.

so if my tank is fairly 'self maintaining' when it comes to nitrite/..trate etc levels, (never seen a peak in either of my tanks)
and all seems well i.e. fish are healthy, tank & water are clean there is little need for any water changes?
unless as you say i want to trigger spawning when the introduction of cooler water may help

 

[CFC]

It is true that if you have enough plants to consume the nitrates so there is never a level high enough to see with a test kit then there is no need for frequent large water changes, however plants will also use up trace elements in the water which will also need replacing periodicly. Fish also seem to benefit from water changes whether needed or not, fish in tanks with low maintainance are often sluggish and dull compared to those kept in a well maintained tank. I would recomend changing 20% of the water at least once every two weeks.

 

[Lithril]

I tend to change the water in my tanks once a week 10-20%, especially in the tank with the puffers, one as CFC says it keeps the nitrates down, but also to hoover up any excess waste on the gravel or the sand. Usually just syphon out a a bucket or two (depending on the tank) refill the buckets from the tap, add a kettle of boiling water to bring temperature up and dechlorinate it. To get it back in to the tank I've got a black& decker pump which fits on to a drill (<£10) and just pump it back into the tank, takes less than 10 mins but its definatley a peace of mind.

Must admit I've never tried adding tap temp water as I'm always worried that the temperature change is going to be too much of a shock to the fish.

 

[andyt_uk]

hey good thinking on that drill pump wotsit, found a cheaper one too
might have to invest on one to make it all easier

 

[ketyana]

I have a tank that if fairly over stocked at the mo, so I tend to do a fairly large......say 30% water change weekly

I have a small container that holds the right amount and i fill it the day before with cold water, and it then sits there until sat morning when i change the water, so by the time in it added it is at room temp.

no thing special used just a kitchen jug kept for the purpose

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Aquariums are a closed system environment. Even those people with a small amount of fish in large tanks are placing the fish in an extremely tiny amount of water compared to their natural environment. Even with plants and low nitrates, you must take into account the biological process. When nitrites are converted into nitrates they release hydrogen ions. Over time this forces the PH to sink to very low levels.

Clean water is not just for removing nitrates, it is to prevent a build up of all elements, to keep the PH stable, and to simply provide a fresh, clean environment for the ultimate health of the fish. IMO water changes are the most important aspect of an aquarium, and I wouldn't go longer then two weeks on any aquarium of mine if I can help it.

I use a Python hose and fill my aquariums directly from the tap, using dechlorinater immediately beforehand. I guess the temperature using my hand, even if it is off by a few degrees, it ends up a very slight difference once diluted with the existing water.