My First Water Change. Lots Of Questions

[Lisa67]

My 55 gal tank has been stocked with mbuana for 4 days now. When I test amonia and nitrite they have remained at 0. The nitrate is between 5-10. First, when should I do the first water change? And is 20% about what I want to go for? I'd rather do less water, more often if possible.

Also, when I put in the water conditioner do I just use enough for the new water or enough for the entire tank?

Most importantly (I think)... Do I clean the filter or leave it alone? I have the "hang on the back" type with two cartridges of carbon. It seems to me that if I clean the filter I'll be washing away all the "good bacteria" I cycled the tank to get. AND according to the box that the carbon filters came in I'm supposed to change them frequently. I actually cycled the tank with them in place (because I thought I was supposed to). Do I even need carbon cartridges? I don't want to change the ones in there because, once again, I don't want to reduce the amount of good bacteria I have.

Do I just regulate the temp of the new water I'm adding by feel?

I realize this is a lot of questions, but now that I finially have fish I want to keep them healthy.

 

[wan1967]

I have just set up my 1st tank and am no expert but i can answer 2 of your questions.You only use enough conditioner for the amount of water you put in.As for water temp you will be able to tell a one degree difference by touch so you should be ok.Hope that helps you,sorry i cant answer your other 2 questions,Bruce

 

[waterdrop]

Hi Lisa, Sounds like you put the fish in last weekend. If so, then yes, this coming weekend is the time for your first water change and you should gravel-clean about 20% out (that will be fine) and then replace it with conditioned, temp-matched (your hand is good enough) tap water.

If you condition the tap water in buckets -prior- to pouring it (or siphoning it) into the tank then you should dose the conditioner (dose at 1.5x to 2x but not over 2x) to the volume in the bucket. If you dose the conditioner directly into the tank and then fill the tank directly (with the garden hose or a Python setup) then you need to dose (again at 1.5x to 2x) per the full volume of the tank (this is because the organics in a fish-in tank will null a lot of the conditioner.)

Your first filter maintenance shouldn't come for a month, to let the filter settle in to the fish-in situation and because your HOB will probably go just fine in a new startup tank for that period. You should not change any of the media any time soon and should instead gently clean the media in old tank water (ideally consulting the members here prior so you can get all the details.)

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Randi]

You should do a water change once a week, about 25%. I know people who's nitrate levels stay low, so they only do it every other week but you want to keep the level below 30. You do not need to vacuum your gravel every time you change water but do it at least once a month. I personally would not vacuum the gravel for awhile since you just finished cycling. I know the instructions for HOB filters say to change the filter cartridge one a month, but don't do it. Just rinse the cartridge in tank water to remove any debris and keep it until it is falling apart. I would also put the new cartridge in the filter with the old one for awhile before changing them out.
I'm somewhat of a newbie so other people might have different advise, but this is what I would do.

 

[Lisa67]

Thank you for your help, it's greatly appreciated. One thing I should have mentioned is that I don't have gravel, I have sand. It was pretty expensive so any pointers for cleaning it without sucking it all up with the siphon? Very glad to hear that I don't have to change that filter cartridge for a long while.

 

[sweetmeister]

Thank you for your help, it's greatly appreciated. One thing I should have mentioned is that I don't have gravel, I have sand. It was pretty expensive so any pointers for cleaning it without sucking it all up with the siphon? Very glad to hear that I don't have to change that filter cartridge for a long while.

Dont forget you can always use Argos playsand,£2.99 for 15kg.

 

[Randi]

cleaning the sand properly just requires practice. I find smaller hoses easier to work with and I hold the siphon about 1/2 inch above the sand.

 

[Little_Nemo]

I've heard some people cut off a leg from a pair of tights and attach it to the hose, you can suck up the water, but it doesnt take quite so much sand with it.

 

[waterdrop]

For cleaning sand, many members report they like using a plain hose with no gravel-cleaning cylinder on the end. After getting the siphon started they clamp their thumb over the end in the tank to stop the flow, holding the end of the house with their index finger. Then, several inches (this is the part that takes practice) they wave the last 3 fingers at the substrate surface such that mostly debris but not sand is stirred up into the water. It is then fairly easy to unclamp their thumb and vacuum up some of this debris as the water is drawn out. Sand substrates may be a little quicker to punish those who skip their weekly water change!

The other thing to keep in mind with sand is that even though a certain amount may be drawn out with the clean, it is relatively cheap to replace and many keep the end of a bag at hand, or another smaller bag or quantity on hand for periodic replacement.. all this is better to keep in mind rather than fret about the loss when you're cleaning. Remember though that if sand does get into the catchbucket, and you've finished cleaning your filter media (if that is part of this particular maintenance session) then you might want to set aside a container for temp-matching (if you haven't refilled the tank yet) and then pour the waste tank water into the garden rather than a drain since you don't want sand clogging your drains. Old fish water is also good for gardens because it contains some fertilizer of course. Gardening, goldfish ponds and indoor freshwater tanks all dovetail rather nicely together - most UKers knowing this better than most of us yanks I think, lol.

~~waterdrop~~