Water Changes

Sasha the breen

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Hassocks West Sussex England
I need some help on why you need to do water changes i have a 16 gallon tank(not much) but i have my sats coming up and i need to revise everyday,is their anyway you dont need to do water changes???I would be open to any suggestions but if it includes moeny i dont have a massive buget
 
Water changes are very necessary. Imagine being stuck in a small room with no windows that open or any fresh air and imagine that there was no bathroom either and that you had to go in the corner. After a very short time it would get really really gross in there. Now imagine if you were in that same room but had a bathroom and were able to get some fresh air. Wouldn't that be better?

Its the same with fish tanks. After awhile the water gets quite gross. The fish poop and left over food rot and make the water stink (and add deadly chemicals to the water). By changing the water you can get rid of the waste. This makes the fish happier and healthier. Most people recommend changing at least 20% of the water every month. Some people do that every week. (And some fish freaks do it every day!) You can get an aquarium syphon at almost every pet store and usually they don't cost much.
 
Hey Sasha,

How long are you having to revise for? I don't totally agree with gm, I think that it can be ok to leave the tank for a short time, that's why I am asking how long you need to revise for. When I never even knew there was such a thing as a water change I left my fish for months :sick: but they were all ok. My lfs commented on my water looking a little green but no bad test results.

Don't you have someone who will do it for you? You mentioned a small budget, could this be used to bribe a sibling. Or, you could do it later in the evening or first thing in the day as no-one should be revising 24/7 anyway. With that sized of tank it shouldn't take long, maybe 20 minutes? Unless you have a syphon/python/gravel cleaner and it need take no time at all to get 4galls out.

HTH
 
It takes me twenty minutes to do water changes on my 55, and it's only once a week (I think every two weeks is ok).

Is this the SATs we take in the U.S.? If so, good luck. I still have to take mine. :D
 
How long do the SATs go on for? Nothing is more healthy for fish then fresh water, but they can surely go that long without a problem.
 
Water changes take hardly any time (even out of my 2 job schedule) and i actually enjoy doing it. I do mine 2x a week and basically the nessecities dont cost alot: a syphon can cost around $6can and then dechlorinator ranging from $4-$9 depending on the brand you choose. Thats mostly all i use for my freshwater tank! I'm sure your fishes health is worth $11 or so :nod:
 
snowyangel said:
Water changes take hardly any time (even out of my 2 job schedule) and i actually enjoy doing it. I do mine 2x a week and basically the nessecities dont cost alot: a syphon can cost around $6can and then dechlorinator ranging from $4-$9 depending on the brand you choose. Thats mostly all i use for my freshwater tank! I'm sure your fishes health is worth $11 or so :nod:

I agree completely. It doesn't take much time (I can change my 55 gal. salt water aquarium in <20 minutes), and it is vital to your fish's health. I would always recommend doing water changes.
 
I used to hate water changes each week and found them a chore but now I've got the procedure sorted and the fish are used to me I find it quite enjoyable. Most of them swim round my arm inspecting the dirt that I'm syphoning from the gravel and the barbs have a 'biting' contest on my arm - it just tickles!
 
It is very necessary to do water changes on small tanks more frequent. This is due to slight changes in water parameters effect the tank drastically. Just think of it as putting 1 teaspon of chlorine in a 10 gallon tank and 1 teaspon of chlorine in a 55 gallon tank. In the tank gallon tank, you might as well say goodbye to the fish. In the 55 gallon, though the fish maybe slightly affected, they will survive.

Also, there is a few ways you can do with water changes.
1. You can have an auto top-off system, which first drains some water and then tops it off.
2. You have a large Wet/Dry filter (rated for a 50 gallon tank) with a large sump (maybe 100 gallons or more). You have just change the water in the sump.
 

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