water changes

[mommacakes]

I set my tank up new about two weeks ago. It still looks great, but it must be ready for a water change, am i right. It is a ten gallon tank, and I have already filled it with tetras, danios, 1 molly, 1 betta, an alge eater and upside down cat fish.
Every one is getting along great. No fighting, but alot of waste. Should I do a 20% water change now, or can I wait a week?

please someone help!

mommacakes

 

[J_acon]

I did mine after 3 weeks of being fish, the water changes are mainly done to reduce the amount of Nitrates and to remove some of the pooo from the gravel.

 

[Sassygrrl]

Do you have a gravel cleaner? The self-starting ones are the best. I would just clean the gravel and make sure not to overfeed. Definitely do NOT clean the filter or parts as you need the bacteria that is growing on it. Let it get all gooky, it's good for the fish. When you use the gravel cleaner, try not to remove any more than 10% of the water. The more you change out now, the longer it will take to cycle. Replace the water. I assume you know how to prep water for the tank? Good luck! Let me know if you take any tank readings (PH, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates). That's always important to keep an eye on for new tanks.

 

[mommacakes]

it has been many years since i have had a tank. my memory is not that great. when you say prep the water, can you be more specific please.

mommacakes

 

[Sassygrrl]

What I mean by prepping the water is making sure that:

1. The replacement water is the same temperature as the tank you are adding it to.

2. The ph in the replacement water needs to match the tank ph. If you have always used tap water without adding ph up or down, then you are probably safe without treating it. I would keep an eye on the ph in the tank, at least a couple times a month to make sure it's stable.

3. You also need to dechlorinate the water when you add new water. If you add it straight from the tap, the chlorines and chloramines will kill the bacteria in the tank. Bacteria is what helps the tank break down the fish waste. If you are not doing this. I strongly recommend you get something for the replacement water, like TetraSafe or NovAqua... something that will remove chlorines, chloramines and heavy metals.

 

[mommacakes]

thanks for the info.
I used a water conditioning product from dr. wellfish. it included a proper ph product, with aquarium salt. I still have some of this product left, can i use that to condition the water again?

 

[Sassygrrl]

Only if you haven't been adding it to water that you add to the tank (or the original water). Just make sure all future water changes include that product to protect your bacteria and fish. You may want to change 10% of the water every 2 weeks to help keep toxic levels down while your tank cycles.