water changes

[Feyna]

I've got a 30g 3ft x 1ft x 16in tank, which houses my three clowns and one angel.

Now, I'm still very much a novice, so I'm bad about doing water changes. But with my last scare, I need to become much more religious about doing these water changes.

However, it's never been fully explained in detail, and I've been reading around here about more frequent water changes with less water, etc., and am wondering exactly how I should be going about this?

For the most part, I just get my siphon started, and suck up the water and nastiness in the gravel, letting that just flow on out the back door. We then just... well, put water back in. It's usually tap water, which has been tested at pretty near neutral, though I always add in chlorine eliminators (API stress coat and stress zyme).

I hate to sound like a newb, because I was doing what I could, and so far everyone seems pretty happy.

But I welcome ALL advice, so I can learn more! I'm just not used to big tanks!

[chefkeith]

The objective is consistency. You want the aquarium water profile to be near the source or tap water profile. If you are not doing water changes regularly, the 2 profiles can be completely different after awhile due to pollution, evaporation, and leaching.

This can potentially be dangerous because the day you do decide to do a large water change (like when a fish is sick), you'll shock the fish, which could lead to injury or even death. That is what osmotic shock is. This is when fish are not given the proper time to acclimate to their new water profile. When you do a large water change you may be changing the water profile too quickly.

The water profiles can be measured with some basic test kits or meters. The parameters that matter most are TDS, GH, kH, nitrates, and pH.
Keep in mind, pH is only a secondary parameter. pH is a derivative of the kH and the acids in the water (CO2, organics, and phosphates). pH is only helpful if you know the other parameters.

[chefkeith]

IMO, the most ideal water change rate is 2 - 20% water changes per week. If you need to do more than that, then the fish tanks are probably overstocked.

This is ideal because even if you miss a few water changes, a 20% change won't shock the fish. Weekly 50% water changes may be fine, but if you miss a few weeks, the next 50% water changes could be a traumatic event to the inhabitants.

Another major reason why large water changes should be avoided is because you never know if or when the water company is going to change the source water profile. This may happen if they switch wells. Not many of us, measure the tap water parameters regularly. Without warning, the water profile from the tap can change drastically in some places.

[Piyush]

Water changes are rather easy if you are regular about it. In my 25 gallon tank, I used to just remove 1 bucket of water every week, and add 1 bucket of tap water which has been sitting at room temerature for a couple of hours. Really, it should not be very difficult.

If lifting water is a problem, which is for me when I am away and my sister or mom do water changes, use a filter. I have a extra emergency filter that runs in my tank, I just redirect its inlet to the bucket and it pumps water from a bucket into the tank. About 10 bucks for the filter (you can use a power head too) and 5 bucks for extra tubing, and water changes will be less manual, and hopefully let you do them more regularly.

[Feyna]

For the most part, our water is from a neighbor lake, so the levels stay relatively the same. I like seeing the pretty litmus colors, so I do test its pH regularly, but I need to get a broad spectrum test soon. We have two terrible, small pet shops in town, and no more fish shops, so I'll have to order online.

[Feyna]

Water changes are rather easy if you are regular about it. In my 25 gallon tank, I used to just remove 1 bucket of water every week, and add 1 bucket of tap water which has been sitting at room temerature for a couple of hours. Really, it should not be very difficult.

If lifting water is a problem, which is for me when I am away and my sister or mom do water changes, use a filter. I have a extra emergency filter that runs in my tank, I just redirect its inlet to the bucket and it pumps water from a bucket into the tank. About 10 bucks for the filter (you can use a power head too) and 5 bucks for extra tubing, and water changes will be less manual, and hopefully let you do them more regularly.

I have a HOT magnum 350, that I was given, but unfortunately it's not the bio pro model. I need to find the power kleen attachment, which I can apparently use to siphon the tank.

[Piyush]

I have a HOT magnum 350, that I was given, but unfortunately it's not the bio pro model. I need to find the power kleen attachment, which I can apparently use to siphon the tank.

Just attach a T joint to the input line and add valves to the pipes so that your canister filter can suck up water from two different sources, either your tank or your bucket. Then just open the valve to the bucket when ever you need to pump water from the bucket into the tank. If your filter has a priming inlet, then just attach a tube from that inlet to the bucket to do the same job. You might reduce or loose filtration to your tank when you empty a bucket, but the 350 can empty a bucket in no time and you can return filtration to the tank.

[Diana]

Keeping track of the nitrate levels can tell you how often to do water changes. You should keep the nitrates under 20ppm if at all possible. For lightly stocked tanks this may well be 25% or so once a week.
For more heavily stocked tanks this might be 50% once a week, or several smaller changes each week.
You will need to test and see what works for you.

If the water parameters are the same in tap and tank then the larger water changes are OK. (TDS is probably the most important in this way)


How I physically do water changes:
1) Run new water into a garbage can (Rubbermaid Brute, 32 gallons, on wheels) Add dechlor, and any other treatments (such as added minerals for the Lake Tanganyika tank). I will try to match tank temperature, or a little warmer, knowing it will cool off while I am doing the water change.
2) Use gravel vac to clean the substrate, dumping it into a storage tub.
3) Turn on pump in storage tub. It is connected to a garden hose and leads out to the garden.
4) I also use a pump to get the water from the garbage can into the tank. 100 gph fountain pump is a slow trickle, and fine for small tanks. (up to 10 gallons) but most of the time I am using a pump that says 200 gph. A bit fast for the small tanks, tends to push stuff around a bit, but fine for the larger tanks. I have a rather long piece of vinyl tubing, and can reach several tanks without having to move the garbage can.

[oilhands]

Keeping track of the nitrate levels can tell you how often to do water changes. You should keep the nitrates under 20ppm if at all possible. For lightly stocked tanks this may well be 25% or so once a week.
For more heavily stocked tanks this might be 50% once a week, or several smaller changes each week.
You will need to test and see what works for you.

If someone were to plant a tank heavily enough will nitrate become a non-factor in terms of water change?

[chefkeith]

Yes, nitrate will be a non-factor. Nitrates aren't everything though, there are still many pollutants that migrate with nitrates that plants might not use.

Those pollutants will be in the form of sediments, suspended solids, and TDS (Total Dissolved Solids). Bacteria and other microorganisms can thrive on many of these things. Some dissolved solids may also have the ability to bond with Metals, which could make them toxic to fish.

In an aquarium, many things produce byproducts or wastes. Much of it is considered pollution and can do harm to fish. (do gill damage, start infections, use up oxygen)

Fish waste, such as feces, can be a sediment, but it may also be a suspended solid, then dissolve.

Some things that produce TDS, Suspended Solids, and Sediment -

Driftwood- tannins, sugar, starch, fiber, (fungus and mold can usually be found on driftwood also)
Plants- sugar, pollen, fiber,
Rocks- salts, minerals, metals,
Fish- urine, feces, hormones, mucus, scales,
Algae- spores, fiber,
Bacterial byproducts- spores, toxins, dead cells,

The TDS meters we use in aquaria are really just conductivity meters. They only measure things that are conductive in the water column. Things such as sugars, suspended solids, and sediment, won't register on a TDS meter.

[oilhands]

The TDS meters we use in aquaria are really just conductivity meters. They only measure things that are conductive in the water column. Things such as sugars, suspended solids, and sediment, won't register on a TDS meter.

Yeah, I figure I need to pick one up. However, why won't a simple hydrometer do the same thing? Apples to oranges comparison?

[oilhands]

Ooooh look what I found....a chart....with instructions:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Methods_Ma ... ne_density

[chefkeith]

In an aquarium, a hydrometer would be tough to read and might float away. In a test tube or beaker it would work fine though.

[palaeodave]

Is there anything to be said for doing a 5% water change every day?

[chefkeith]

A 5% daily would be equivalent to a 27% weekly water change.

Keith Wolcott and I wrote a program that calculates that kind of stuff out. With it you can figure out the best water change method that works best for you and your fish.

here' s a link the calculator-
http://www.geocities.com/chefkeithallen ... izard.html