Cleanest fish?

[BPags52]

You shouldn't really ever need to do a 98% water change...unless you spill a bottle of bleach in the tank somehow...

i just read the last page of this thread and i'd agree with jbarb, get more bio-ceramic rings/etc. Clear water is a sign of sufficient biological media.

 

[jbarbaresi]

okay well i will buy some ceramic rings an more bio stars an keep a corse pad an a fine pad in the bottom with the bio zorb, i have the temp at like 76 an i just got done siphoning the gravel an doing a 98% water change maybe my problem is that im changing to much water to often??

yeah when you change that much water at once you are going to upset the balance of the tank, not to mention probably kill any beneficial bacteria that may have formed. like i said, let the tank go for a week without touching the water, if the fish seem overly stressed at that point (gasping at the surface for air or laying on the bottom having trouble breathing) do no more than a 25% water change to dilute some of the ammonia build up. cycling the tank with oscars is fairly difficult because of the nature and amount of poo they produce, but if you stay on monitoring the ammonia levels you can do it. eventually your tank will get so cloudy white you will think it will never get better, and then almost overnight it will completely clear up as the bacteria use up all the ammonia in the water and then settle into your filter media and gravel and such. just remember that the bacteria are your best friend when establishing and maintaining a stable tank, they are very sensitive to chlorine and large water changes will more than certainly kill them off.

 

[sostoudt]

okay well i will buy some ceramic rings an more bio stars an keep a corse pad an a fine pad in the bottom with the bio zorb, i have the temp at like 76 an i just got done siphoning the gravel an doing a 98% water change maybe my problem is that im changing to much water to often??

you shouldnt change that much water at once, i know it seems like its the most effective way, but theres a chance it will damage your bacteria colonies.

you really shouldnt go over 50% normally, and you definitely shouldnt go over 70% change.


heres a dirty trick that may help if nitrates are the problems. if you double dose prime it will detoxify alot of the nitrates, but then the problem is you need to only test for regular nitrates, seachem could tell you what test kits are compatible. if its a smell or algae problem this isnt the way to go.

 

[fishy12]

U could get snails to clean iup remains of food. Imma try to get ghost shrimp and c how that works out ill tell u if its a go or not.

 

[nighthawk2207]

okay i have had my eye on some electric blue lobster or something like that at my
lfs i might get one or two they only get 6iches max....i hope.

 

[jbarbaresi]

okay i have had my eye on some electric blue lobster or something like that at my
lfs i might get one or two they only get 6iches max....i hope.

your oscar will likely kill and eat it. they can also do some majoy damage to fish as well so be careful before jumping into a "lobster". they are usually crawfish btw.

 

[Polyptasaurus]

oscars might be the DIRTIEST fish, but no matter what, you still gotta change your water

 

[nighthawk2207]

I checked my ph an its at 7.4 alittle high but will that make a huge diff.

okay no crawfish then.

 

[Egon]

why not just plant all the plants in the tank? it adds to beauty while helping absorb excess nitrates

Anyone that has ever tried to keep plants knows they are a lot of work. Of course if plants are your thing then it's not work.

Don't try to reduce or avoid the work of water changes by using plants to maintain water quality, I think the plants make more work. You should just stick with water changes to keep the quality of your water up. Plants are fine but shouldn't be used to maintain water quality. Get plants because you like them or because they look good but don't get plants for the sole purpose of maintaining water quality. You will be disappointed. Plants can not replace water changes. Think about a 125 gallon tank vs a lake or river. A 125 is a large tank but compared to a lake or river just one guppy will over stock that 125. The aquarium is just too small to make a self sustaining biotope.

 

[nighthawk2207]

well just took in my 2 o's an jack an got a gold sev an a green sev an a bahia geophagus or something like that an im on the list to get 2 reds on arrival, i bougth some ceramic rings for my filter also so hopefully this will help, what do sevs like to eat??