flowerhorn water change? how often

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I like doing 85% to 90% wc every week on my fh tanks. One is a 125g with a female Fh and male Midevil.
Two 55g with one fh in each.

Then for comparison a have a 125g with a colony of 6 cyphothilapia gibberosa ranging from 4" to 10" that i change 80% biweekly. The reason is that i feed them less way less.

But as others have stated ,if u want to do larger wc start off slowly.

On fhs i do suggest changing water every one. 2 weeks is too long imo

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At the end of the day it's simple math and you're not making sense. If you have a 40 gal tank and the nitrates read 40ppm, if you were to do a 50% WC, you would be left with 20 ppm. That's just how it goes. You can continue wording me to death about all your BB and your anaerobic bacteria and your over filtration and all that, but the ONLY way to remove nitrates is to do WC's. Doesn't matter how big your filters are or how much BB is in them. So if you do a 90% WC how are you still left with 20-30ppm?


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Ok ill put it in terms a child can understand as I already stated. Its not like "your math".
This is your math which is wrong (2/Diluted Nitrates levels in water)

Actual equations is (2/Diluted Nitrates levels in water) + organic matter still decomposing inside filters and gravel. Of course it would be a dilution equation which is

current concentration*current volume of water = final concentration*final volume.

Lets start from the beginning cause you dont read.

What is nitrate?
End result from the nitrogen cycle.

What does ammonia come from which is the start of the nitrogen cycle?
Poop, food, dead plants, or lets just say organic matter.

When I do a 50% w/c does it cut nitrates in half?
Clueless answer = it does.
Correct answer = It really doesn't. The organic matter is still in the filter/gravel and will dilute and then raise nitrate levels within mere hours. Dont believe me try it and test your water and also try to think logically. Its common sense. Your removing diluted organic compounds when you do a water change and the organic matter in the filter will continue to dilute resulting in a raised nitrate level.

You really dont know or care to look up denitrifying bacteria and your going to argue this?

A
You can continue wording me to death about all your BB and your anaerobic bacteria and your over filtration and all that, but the ONLY way to remove nitrates is to do WC's. Doesn't matter how big your filters are or how much BB is in them. So if you do a 90% WC how are you still left with 20-30ppm?
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Ill put it in child terms again.
Aerobic = Uses oxygen but yields right nitrate
Anaerobic = Uses next to no oxygen but yields less nitrate.
Aerobic bacteria which are bio balls pot scrubbers etc. is more effective yet produces a high nitrate level. Go look it up on some marine forums. Most salt water fish die past 10-15ppm of nitrate and they have to use a protein skimmer to remove the organic compounds before it ever can decompose and result in more nitrate.

Still with me? Keep reading now.

When you say "but the ONLY way to remove nitrates is to do WC's" is a bunch of bull. Ill list some ways and you can research them and also look them up before you post nonsense,
1. denitrifying bacteria
2. algae scrubber
3. ponthos
4. Plants in general
5. Rid-x

Enough? Or do you need some more? Your knowledge is very vague and you think you know what your talking about but you simply dont.
 
To gamerpond1 and riftraft. Your conclusions about be doing w/c's and being at 20-30ppm is incorrect. You dont know how I feed, how often I clean my filters, what types of filters I have, and even how big my jardni is. Aerobic bacteria which I have on that tank ex. bio balls pot scrubbers will always yield a high amount of nitrate which is around 80-120ppm. All filtration isnt equal and I have a feeling you dont know too much about about the nitrogen cycle. A tank running with a sump containing bio balls will thrive in aerobic bacteria which leads to a very efficient yet high output of nitrate. Anaerobic yields less nitrate due to a bacteria known as denitrifying bacteria which is present where oxygen levels are low.


gamerpond1/riftraft To achieve 0 everything you will need a drip that does roughly 75% of the tanks volume in one day and even if you have a drip that is 75% it will take weeks to achieve 0 ppm unless its straight new tap water and also feed light. I am not in a cycle I have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite constantly. I'm curious to why you think I'm at a cycle, knowing the cycle like the back of my hand you're missing information or have been told incorrect information of the cycle to think that I am in a cycle. A high nitrate level will ensure a thriving colony of ammonia detoxifying bacteria and also nitrate detoxifying bacteria. 90% water changes only removes a fraction of nitrates which is about. For me 90% water changes removes about 70% of the nitrate. Organic materials which give off ammonia and leads to the ending nitrates, it then dissolve in the water but water changes only removes the dissolved leaving the source of the ammonia which leads to never being at 0ppm. Knowing this to reach a 0 all across the board you will need to make sure you remove all of the organic material which ill the you right now is impossible in a regular fish tank. To remove organic materials to reach 0ppm of nitrates you will effectively be removing all the BB in the process. There's always a source, if its the actual fish producing, or the organic materials inside the tank such as uneaten food or waste. I think researching a bit more about the nitrogen cycle will help you get an understanding. 20-30ppm of nitrates on my tank is perfectly acceptable and normal. I do dose with rid-x to get it down to 10-15ppm but I'm currently working on establishing a strong denitrifying colony so I can do 20% water changes bi weekly to replenish diluted minerals and adjust the ph and also alkaline levels.

Really so your telling me that if somejoe blow with a bit of a nitrate problem asked for your help not say u did just an example your not going to think aw he may be in just over the middle of a cycle which never stops in a ecosystem cause your first initial cycle of a tank first to rise is your ammonia and when that climaxes then starts your nitrites as your bacteria breaks down the ammonia into nitrites it begins to rise and just before your nitrite level climaxes it begins to be convert into nitrates which are then taken out by photosynthesis which is also something algea helps with or absorbing resins or the hard way which trying to taking it all out with massive water changes now why on earth would you lecture me when I specifically asked you what are you leaving out which you did none the less but I can see why no substrate no plants no resins and you don't follow K.I.S.S. ( keep it simple stupid) like I do

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If nitrates are booming that would mean ammonia and and nitrite consuming bacteria are thriving. I remember you from our little flowerhorn hump discussion if you remember about protein. Keep an open mind as I was right about that argument if you remember. The information that I post is 100% correct, I have done my research and its proven.
 
If nitrates are booming that would mean ammonia and and nitrite consuming bacteria are thriving. I remember you from our little flowerhorn hump discussion if you remember about protein. Keep an open mind as I was right about that argument if you remember. The information that I post is 100% correct, I have done my research and its proven.

That was me danny. I remember that thread. Something in it makes me question your desire to do 90% waterchanges though. Something like "China is full of pollution but it doesn't affect the health of the Chinese" or something like that.

I hope in the future everybody remembers you are always right like you wish. I'm guessing you are 2-3" correct? Lol
 
I have to advise new keepers that doing regular 90% water changes is not wise. You will stress your fish and it's not going to leave you any buffer zone in case something happens, you could have issues with water temp, unexpected changes in the water chemistry of the water you are using to fill, alot of things can happen.
 
That was me danny. I remember that thread. Something in it makes me question your desire to do 90% waterchanges though. Something like "China is full of pollution but it doesn't affect the health of the Chinese" or something like that.

I hope in the future everybody remembers you are always right like you wish. I'm guessing you are 2-3" correct? Lol
No I'm talking to gamerpond1 we had a discussion about protein contain of food and the relation to hump growth, world doesn't revolve around you. But I remember our conversation you were the one 150% sure that the fh's hump is made of fat right haha?

I have to advise new keepers that doing regular 90% water changes is not wise. You will stress your fish and it's not going to leave you any buffer zone in case something happens, you could have issues with water temp, unexpected changes in the water chemistry of the water you are using to fill, alot of things can happen.

Go to page 3 on this thread and read that I wrote, I know your lazy and don't read so i'll quote it and even highlight it. You seem to post without knowing the whole argument often.

Well most fish including fh's generally adjust to water parameters such as nitrate within a period of two weeks. A shock of nitrate is possible yet highly unlikely. Large water changes dont kill fish but the actual act of the water change makes the fish stressed to the point of dying. Removing the water and their space getting so confined along with the trying to adjust to nitrates is the cause of death. If a tank hasn't had a w/c in 2-3 months then give that a 90% water change will probably kill them. But moving from 20% the first week then 30% the second and so on and so forth will ensure they adapt with what you are actually doing and the amount changed.

For my fish large water changes are better for them cause I only have one free day of the week to tend to maintenance. If I do one 20% water change a week my jardini's tank nitrates are around 80ppm but with 90% w/c's its 20-30ppm.
 
Lol is your forum display of knowing it all really helping you overcome your real world feeling of inadequacy?

Is it not true that you're not lazy and that you dont read? If you had read the thread and saw post #23 would you have posted post #36? Its clear you dont read and post nonsence thats already been covered.

I don't know everything but I'm still learning, I do know a fair amount as I'm educated lol? Seems like you know your wrong (as I've proven you wrong time and time again) and trying to make personal attacks to feel better about your own personal short comings? Ignorant much?
 
Really cho I was 150% sure it was fatty tissue that makes up the kok from what I remember it was a discussion (not a argument) of what increases size of the kok and you pointed out a pic of a dissected flowerhorn and I said thats right I remember that image that it is definitely muscle tissue and I pointed out that I had read an article a while back on the growth rate vs defferent levels of protein on synspilum and that the optimum percentage was 42.8 % look just get off your high horse cause your feet are already touching the ground cause you just ran him into a prairie dog town and quit leading beginners with you, you may have the knowledge too get away with what you say but as the title of the thread suggest new people are reading this and taking what you write down as information to support the go ahead and pay for a pricey set up that will lead to heart break or overwhelming someone before they recieve the stress free rewards of owning a flowerhorn people already down them and in some places flowerhorns and certain strains are hard or next to impossible to get and for you to knowingly encourages this to happen you are deceiving a person with lies even though it may be true, I mean lets be serious your not a jok anymore so grow up and realize the affect your having on anyone so much as a child that wants a flowerhorn for his or her birthday that asked for months before and the dad reads your statements he's just trying to make sure his child has a long living aquatic pet do you really think that child is going to get that opportunity from the result of your aragance come on now aggression is right just stop and think before typing down anything to try to make yourself sound superior to others

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