There are discus breeders that do daily 90% water changes. Large water changes are dangerous when done on tanks where no water has been changed for a long period of time. If you match the temp and pH and treat the water for chlorine/chloramines and do the w/c on a weekly basis you will have no problems.
75% Water Changes OK?
- Thread starter Natalie
- Start date
Large water changes are dangerous if your water is coming from a well. Well water has high amounts of dissolved nitrogen gas and this can give your fish the bends and they can die. The best way to avoid this is by lots of churning of the water before adding it to the tank, or you can age your water for 24 hours.
Dissolved gasses are present in the winter. In the summer, they are almost non existent. Changing large volumes, often, during the winter, poses the threat of gas embolism....The summer water is GREAT, and you can get away with larger changes, more often...You can still do large changes in the winter, but it is most certainly better to change less than you would in the summer....Again prime builds up over time, and if you overdose it causes oxygen deprivation. <<That came from sea-chem themselves...E-mail them and ask...
Are you testing your nitrAtes prior to they WC? As long as they are not overli high theres no real benifit to a large WC like 75%.
DasArab;1681541; said:
Good idea. I test my water very rarely anymore since all of my tanks are well-established and I've had no losses. I've never seen my nitrates go over 20 ppm and they usually stay under 10 ppm.
I guess I'll keep the water changes to weekly 50% since you all have said that's sufficient.
Thank you for the help!The thing is that if you want to keep doing the water changes that your doing and its working for you there really is no need to change! Larger water change, as stated before, are only dangerous if you haven't done water changes in some time.
The dissolved gasses are a new one to me! This is the first time I have heard this about using well water and the gas. Learn something new every day. Though I am having a hard time believing that you can give your fish the bends. The gasses would dissolve from the water and your fish are not moving in a really deep amount of water there for the gasses to react major on the fish, I just can't see how the fish could get the bends.
The dissolved gasses are a new one to me! This is the first time I have heard this about using well water and the gas. Learn something new every day. Though I am having a hard time believing that you can give your fish the bends. The gasses would dissolve from the water and your fish are not moving in a really deep amount of water there for the gasses to react major on the fish, I just can't see how the fish could get the bends.
Natalie;1681675; said:Good idea. I test my water very rarely anymore since all of my tanks are well-established and I've had no losses. I've never seen my nitrates go over 20 ppm and they usually stay under 10 ppm.
I guess I'll keep the water changes to weekly 50% since you all have said that's sufficient.
I would not stick to any machine like regiment...I would let the tests do the deciding...Under 10 is outstandingly great, and I will be the first to admit, I do not have a tank under 10ppm....
