Is My Dad Right?

[Tropicalfishking]

I looked up a website but couldn't find one. Thanks for putting that one up!

it looks like for me it's $3.50 per 100 cubic feet of water...

After some math $3.50 x 100 = .035. 50Gallons = 6.684cubic feet

.035 x 6.684 = 23cents. rounded to 25 x 4 (weeks in months) =$1.00

So it only costs $1.00 a month to do a 1/3 water change on every one of my tanks.

12 Volt Man, Does that sound about right from you equation?

 

[sean-820]

I think hes partly right. Excess water changes arnt going to hurt, but they arnt needed. You dont need 33% water changes per week. 10-20% will be fine. Just cut back to 20% andjust measure nitrates... and as long as levels of everything are fine there is no need to do more waterchanges. So just keep cutting back untill you get to about 10-15% or untill the nitrates rise past acceptable levels. Just do 10-20 per week then mayby per month do a 30% water change.

I get the same question from my dad too. (at one time i was running a 75,125 and 30g so a lot of water). Now i just do water changes when he's not home, but i am down to a 125 since the 30 cracked and i moved some fish around.

 

[sean-820]

I looked up a website but couldn't find one. Thanks for putting that one up!

it looks like for me it's $3.50 per 100 cubic feet of water...

After some math $3.50 x 100 = .035. 50Gallons = 6.684cubic feet

.035 x 6.684 = 23cents. rounded to 25 x 4 (weeks in months) =$1.00

So it only costs $1.00 a month to do a 1/3 water change on every one of my tanks.

12 Volt Man, Does that sound about right from you equation?

Do you get the "do you need to run all those lights so long?" too? To be fair my 125 is planted , but other then that i ONLY have, a lizard heat and strip light, 2 300w heaters, 2 i think 110w each lights (HO t5), 2 filters cannister and a powerhead, plus all the equip for my 15sw with 10g sump lol. If he really cares and you really want to keep doing what you do, just said youll give him the difference $. I bought the 125 and all the other stuff by myself, so its not like my parents are already shelling out acouple grand for my setups. I bought the 125 when i was 14-15 i think with money from a paper route (all new totally over a grand. How many papers did i deliver at 6cents a house? lol)

 

[Tropicalfishking]

My parents don't complain about my lights, thank god!

He was quite surprised to see him go all wide eyed at how little it costs. He thought it would be like 15 dollars a month, but it still could be with all the taxs. He still thinks something is fishy (I can't believe I said that on a fish forum), so we will look at the water bill when it comes.

 

[12 Volt Man]

I looked up a website but couldn't find one. Thanks for putting that one up!

it looks like for me it's $3.50 per 100 cubic feet of water...

After some math $3.50 x 100 = .035. 50Gallons = 6.684cubic feet

.035 x 6.684 = 23cents. rounded to 25 x 4 (weeks in months) =$1.00

So it only costs $1.00 a month to do a 1/3 water change on every one of my tanks.

12 Volt Man, Does that sound about right from you equation?

yup. looks like its 23 cents consumption charge per water change.

now, there are most likely other charges on the bill, that might say double the cost, but still, its nothing.

good ammo for showing your dad

 

[sostoudt]

And since water is such a problem that maybe all of the males in the house hold can go outside to urinate. And that would save alot of water.

wo wo wo who said anything about going outside? most houses have windows

 

[pppp]

wo wo wo who said anything about going outside? most houses have windows

Because it should have read .... all of the females in the house ....?

PS If your filtration system is working, water change has no role in nitrates level, right?

 

[jcardona1]

Because it should have read .... all of the females in the house ....?

PS If your filtration system is working, water change has no role in nitrates level, right?

you need to do some research buddy! bio filtration does NOTHING to reduce nitrates, only ammonia and nitrites. only way to get rid of nitrates is through regular water changes

 

[tcarswell]

Because it should have read .... all of the females in the house ....?

PS If your filtration system is working, water change has no role in nitrates level, right?

wrong.


I almost forgot since most of us fill with tank temp water (I keep my tanks at 80 degrees) there is a small cost to heat the water with a natural gas water heater. For an electric water heater that could cost quite a bit more.
Just something to consider. Either way I doubt it would cost more than 5-8 dollars to heat the water for the changes.

 

[Redearsunfish]

aquariums are closed systems. Closed systems need refreshing. Water changes = refreshing.