My tank isnt even close to packed but I still do about 70% once a week. Just wondering how you guys deal with the bio load. thanks. 
JDM'ers what is your water change schedule like?
- Thread starter juneblood3
- Start date
Dunno what ur setup is like, but With a small bio load theres no need for such a large WC once a week, with an est. aquarium unless your nitrates are continually/fairly high by the end of the 7th day. You're aquarium water itself is loaded with beneficial bacterial [yes filter media too], getting rid of so much of it takes time for it to multiply and keep a steady ecological health. I just find it weird people do large water changes when its not needed.
I do W/C biweekly as i siphon crap out ~10g each time, 30g changes once nitrates hit an undesired level of +10ppm. I suggest nitrate removing techniques if your hitting high values. PeaceOut!
PS: I dont even like to drink tap water unless its treated, so i do everything i can for my fish to keep the water as clean as possible keeping the water as long as possible, AND prior to dumping it in. Little effort, but its peace of mind!
I do W/C biweekly as i siphon crap out ~10g each time, 30g changes once nitrates hit an undesired level of +10ppm. I suggest nitrate removing techniques if your hitting high values. PeaceOut!
PS: I dont even like to drink tap water unless its treated, so i do everything i can for my fish to keep the water as clean as possible keeping the water as long as possible, AND prior to dumping it in. Little effort, but its peace of mind!
Very, very few bb inhabit the water column. Many people do 100% water changes on a regular basis and never see ammonia or nitrIte. Granted, that might not suit a planted tank or certain sensitive species, but for the most part it's hard to change too much water if your tank is maintained regularly.
knifegill;4439467; said:
Yes, this is true, while the bulk of the BB bind onto biomedia, substrate & decor, they still however exist naturally in air and water. ^^
These people that you mention Knifegill that do 100%, do they age+condition their water first? Cause really i cant see someone dumping 70-100% tap-water, throws in X of ml/teaspoon, and start running the pumps. There's not enuff time for the chemical binding/seperation to take place so quickly and the BB that exist in ur system takes a beating no? :S
Right. Either aged or well water, and time to circulate and dechlorinate before turning the pumps on. I can safely do about 75% changes in my 125g as long as I wait a good ten minutes while the powerhead curculates my dechlorinated tap water before turning the filters on. I also aerate as much as I can as the water leaves the hose into the tank with a Magnum HOT output I popped onto the hose. Works pretty well, actually.
Good points to make explicit. Sometimes I forget how much isn't being said.
Good points to make explicit. Sometimes I forget how much isn't being said.
there are so many things wrong with this post.kurare;4439574; said:
ALL of the functioning bacteria in our aquariums live on SURFACES. these bacteria need to adhere to an object in order to start metabolizing ammonia/nitrite. Any bacteria floating in the water column won't be consuming any ammonia/nitrite anyway.
In addition, the levels of chlorine in tapwater are very low in comparsion to the levels originaly used to kill off the bacteria in the water treatment facility(this applies to chloramine too) the chlorine will not kill your bacteria off so fast that dechlorinator will not have chance to work. You would need to let the water sit in your tank for 20-30 minutes before it would start to really damage your bacterial colony.
i regularily do 75-90% water changes on my piranha tank and never have i tested positive for any ammonia or nitrite.
i wouldnt think doin anythin more than 30-40% would be good
you could never do 100% you would have to leave water to cover gravel an decor and im guessing you would move your fish to a bucket, which is really stressful on its own. it just seems really usless and way too much hassel to do more than 40 %
you could never do 100% you would have to leave water to cover gravel an decor and im guessing you would move your fish to a bucket, which is really stressful on its own. it just seems really usless and way too much hassel to do more than 40 %
