Large water changes

[SimonL]

So you're using "50% or more" to represent a 100% water change? And your last question is pointless, it doesn't ask if people think that it's a good idea, it just asks if they have done it. I have done it, that's how I know it's not a good idea...

I figured since you were doing 50% and you were right, that 51% or more would be wrong and shock your fish so I lumped it all together in the same poll.

You figured because I do 50%, that 51% would be wrong?? That's 2.2 gallons of a 110 gallon water change...it's not going to change anything. That's an ... "interesting" train of logic...

 

[Chefken]

What about transporting a fish to water of a different source? Would bringing old tank water benefit in any way? OR would acclimation serve the purpose?

useless for cycling a tank. Useful for keeping your fish alive.

 

[creepyoldguy]

useless for cycling a tank. Useful for keeping your fish alive.

So you believe if your moving fish you need to use old tank water? What about acclimating it to your new source water via drip? When a breeder drops fish do they send 25 gallons of their water?

 

[SimonL]

You are using "need" as an absolute. I was saying it is simple a better idea to move some of the old water fish the fish so the new tank's chemistry isn't dramatically different.

No, breeders or fish farms don't. That's why large numbers of fish get sick, stressed and die during long shipments or acclimation. We've been over this in the other thread. If I import a bunch of wild Amazon fish used to a ph of 6 and very low hardness, and acclimate them into a tank with 100% new tapwater with a Ph of 7.8 and high hardness, they will likely die. Why is it, when someone gives you an answer, you ignore it?

 

[creepyoldguy]

Simon acclimating a fish to tap water is different to acclimating a fish to a tank w established media but newly set up. Are you saying that your water always matches rhe ph that the fish has lived in ?Again I'm not saying your wrong, but your way is not the only right way. Why is it that you ignore that?

 

[SimonL]

Simon acclimating a fish to tap water is different to acclimating a fish to a tank w established media but newly set up

What are you talking about? A tank that you have just set up is filled with....wait for it...TAP WATER. You may have conditioned it, but it's 100% tap water. It has nothing to do with established media, I'm not talking about cycling, I'm talking about sudden Ph/hardness changes.

You are dividing the issue into right/wrong, which is too simple. It depends on your fish, sources water, tank water, your maintainence schedule, etc. If you have a well maintained tank of Africans which are used to a similar water parameters, doing a 99% WC isn't going to be a big deal. If you have delicate fish like discus used to 75% daily half RO/Tap changes, it probably won't be a big deal, if you do 50% RO/Tap.

However, if you have sensitive species, like a community of cardinals at a ph of 6.5, and you try changing 99% of the water with 7.8 tap water, you're going to stress out or kill your fish.

 

[Aquanero]

I do 50 to 60% every week. I sometimes do two a week in grow out tanks and have never had an issue.

 

[GhostShrimpMan]

I do 60-70% water changes on all tanks every week. No cons, just pros.

(Okay the water bill might be a little higher, and I might spend some more on water conditioner, but you get the jist, right?)

 

[creepyoldguy]

Wait for it, tap water still has a chemical make up just like tank water! Sure they may be different than the previous tank but that's why you can acclimate the fish using a drip method. As far as tank and source water goes, as long as one is doing weekly waterchanges the ph and hardness should not vary greatly unless one is using something to alter the water. If using tap water is so bad, why do we use it to do waterchanges?

You have also stated and argued that doing large water changes is a shock to your fish. You see there are already several ppl who have set up new tanks using established filter media and more than likely tap water, with no I'll affects

 

[Spiritofthesoul]

I don't do large water change.
If I had to do something like 50%, usually i'll split into 25% for 2 days.
When dealing with juvenile fishes, I'll split into 10% for 5 days