Overstocked?
- Thread starter Sarahmander
- Start date
Honestly the best way to determine your water change schedule is to monitor the water conditions. Test for nitrates and adjust your WC schedule accordingly.
30% isn't enough. I do 75%. Assuming you're not changing water with buckets, which would be insane, it's no more work to change 75% than it is to change 30%. I use a pump, so I just sit and play guitar or something while the pump is running, then when there is about 5" of water left in the tank, I move the pump from the tank to the sink. It takes about 30 minutes total on my 180 gallon tank.
I'll also do a little gravel vacuuming while the water is draining. I do this directly into a bucket with a Python Pro Clean XL. I do 3 or 4 buckets worth, dump them in my slop sink. This takes about 5 minutes.
You should be ok doing this once per week. I like to do it twice, but if I'm busy once is ok.
Also, if you want to keep that stocking long term, IMHO you're doing to need at least a 125, but a 180 would be better.
If you want to cut that back even further, you can try what I do. I have a mag drive that I drop in the tank connected to a small manifold that goes to a connection under the sink and the sink drain.
Flip a couple valves, turn on pump.
Wave annoyingly at the fish as they try to eat the pump.
Flip a couple valves, turn off pump.
Turn on spigot under sink.
Wave annoyingly at the fish as they try to eat the bubbles from incoming water.
The pump doesn't care if it has water running through it backwards and my water pressure is way higher than what the pump would produce anyway.
I also have quick disconnects everywhere to increase the chances of me spraying myself in the face when I am screwing with things that are working just fine the way they are.
Whichever is more convenient for you and will keep nitrates below 20ppm (not orange red)
Do you have a QT set up? In my experience, ropes have been notorious for bringing in parasites/diseases. Most are treatable but I'd consider getting a QT set up just in case.
I do not, and my LFS has had them in quarantine for about a week. I do use Seachem Polyguard whenever I add a fish though. I know it's not as good as a six week quarantine, but I'm in an apartment and they won't allow above 100 gallons of water. (They didn't see the sump ?) Any if you guys use pythons for water changes? As it is, I am walking up and down a hallway with a five gallon bucket and I think the python would make my life easier. Worried about dosing the Prime when I put the water back in though. Prime first in the sump? Would that work?
Most Prime in the tank where you refill and some in sump where the water comes in, then fill up in the tank to appropriate level. Total dosage of Prime should equal total volume of entire system, so calculate amount of water how much water tank and sump holds (okay to go over a little).
