Reduced Water Changes?

[Fishman0]

Is it at all possible to reduce the frequency or volume of water changes?

As of now I am changing 50% of the water in my 75gal every 3 days, not due to the chemistry but due to my driftwood leaching into the water.

I was wondering exactly what the reasons for large water changes are besides;

-Controling/lowering Nitrates
-Solid waste removal

I change about 50% of the water in my other tanks weekly just to be safe but not to control water params

 

[bgcoop8784]

That's about the main reason's for water changes, add activated carbon to your tank to help with the driftwood leaching, it helps a lot. if your water params are good, just change 25% weekly, 50% is a little overkill for most fish, unless you have extremely sensative fish such as discus.

 

[iloveoscars702]

good filtration and feeding schedules helps keep down water changes for me. i have two eheim pro IIs and an ac110 on my 100 and feeding once a week helps a lot for me. currently i feed my fish every tuesday and change the water every sunday. and all my parameters are perfect.

 

[Fishman0]

Once a week? really? i feed daily in my 75 but should i cut down?

btw my turnover rate is aroung 13.3 (theoreticaly @ 1000gph)

 

[Morcs]

Carbon does bugger all for tannin stained water.

Take the driftwood out, stick it in the sink, boil the kettle. Give it a wee scrub, then pour the boiled water all over it (bigger pieces will have to be moved around)

Stick back in your tank, and put a biochem zorb in your filter.

Biochem zorbs are so effective (and rechargable) that I had very very yellow water, by the next morning, it was clear.

 

[Fishman0]

thanks guys... any other ideas for why water changes should be so frequent?

 

[bgcoop8784]

no reason other than when cycling to keep ammonia/nitrite down, to remove excess waste with under filtered tanks, when dealing with extremely sensative fish, or when medicating a tank for fungus/bacterial infection/or parasites. thats about it, with good filtration "most" tanks should only need weekly waterchanges.

 

[CornBread]

yea definetly clean that wood up should not be that much on the water change

 

[Fishman0]

thanks weekly WC's will help make things easier....

i will only use a 1/4" airline to remove the waste build-up

 

[bgcoop8784]

well personally, because i have black substrate, i gravel vac about 5 gals mid week just so it doesn't look bad, but thats just me. i also had a waste vac that i made with a old powerhead that i used to remove waste but not water.