OK and after 24 hours of resting the co2 is gone? And the co2 goes away with water conditioner?
Water change technique
- Thread starter Karalak42
- Start date
Well I have African clawed frogs in tank 1
White cloud minnows in tank 2
2 baby Florida gars in growup tank 1
Convict cichlid pair in tank 3
Some dojo loaches and goldfish in tank 4
6 baby giant snakeheads in tank 5
1 other junevile giant snakehead in tank 6
2 rtc in tank 7
Some gars and bichir in growup tank 2
1 small featherback in growup tank3
And in the biggest tank 7 oscars 2 plecos 2 giraffe catfish 3 bichir 2 pangasius and 1 junevile clown knife
Im starting to build a big she'd now wich will have 2 big ponds in it. Not yet sure but shed be like 12feetx x 15 ft
Since all tanks are different, (size, stocking levels, filtration methods, plants etc)
There is no one size that fits all for water changes.
I like to base my schedule on nitrates, and pH.
If my nitrate level hits 5 ppm, that's my cue to do a water change, and/or, if pH starts to drop from the norm of 8.2, that's another cue.
For me this usually means, about 100 gallons changed every other day in my 300 gallon system, with the amount of stock in it, at the moment.
If stocking changes, this might mean a series of tests for nitrate and pH over a couple weeks to determine if a change in routine is warranted.
If you have a 200 gal system with 2 oscars, and it takes a week for parameters to change, so be it.
If you have 20 neons in a heavily planted 90 gal and it takes a month to see alteration in parameters, a WC schedule of once per moth may work.
Although in such a systems other tests such as hardness and conductivity, may suggest, once per month is not enough to prevent mineral buildup, for those fish to be healthy
I always add new water change water to my sump first as opposed to the main tank.
In this way if there is any anomaly it gets mixed by the pump, and media, before that anomaly gets to the fish.
Could be a slug of dissolved gases, large variation in water temp, or extra chlorine dose added at the water plant, etc etc that gets initially buffered by the trip thru the sump.
There is no one size that fits all for water changes.
I like to base my schedule on nitrates, and pH.
If my nitrate level hits 5 ppm, that's my cue to do a water change, and/or, if pH starts to drop from the norm of 8.2, that's another cue.
For me this usually means, about 100 gallons changed every other day in my 300 gallon system, with the amount of stock in it, at the moment.
If stocking changes, this might mean a series of tests for nitrate and pH over a couple weeks to determine if a change in routine is warranted.
If you have a 200 gal system with 2 oscars, and it takes a week for parameters to change, so be it.
If you have 20 neons in a heavily planted 90 gal and it takes a month to see alteration in parameters, a WC schedule of once per moth may work.
Although in such a systems other tests such as hardness and conductivity, may suggest, once per month is not enough to prevent mineral buildup, for those fish to be healthy
I always add new water change water to my sump first as opposed to the main tank.
In this way if there is any anomaly it gets mixed by the pump, and media, before that anomaly gets to the fish.
Could be a slug of dissolved gases, large variation in water temp, or extra chlorine dose added at the water plant, etc etc that gets initially buffered by the trip thru the sump.
My wife dictates my water change routine. Understandable since there are hoses strewn about along with a pump. So it's a bit disruptive to the house.
Therefore once a week. About 80-90% water change.
Oscar is fine with 90%. Bass prefer not too low. Pisses off the male if I get too "fintop".
Therefore once a week. About 80-90% water change.
Oscar is fine with 90%. Bass prefer not too low. Pisses off the male if I get too "fintop".
Ha ha, nice. My wife has been helping me the past months on my Saturday's wc after I somehow convinced her these are 'our' fish.
