What is you water changing schd--

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lewis23

lewis23

Gambusia
MFK Member
Nov 9, 2005
696
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16
NewYork
I have been researching rays for weeks now and everything i read seems to make keeping rays difficult. I understand they need special care but is it that tough to keep them alive? My biggest concern is how often to change water. I change 80% twice a week with my p-bass weather it needed it or not. I will have 2 rays coming soon and i want to have my sh@t together before they come. I know it depends on how much food but lets say we like our rays plump:)

How often do you do water changes and what % do you change?

Also how many rays

Thank you
 
WOW ! thats a hell of alot of water changes...
i have a 150g and a 33g sump (180g total water in system)
My tank contains 1 ray, 5 discus and 2 clown loachs. I test my tank every 2 days and I do 20-25% twice a week and my water parameters are close to perfect, 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite, and always under 20ppm nitrate(usually 10 if not less) i think my water gets closer to the 20ppm nitrates when i feed alot of bloodworms, not sure but i think they foul the water faster for some reason...

i would say just test your water every day for the first while till you get a feel for what kind of bio mass they are putting off then gauge it from there but i dont think you will be needing to do 80% twice a week with rays but it would all depend on how big they are how much they eat and what size tank they are in of course, but if you want to do that many water changes and have the time/money for the water bill, all the better for the rays i guess, unless you can change to much water...
 
Domnt do water changes like that marc it could shock them more than help them. You tank is very big for the 2 pups and I would say do 30% once a week but def check the levels. They will not be putting out as much waste as the bass and pbass are very hardy animals. Leos are very hardy for rays and relatively easy to care for but any pup at such a small size is at risk. You are going to need a lot of blackworms so be ready with that and try to keep some in the tank at all times. I think you will be just fine and will end up loving the rays but honestly you wont need to and shouldnt change that much water and that often. Once a week 25-35% should be fine and use prime to dechlorinate. Is the wet/dry all hooked up and cycling now?
 
I change the water when I get foamy bubbles on the surface.. haven't used a test kit in a while. I do around 40-50% at a time usually.. how often depends on how often I'm feeding, and the amount of rays in the tank...oh and how much time I have.

and IMO 80% is fine.. When importing, I found pbass to be more sensitive than rays when it came to big water changes.. Rays are pretty adaptive once settled in and are hardier than most people think. T1Karman does some crazy size water changes with temp drops..

BUT, if you could do 50% like 3x a week that would be better.. it depends alot on your water source.. I have great tap water, and I wouldnt worry about doing 95% WC on my rays, as long as my hot water heater holds up.
 
I have a 200 gallon with a 80 gallon sump and I change 50% of main tank water which is actually about 30% total water every 3 days. I don't test my water now but have in the past to gauge it. Feeding is the big thing with rays. If you feed 2-3 times a day then expect more water changes. I feed mine once a day for a few days then twice a day for a couple then back to one. I keep my rays looking healthy and I am not trying to double there size too soon. You will get a feel for what needs to be done once you have had them for a couple of months. Rays are actually fairly hardy once you get them acclimated.
 
michael said:
YUP! I dont think my bio balls are ready but my ceramics are from my canisters which are in the sump with air under them. My water params where good last night and my PH was 7.4-7.6. I gave away emperor cichlid two days ago and my pleco found a new home in the sump. So all i have in the tank is a armatus.

ronin_man
The tank is a 6x2x30" and yes two leo pups:D
Click to expand...
 
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