Changing water in smaller increments

[Innesfan]

How large a tank and how heavily stocked? What are your water parameters? I do 50% (or more) weekly depending on the tank. The goldfish get the biggest water changes as did the Discus when I had them.

 

[Country joe]

Here we go,
200 litre tank 24.4c, Ammonia nil, Nitrite nil, Ph 7.5, GH 6, kH 6, Phosphate nil.
80 litre tank 25c, Ammonia nil, Nitrite nil, Ph 7.5, GH 7, KH 6, Phosphate nil.

 

[Country joe]

Sorry both tanks nitrate nil, 200 litre has quite a few fish but mostly small tetras, 80 litre tank has 10 cardinal tetras.

 

[Country joe]

Also for over a year I have been bothered with blackbeard algae especially in the 200 litre tank
I have tried most methods but nothing seemed to work
It's still there now but not as bad as its been.
I have a question about plant fertiliser im using TNC plant nutrients for the 200 litre tank 20 mls weekly. And the 80 litre 8 mls
Should I cut back on this ?

 

[Essjay]

Which TNC product do you use, Complete (which contains nitrogen and phosphorus) or Lite (which contains neither)?

 

[Country joe]

Which TNC product do you use, Complete (which contains nitrogen and phosphorus) or Lite (which contains neither)?

Thanks, TNC lite.

 

[GaryE]

I'll come in to the original point in the thread. I would never use test kits to decide on water changes. I just do them.

There is more to water than what the test kits tell us. Just do somewhere between 25 and 50% as often as you can - ideally at least 3 or 4 times a month. It takes the time for one good dog walk, and it does wonders for the health of the fish, especially in a newly set up system.

 

[Country joe]

I'll come in to the original point in the thread. I would never use test kits to decide on water changes. I just do them.

There is more to water than what the test kits tell us. Just do somewhere between 25 and 50% as often as you can - ideally at least 3 or 4 times a month. It takes the time for one good dog walk, and it does wonders for the health of the fish, especially in a newly set up system.

I was doing 50% water changes but went back to my usual 25% once a week
Which i will carry on. I just couldn't make up my mind what is best. 50 0r 25 percent. I don't know if you would class my tanks as a newly set up system. They have been running for about a year.

 

[GaryE]

Oddly, my chronic blackbeard that I had in three tanks has begun to die off, finally, after 2 years. I decided to be aggressive about manually removing it and it seems to have decided to leave town. In the one tank where I wasn't physically attacking it, it is happy, but it won't be unbothered for long. It took about ten water changes with removal via razor blade and suctioning up of loose pieces to get it retreating. I was obliged to cut some stem plants right down.

 

[Country joe]

Oddly, my chronic blackbeard that I had in three tanks has begun to die off, finally, after 2 years. I decided to be aggressive about manually removing it and it seems to have decided to leave town. In the one tank where I wasn't physically attacking it, it is happy, but it won't be unbothered for long. It took about ten water changes with removal via razor blade and suctioning up of loose pieces to get it retreating. I was obliged to cut some stem plants right down.

I have been doing the same, and although it's still there, it's definitely not as bad as it was, maybe it's getting the message.