Definition Of A Water Change Please.

[Utternutter]

Hi, was wondering if someone can please give me the definition of a water change. Is it literally just take WATER out, put WATER back in, or a gravel clean or fake plant, gravel clean, Just move the gravel around a little then change water or using a gravel cleaner, spend ages cleaning all of it, getting as much waste up as possible?

If some one could let me know, Id appreciate it. I've been doing one thing, my friend another so just wondered what a water change ACTUALLY involves.

Thanks

 

[Jenste]

A Water change is changing water by taking the dirtiest stuff possible out with a siphon - - the dirtiest stuff is in your gravel, so it is pretty much all of the above that you mentioned.

Use your siphon to siphon from gravel level - - this is where the poo and left over food settles so this is the important stuff to get out. Taking water out from the surface level leaves all the nasty decomposing stuff in your tank to keep accumulating.

Then after you have siphoned from the bottom, put new fresh water in

 

[Wilky87]

I am doing alot at the moment because Im cycling my tank. i vaccum the gravel and i fill a bin with about 20/30 litres of water (My tank is 180 Litres). Then i fill the bin back up to the amount i just took out, add the right amount of aqua safe & leave it for 30 mins. Then i slowly bring it upto temp using boiling water then add it back to the tank using a large jug

 

[Vail3r]

I am doing alot at the moment because Im cycling my tank. i vaccum the gravel and i fill a bin with about 20/30 litres of water (My tank is 180 Litres). Then i fill the bin back up to the amount i just took out, add the right amount of aqua safe & leave it for 30 mins. Then i slowly bring it upto temp using boiling water then add it back to the tank using a large jug

If your doing daily/regular water changes then you dont need to clean the gravel every time once every 2 weeks is probably enough, but it depends on how much has accumalated on the bottom.

I have to clean the gravel every few days but that's because my pleco craps everywhere!!

 

[Utternutter]

So if you are doing a daily water change to get the levels down it isn't necessary to do a gravel vacuum every time.

 

[Tolak]

So if you are doing a daily water change to get the levels down it isn't necessary to do a gravel vacuum every time.

Nope,if the gravel is reasonably clean it's just changing water.

 

[Utternutter]

Cool, thanks.