Feel A Fool But Didnt Know !

[lmbridgen]

Feel very silly, but honestly didnt know that I had to change the water in my tank, I have a Jewel 180 it has both plastic and real plants in it and a few fish mostly tetras my tank is about 10 weeks old. the shop told me to leave the tank 2 weeks before adding fish and then add them a few at a time with about a week in between which I did, didnt think I had done anything wrong untill I found this forum and now understand I did a lot wrong. I cant change what has happened and my fish have all survived so far. but the one think I wasnt told about was water changes which i found out about on this site, but help how often do I perform this and when should I start? Im quite nervous about the whole thing I dont want to loose any of my fish as Im very attached to them already, I spend most evenings either researching them or just looking at them and I have to confess Im hooked, Ive even been accused by my ex that I look after them and feed them better than I ever did him!
any advice would be appreciated thanks.

Marion

 

[hawk]

Correct me if I am wrong(I still a noobish fish keeper)

Water changes should be done weekly. Changing your water involves removing +- 20% of the water and adding new water in.(This should be treated) Changing your water can be done by siphoning or by using a gravel cleaner.

See:Beginners Guide to Fish Tank Maintenance for more information.

 

[k.o.d]

Water changes should be done regularly, there are no hard and fast rules.
In the big ray tank I change 20% of the water every 2 days
In the endlers tank I change 50% of the water every week
In the reef tank I cange 25% of the water every 3 weeks

This came about by trial and error and seeing what made the fish flourish, I am sure you will come to the best regime for your tank, but you DO need to change the water.

I would start with smallish water changes first as so as not to disturb/stress the fish out too much and see where you go from there

How easy is it to perform water changes? Have you good access to buckets/hoses? This is what makes a wtaer change difficult

 

[lmbridgen]

Thanks, should I be do this right away or does the tank have to be a certain age before I start.

Correct me if I am wrong(I still a noobish fish keeper)

Water changes should be done weekly. Changing your water involves removing +- 20% of the water and adding new water in.(This should be treated) Changing your water can be done by siphoning or by using a gravel cleaner.

See:Beginners Guide to Fish Tank Maintenance for more information.

 

[k.o.d]

Yep, once the fish have started to do their business then the water will need refreshing

 

[Glod]

Thanks, should I be do this right away or does the tank have to be a certain age before I start.

Basically the reason behind water changes is to keep the waste from the fish from building up to a toxic level. The frequency of changes needed depends on the stocking levels of your tank and how much waste is produced. A lightly stocked tank might be fine with monthly water changes, but a heavily stocked tank may need water changes twice a week.

Once you add fish to the tank you need to start doing water changes, I'd suggest about 20-25% once a week and see how that goes. Since your tank hasn't had a water change so far you might want to consider doing change now, and another in a couple of days, just to get things under control.

When changing the water it is important to remember to switch off the heater and filter during the process. Make sure that all water you add is dechlorinated with an appropriate water conditioner. If you have a gravel vac then it's an ideal time to vac the gravel during the water change.

So in summary I would suggest doing a water change today, another in a couple of days, then weekly and see how that goes.

Do you have water test kits ? It's a good idea to test your water regularly to monitor the status of your tank. PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate are the main kits that are reccomended. You want your PH to be around 7, Ammonia and Nitrite to be 0 and your Nitrate to be low (< 40 ppm is a good target in my opinion.)

 

[k.o.d]

Why do you switch off the heater and the filter??

If the heater is still immersed then that isnt a problem and if the suction for the filter has not been uncovered the filter will keep on working, the more you switch off the filter, the more likely you have to start the syphon. No need to make more work than necessary.

The water change is definitely a necessary thing, but unless you are going to expose the suction of the filter or the heater element, keep it as simple as possible

Steve

 

[lmbridgen]

Thanks everyone you have been very helpfull I shall do water change tomorrow ready for christmas.

Meryy Christmas to you all .



Marion

Why do you switch off the heater and the filter??

If the heater is still immersed then that isnt a problem and if the suction for the filter has not been uncovered the filter will keep on working, the more you switch off the filter, the more likely you have to start the syphon. No need to make more work than necessary.

The water change is definitely a necessary thing, but unless you are going to expose the suction of the filter or the heater element, keep it as simple as possible

Steve

 

[Gazoo]

Why do you switch off the heater and the filter??

I can see in your case it is not necessary. I think Glod's comment is more of a general safety recommendation. One time when I was doing a water change, I unplugged my power filter and forgot to unplug the heater. For some reason this time I decide to take out the heater to clean it which I never have done. While it is in my hand above the water it EXPLODES. Stupid ... yes; human error ... absolutely. I now have greater respect for water + electricity and have a new policy, unplug the power strip when working with water.

 

[k.o.d]

Shouldnt the general safety recommendation be to ensure the heater is kept immersed and switch off if that is impractical, you then run the risk of not switching it back on if you unplug it.
What I am trying to put across is water changes should be kept as simple as possible, that way there is less fuss.
You could have purchased a hydor theo heater, they are shatterproof and switch themselves off when the element is exposed by drops in level, we use them and they do exactly what the say on the box.

I agree with ensuring the job is completed safely, but it should be completed practically too, why make extra work??? Its just a comment, not a slight on anyone

 

[Glod]

I reccomended switching off the filter and heater during the water change simply because I don't know at what point dechlorinator will be added. Many people add the dechlor after they re-fill the tank. In that case having the filter switched off prevents chlorinated water circulating through your bacteria in the filter.
Switching off the heater is simply common sense, if there is a temperature variation, or the water goes below the minimum point on the heater it can break/fracture/explode. Yes, 9 times out of 10 that won't happen, but better safe than sorry.
I agree with you on the last comment tho, remembering to switch it all back on once you're done is crucial