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Never Done A Water Change ?

yes thats what you need.

when you've tested the water post your results for us we'll let you know if everythings ok.

what i would expect is a very high nitrate reading and you'll need to do a few water changes to get it down.
 
AndyDrew said:
Hello ive never done a water change how and whats the best way todo it ? please :good:
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I use a clean bucket and either a gravel vac or a 3/4 inch wide plastic piping. Every time I do a water change, I suck the debris off the bottom at the same time. When you have taken a couple of buckets of water out, fill the bucket with clean water using some hot boiled water to get it up to temp', add your dechlorinator, tip into the tank. Repeat as necessary. Mine seem to get happy and active when I've done a partial change once a week.
I expect it's a bit like us living in closed up houses during the winter and opening the windows once a week to let some clean fresh air in.
 
AndyDrew said:
what does it do.. sorry i am a noob ive had my fish set up now about 5 to 6 month an my water level goes down .condensation hopefully .. i have aquasafe that i have been adding every month or so with tap water .. :S thank all help appreciated .. not that good on spelling either ;)
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Not only does water changes remove excess nitrates, but it also removes allot of the accumulated minerals. When people add water due to evaporation, there is an excess of minerals that build up. Water evaporates and not the minerals. Therefore, to remove these excess minerals, you need to remove the water in the tank as well.

When performing a water changes, you need to make sure the water temp is as close to as the tank temp. Also, most water supply companies use chlorine/chloramine in their water supply. Chlorine is dangerous to the fish and the beneficial bacteria in the tank. Therefore, you need to remove it from your water supply by adding dechlorinator in the tank, prior to adding the new water in.

Most dechlorinators bind with the chlorine contained in the water. As I mentioned above, some water supply companies have chlorine and/or chloramine. Removing chlorine from chlorimine yields ammonia. Ammonia is also dangerous to the fish. Prime is one of the popular dechloranators used, since it removes chlorine/chloramine and ammonia.
 
AndyDrew said:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...p;rd=1&rd=1 ive just bouth that one because it was new . k so i remove some water and put some stuff in it then put it back in?
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yes it's that simple :) As described above, you're removing harmful chemicals from the water.

If you consider the option of saving your bathwater and using it several times or using fresh each time which would you prefer :S

Although it refers to new tanks you may find this thread useful http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=175355 it describes the basic chemistry that takes place

Gordon
 
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Can I just add to make sure that the water you are adding is the same temperature as the water that is in the tank. :)
 
sarahmom22 said:
Can I just add to make sure that the water you are adding is the same temperature as the water that is in the tank. :)
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don't really need to tbh

on a 20g water change with average temp tap water the tank temp will never drop by more than 1oC which is absolutely fine.

it's only if you do a big change or have v temp sensitive fish that you need to worry
 
OH really? Our LFS ppl really aren't very smart, and I only know what they've told me. I'm so happy for this forum!
 
AndyDrew said:
what does it do.. sorry i am a noob ive had my fish set up now about 5 to 6 month an my water level goes down .condesation hopefully .. i have aquasafe that i have been adding every month or so with tap water .. :S thank all help apriciated .. not that good on spelling either ;)
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I wouldn't go doing a large water change on a tank that has been running for 5 to 6 months without water changes. The pH, hardness, and a whole bunch of other things are going to be different between your tank water and the water you will be adding. These differences will be real rough on your fish.

I would be doing 10% daily to slowly bring the water in the tank closer to the water you will be adding. After about 7 days of changing 10% daily you can get on a regular water changing schedule, the amount depends on the tank size and what kind & how many of which species of fish.
 
sarahmom22 said:
OH really? Our LFS ppl really aren't very smart, and I only know what they've told me. I'm so happy for this forum!
Click to expand...

me too! i've learnt a lot from here


Tolak said:
AndyDrew said:
what does it do.. sorry i am a noob ive had my fish set up now about 5 to 6 month an my water level goes down .condesation hopefully .. i have aquasafe that i have been adding every month or so with tap water .. :S thank all help apriciated .. not that good on spelling either ;)
Click to expand...


I wouldn't go doing a large water change on a tank that has been running for 5 to 6 months without water changes. The pH, hardness, and a whole bunch of other things are going to be different between your tank water and the water you will be adding. These differences will be real rough on your fish.

I would be doing 10% daily to slowly bring the water in the tank closer to the water you will be adding. After about 7 days of changing 10% daily you can get on a regular water changing schedule, the amount depends on the tank size and what kind & how many of which species of fish.
Click to expand...

yeah good call tolak, think your dead on there.
 
thank all VERY much for your help do u know a good dechlorinator i could buy? please... Andy
 
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