New Tank, But How Often Do I Change The Water?

[happydudeuk]

Hi guys,

I know that it is probably written on here about 600 times already but i have got a new tank set up and working, ive checked forums and taken peoples word and got completely different stories, i know that once the tank is all set up i will need to change the water every 2/3 weeks but seeing as the tank is new do i need to do a 20% water change once a week for the first 6 weeks?

thanx

 

[waterdrop]

Welcome to TFF happy!

You've got the typical guidelines for water changing pretty wrong and besides, its probably not the most urgent or important topic for you immediately (unless you've already put fish in there! Have you??) There's a ton of important new stuff for a beginner to absorb when they first get here and a bunch of feedback you need to give the members so they can help you (tank size, when filled, fish status, type of test kit... lots of stuff).

I'd say your first homework is to begin reading tonight the articles on the Nitrogen Cycle, Fishless Cycling and Fish-In cycling that are in the Beginners Resource Center right here in the "New to the Hobby" sub-forum of TFF. I'd go into a long treatise about water changes but I gotta run! See Ya soon!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[happydudeuk]

thanx, glad to join

anyways well i cycled the tank for a week and the people in the shop told me it would be safe to put fish in (i dont know weather or not he was just trying to make me buy stuff!) so yeah i have the fish in from today and ive read up on all of the things that need doing and have a vague idea of what im doing and know that i actually know not much haha! this is why i was asking about when i should change it?

 

[waterdrop]

OK, that totally changes the picture. The *ideal* thing would be for you to convince the store to take back the fish (you could tell them you'll then buy some more later to sweeten the deal, cause basically they'll hate it or not do it.) But otherwise you are in a "Fish-In Cycling Situation"... not a good thing.

I'd start by changing 50% of the water daily, using good technique: Condition the water at 1.5x or 2x whatever the conditioner bottle says to use (this is to guard both the fish and the fledgling bacteria from chlorine/chloramine in the tap water.) Roughly temperature match the return tap water by using your hand to match (take a large cup of tank water to the tap where you are getting it.)

As soon as you can get a good testing kit you will be able to really get started fish-in cycling: Many of us like and use the API Freshwater Master Test Kit, which has ammonia, nitrite(NO2), pH (high/low), and nitrate(NO3) tests and lasts a long time. Once you get this test your tap water and post up the results for us.

Once you know how to use the kit (do what it says, inlcuding all the shakes and accurate timings) you can be a detective and figure out what combination of percentage and frequency of water changes will keep both ammonia and nitrite(NO2) below 0.25ppm before you can be back to do another water change. This is what fish-in is all about.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[arobinson1984]

The week before you put your fish in wouldn't have done anything to cycle the tank, and your hunch regarding your fish store telling you what you want to hear to get you to buy fish was correct. Don't listen to your lfs, there aren't many that give good correct advice.

You now have a decision to make, you can keep the fish and perform a fish in cycle which can usually mean you'll need to do 2/3 water changes a day for the next 4-6 weeks or you can return the fish to the shop and do a fishless cycle which is far far easier but as mentioned it does mean losing your fish.

Have a read about both fish in and fishless cycling in the beginners section. Whichever method you choose you are going to need a good liquid based test kit, don't get test strips they are useless. The recommended test kit is the API freshwater master kit and can normally be found on eBay for about £18 which is a little more expensive than others but works out cheaper in the long run because it lasts more than a year.

Andy

 

[afishdude]

Read through the cycling section here: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=277264

And post your decision. (fish in or fishless)

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum HappyDude.
I wish I had a lot of wisdom to add but between WD and Andy, they already have you on the right track. The fish-in cycle that you are facing can be challenging but if you let us know what you are seeing with your new test kit, we will help you get through this with a minimum of real trouble. There will be plenty of work involved but no real trouble. There is also a link to the fish-in cycle in my signature area because we run into people every day who need to read through it.