Quick Water Changing Question

[R_Trez]

Hi All, I've had my tank a few weeks now, 90 litre tank with a few guppys, plecs, mollies and tetras, and was just wondering if anyone knows the ideal frequency to do water changes? I have been and plan to carry on doing a 20% water change every week and a 50-75% change monthly and just wondering if this is too much or too little? I Say this because i've had a case of white spot and im treating the tank at the mo and the water is slightly cloudier than usual and has never been crystal clear since i set up. Any advice would be great, thanks!

 

[fishyfreak]

Depends on what method of Ich treatment you are using. If you are using a commercial chemical treatment then keep your water changes to a minimum until the Ich has cleared. If you're doing a salt treatment (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons) then you will be vacuuming the gravel daily then replacing the water you took out with new water treated with the right amount of salt. I think 20% per week is sufficient maintenance, 75% might be too much for them. Do you have an under gravel filter? If not then a weekly vacuum and a 20% water change...they'll live forever! Adding charcoal to your filter will also help clear up your water, but don't use it during treatment because it will absorb the medication.

You might want to check your water parameters too. Did you cycle your tank b4 adding fish? the water may cloud if you add your fish b4 it's cycled. Good luck with those pesky white spots.

 

[R_Trez]

Hi, thanks for the reply, I don't have an under gravel filter just one that sticks to the glass inside! Are under gravel filters more effective? No i didnt cycle the tank before i put the fish in, i found out all about it a bit too late, im hopeing once the whitespot has cleared the tank will be ok, its been a few weeks now.

 

[fishyfreak]

No I wouldn't say under gravel filters are better, they're good for keeping the water circulating from bottom to top and they keep your gravel relatively clean. On the downside they're difficult to clean and they must be cleaned regularly like any filter. I think you're better off with what you've got now, but it's a matter of personal opinion. In the meantime it sounds you have a bit of a fight on your hands, this explains why your water's cloudy. You should read up a little more on cycling, I don't think you're going to be able to get around not doing water changes until your water's at a safe level, there are lots of experts here who know about all that, maybe they can throw in their 2 cents...