Tank Left For 3 Months

[Infidel_Uk]

hi, i recently moved to barnsley, and then back to essex, i was gone for 13 weeks, during that time i did no water changes , and ive not lost any fish, they have been fed, of course....i have 6 bumble b gobies and 2 f8 puffs, im about to go out now and buy some water chems so i can do a 50%water change, will this be a hard hit on the fish ? also , im considering buying a small plec, as the tanks actually NOT brackish .

any advice guys would be great .

thanks

 

[Honeythorn]

I really wouldn't do one big change if they've been left that long ( which is not a good idea to try again by the way ) as it may shock them. You should do around 10% twice a week for 2-3 weeks then gradually make the water canges bigger until you're doing 50% each week.

 

[loraxchick]

agreed with above...do more frequent smaller changes for a few weeks until you can get back to a normal routine.
cheers

 

[divegirl]

hi, i recently moved to barnsley, and then back to essex, i was gone for 13 weeks, during that time i did no water changes , and ive not lost any fish, they have been fed, of course....i have 6 bumble b gobies and 2 f8 puffs, im about to go out now and buy some water chems so i can do a 50%water change, will this be a hard hit on the fish ? also , im considering buying a small plec, as the tanks actually NOT brackish .

any advice guys would be great .

thanks

Ok...this is the way I see it!
We can all have lapses in tank maintenance from time to time....but I think 13 weeks is pushing it just a little. [I myself am just about to embark on a tank re-vamp for my Dp, it hasn't had a water change for 3 weeks, but he is the only fish in a over-filtered 60l tank].
The fish you have fare much better in a Brackish set-up....so should you buy a plec? No.
Should you invest in some marine salt? Yes.

Oh and will a 50% w/c hit them hard....no, as long as you match temp and de-chlor the water I should imagine your fish will love you for it.....Especially the F8's if you add the salt they need!!!!

Just my opinion.

Lisa x

 

[Amberleaf]

All righty. First of all, if you only left it for 3 months *once*, your fish should be fine. As long as the filter was good, then.... Well, you should be fine, basically. ^^; Also, doing a 50% w/c might be a bit much *RIGHT NOW*. I suggest that you do a 20% water change, match up the temps and de-chlor all the water, and, then, do a water change every day, gradually working up to 50%. Okay? Good. ^^;