Water Change!

[brillo1902]

How often should i water change. Finished cycling and put four platys in on Sunday they are fine. Did a 30% water change on Monday as advised by my LFS. Water has a hint of red in it from bogwood(which i did soak) so apart from wanting to chnage water for fishes benefit also want to dilute it to remove the reddish tan too.

Cheers

 

[scubadoo]

Accepted standard routine for most is about 25% of your water weekly.

This is for the fish's benefit, but it depends on your water stats. For instance if your tap water has high nitrates you may need to do an intermediate one if you find the levels creeping up after a few days.

In so far as getting the tannins out of the water - well firstly they wont harm your fish so you dont have to do it, but it all depends on how much leaches out and how much it bothers you. Just do what you need to to keep on top of it.

If you find it really problematic, then adding some carbon into your filter will help reduce the discolouration, but it tends to need regular replacemnt and can be quite pricey.

 

[Egmel]

How often should i water change. Finished cycling and put four platys in on Sunday they are fine. Did a 30% water change on Monday as advised by my LFS. Water has a hint of red in it from bogwood(which i did soak) so apart from wanting to chnage water for fishes benefit also want to dilute it to remove the reddish tan too.

Cheers

When you say you've finished cycling, did you do a fishless cycle by adding ammonia over a month and checking the water stats or did you use a bottle product and leave it for a few days something like tetra start?

The reason I'm asking is that if the LFS told you to change 1/3 of the water the day after adding fish it sounds like they expected there to be issues with ammonia/nitrite levels. What are your ammonia and nitrite levels? If these are high then you will need to do frequent small water changes while your tank cycles, otherwise about 25% each week is good enough.

 

[brillo1902]

How often should i water change. Finished cycling and put four platys in on Sunday they are fine. Did a 30% water change on Monday as advised by my LFS. Water has a hint of red in it from bogwood(which i did soak) so apart from wanting to chnage water for fishes benefit also want to dilute it to remove the reddish tan too.

Cheers

When you say you've finished cycling, did you do a fishless cycle by adding ammonia over a month and checking the water stats or did you use a bottle product and leave it for a few days something like tetra start?

The reason I'm asking is that if the LFS told you to change 1/3 of the water the day after adding fish it sounds like they expected there to be issues with ammonia/nitrite levels. What are your ammonia and nitrite levels? If these are high then you will need to do frequent small water changes while your tank cycles, otherwise about 25% each week is good enough.

Ammonia = 0.0 mg
Nitrite = 0.1 mg
Nitrate= 12.5 mg

Think they are ok readings. My main concern is the redness of the water from the bogwood tannins. Have a carbon pad in the filter but dispite that it still remains too red.

 

[scubadoo]

Well assuming that you have fully cycled etc. the only way to get rid of the colour is as many water changes as you want to do, or take the wood out and boil it up for a good while & soak it elsewhere for a few more weeks before reintroducing it to the tank.

there's no miracle cure that I'm aware of!

 

[ImperfectFaerie]

At least 25% once a week should be just fine for you. Now, lets see some pix of the tank!

 

[brillo1902]

At least 25% once a week should be just fine for you. Now, lets see some pix of the tank!

Ive got no idea how to post a picture!.....Ive read the "How to Upload" ection but im none the wiser. Cant find the browse tab anywhere when i click on reply!

Please help

 

[trace1]

photobucket works well for adding pics think that is what a lot of people on here use, myself included