Water Changes... When And Why?

[shelaghfishface]

i have heard that you are meant to do partial water changes, but i have no idea when,( some say daily and others weekley)
my tank has been running quite happily for 3 weeks
have lots of plants,airstones,a more than capable filter(now)
but very unsure as when to do these water changes.the fish are very happy with the water( no gasping ,spots etc) tho i have lost a few neons,which i believe going on the advice i have been given is down to my silver shark!, but they have totally disappeared and all is still well
the water in the tank is crystal clear, but having said that i have just read a post from someone who was just the same and ended up all cloudy with fish dying,after appr 5 -6 weeks
so are these water changes compulsory?? or as and when needed.and how much are we talking, and when i add new water from the tap should i add declorinater based on the whole tank or new amount??
also my fighting fish (had him for 9 days) has taken up a new tenancy in a wisteria plant,and gets very aggressive when any of the fish go near it(hasnt bitten or anything as yet ,but i can tell he wants to) should i put him in his own tank with his favorite plant,or will that be wrong? i just wouldnt want him to get lonely,or do you think that other fish will take the hint and stay away soon! i only have 2 of the wisteria in there but awaiting arrival of another 5 plants off ebay,will he want them all?,tho it just seems to be the one in the corner that he loves,
THANKS IN ADAVANCE FOR YOUR ADVICE
SHELAGH XX

 

[Matty P]

OK there are few things we need to find out...

1) Tank Dimensions - l x b x h
2) Is your filter cycled?
3) Stocking - what fish
4) Do you have a test kit to check your water levels?

Yes water changes are compulsary to get rid of nitrates whichh can build up and potentially kill your fish.

By the sounds of things so far, you have some fish inyour tank that are not compatible...

 

[shelaghfishface]

THE MEAUREMENTS ARE
48x12x14 (inches)
no the filter hasnt been cycled, its 2 wks old as the one that i was given broke down after a week
fish are
1 silver shark
4 neons
1 fighting fish-male
7 little but larger than neons with assorted rainbow designs on tails
4 almost circle blue with silver shimmer (med)
and 4 large fish blue and black (dont know tha names of these fish as my bought them and didnt write down the name, but on most websites i would need the name so i will go back to lfs and get them soon.
have never tested the tank, dont have a kit,wouldnt know what to buy!

 

[backtotropical]

Hi,

You urgently need a test kit. Go to the shop where you buy your fish and ask for a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH. This is 4 different tests. The fish shop are bound to have them.

If your filter is not cycled and you have all those fish, there will be an ammonia build up in the water which is lethal to fish, especially if you've not been doing water changes.

I suggest that you do a 50% water change now and another in the morning, then buy your test kit tomorrow.

When changing water, you add dechlorinator for the amount of water you are changing, not for the whole tank.

If you don't take action now, your fish will almost certainly start to develop disease and die very soon.

Assuming you get your test kit tomorrow, post your test results here and we'll be able to help you better.

Cheers

BTT

 

[shelaghfishface]

many thanks i will get on to it right now, and post the results tommorow eve
thanks a million xxxx

 

[backtotropical]

many thanks i will get on to it right now, and post the results tommorow eve
thanks a million xxxx

No probs

 

[shelaghfishface]

i just started, but temp of water should i be putting back in

 

[backtotropical]

It doesn't really matter too much. Just take the water from the cold tap.

Some people boil the kettle and add some boiling water to take the chill off, but it's not really necessary. Most fish actually like the cooler water.

 

[Matty P]

As close as possible to the aquarium temp. A few degrees either way won't do any harm, just let it sit for a while as it comes up to room temperature. As long as it isn't a big change in temperature your fihs will be fine.

 

[shelaghfishface]

great thanks

but theres no oxygen in boiled water and matty says as close,?
do i boil the kettle or not?

 

[Matty P]

It is best not to, you would be safer just to let the water sit for a while.

EDIT: I use an R/O Unit because I have a marine tank, and I use that for my FW tank too. Because it comes out the unit slowly, by the time their is enough water to do a water change it is at room temperature which is fine for the fish. So this isn't really an issue for me.

If you had at some point fish that required warmer water then you could invest in a little heater to bring the water up to the temperature your fish needed to thrive.

HTH

 

[backtotropical]

I'm sure Matty will agree that the ammonia they are most likely suffering just now is a lot worse for them than a temperature change.

I say just use cold water for now, and you can experiment with adjusting temperature in future. It is safer to adjust the temperature, but i can guarentee it really won't matter unless you change more than 50%.

 

[andywg]

I'm sure Matty will agree that the ammonia they are most likely suffering just now is a lot worse for them than a temperature change.

I say just use cold water for now, and you can experiment with adjusting temperature in future. It is safer to adjust the temperature, but i can guarentee it really won't matter unless you change more than 50%.

I agree. Water changes of the 20% or so range really are not going to cause any issues at all with temperature. I regularly do 40% changes in winter into a tank with no heaters (they are in the sump) and only see a couple of degrees shift.

 

[Matty P]

Oh yeh I totally agree, ammonia is lethal to fish so that is a much bigger issue just now.

 

[shelaghfishface]

right done that,(didnt take as long as i expected)
the fish,especialy the little ones with rainbow fantails are going mental!! playing in the bubbles and realy swimming fast,have turned everything back on and added the declorinator.
BTW ARE THE FISH EXCITED OR SOMETHING WRONG? last night they seemed quite slow but i thort it was cos it was late, but i have seen them like this before when we had them