Water Changes... When And Why?

[backtotropical]

They may be slow and sluggish if they're being subjected to ammonia.

Theres nothing they love more than fresh water (take that on board and you will do well in the hobby). They're just excited and playing. Also, as i said, they will probably like to play in the cooler water.

If they were like that before you got them, that would strengthen my belief that your tank has dangerous levels of ammonia.

Try to do as many water changes as possible between now and getting your test kits. The fish would thank you for it if they could.

Cheers

BTT

 

[rdd1952]

Good advice so far. All I can add is that once you get your test kits (a master kit that test for the things BTT mentioned is cheapest), you will need to do water changes (15 to 25 percent) as needed to keep the ammonia and nitrite below .25, maybe lower depending on the pH of your water. Here is a good thread (long) on he relationship between pH, temperature and ammonia toxicity.

BTW, andywg, I saw where you posted to get that thread pinned. I have linked to it 2 or 3 times now and I just go to your post there to find it. So in a way, you have already made it easier to find for some of us

 

[shelaghfishface]

thanks ever so much for all your fab advice, im pleased i have done something right, that infact i didnt even realize i was doing wrong!
i will get that testing kit and do another water change first thing in the morning,its brilliant to see them enjoying it,
right im off to watch them have fun for a bit,and thanks again i have learned some very valuble advice today


CHEERS GUYS !!

 

[Matty P]

No probs, if you want any more questions answered you know where to ask.

 

[OldMan47]

One thing that I noticed is you said you changed the water and added the dechlorinator. If you really did it in that order you have given the fish some stress. The dechlorinator would be best added to the water before the water goes into the tank.That way the fish never see the untreated water. The fish are probably much better off with the fresher water anyway but for next time please add the treatment first.
Best of luck with your new hobby. I wish you all the best of luck and keep asking questions. Its still almost the only way to learn quickly.

 

[Matty P]

Absolutley, if you have any other questions feel free to ask around the forum. It'll be more than likely there will be someone to answer your questions.

 

[rdd1952]

As far as the dechlorinator is concerned, if you can, add it to the bucket (provided you are using buckets) to treat the water before it goes into the tank. That is the best way. If you are using a python or hose as I do, add a little dechlor before you start adding water and a little more when you finish. You can't overdose it. I never measure, just squirt it in. I'm sure I probably end up adding 3 or 4 times the normal dose but it's easier than measuring.

 

[shelaghfishface]

yes im afraid i did it in that order water in then mixed the declorinator into some warm water then added to the tank
thanks oldman will do it your way this morning

 

[shelaghfishface]

hi its 12.54 pm
just done the test with a tetra test( 5 in one)
heres what i got
PH 6.4
KH 0
GH<3
NO2 0
N03 25
have noticed that this one doesnt test for ammonia tho.
PLEASE ADVISE

 

[rdd1952]

Strips are pretty much useless except for a quick test. And the fact that hey don't test for ammonia has always baffled me as that is the first toxin that we encounter in our tanks. By the time nitrite registers on the strips, you already have very sick fish from the ammonia. Besides that, strips are terrily inaccurate. Since you don't have any nitrite (NO2) and do have 25 ppm of nitrate (the end result of the nitrogen cycle), I would think your tank is probably cycled unless you have high nitrate in your tap water. If that is the case, you could have high ammonia and not know it since your strps don't test it.

I would advise that you get a good liquid master test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH (it wil hav both high and low). The API kit is probably the most used by members of this forum.

One other thing from your original post that hasn't been mentioned. You have a betta in your tank. There are certain tankmates that will not do well with bettas. Anything with large fins such as guppies and angel fish, will eventually get attacked by the betta as it will see them as another betta. Your tank is large so you might not have a problem but just wanted to mention that. Did you ever find out what the other fish were?

 

[shelaghfishface]

actually yes,
they are
opaline gourami (2of) larger
rainbow guppies (5of)
neon yellow guppies (4 of)
neon wag platies (4 0f)

others are silver shark 1 of
fighting fish 1 of
neons 4 of

is this a good combo or not,have a new tank arriving this afternoon, incase i need to move anyone out

have just called the lfs and there is a test for ammonia only £10, is that about right?

that API test is that the correct name of it, and is it for salt water>>as i did get shown one but that was only for salt water and at £40 would have been an expensive mistake

 

[shelaghfishface]

sorry the last neons were tetras

also just did a 20% water change to, no change to results tho, so maybe they are usless

 

[Mikaila31]

Yeah the strips are really inaccurate. A lot of members use this test kit and it is pretty common if stores. Around me it goes for $20.

 

[rdd1952]

The guppies and betta aren't a good match but your tank may be large enough to prevent problems. I don't know how well the betta will do in that tank, especially as the bala gets larger. Bettas sometimes don't do well in a tank with a lot of water flow. The betta may already be showing signs of problems since you said he had taken up residence in the wisteria. I don't know if that means he is hiding or not but hiding is a sign of stress.

 

[Piscator]

One of the reasons why your fish get so excited when you add cool water to their tank is because colder water holds more oxygen than warmer water.

Also, I have never added de-chlorinator to my tap water. What I do is fill a couple of large buckets with water a day or two before the water change. Then I toss in a few air-stones attached to a pump to get the water agitated. This will naturally get the chlorine out of the water. I have a certain loathing for exposing my fish to chemicals unless it's absolutely necessary.

While you're doing water changes and testing your water parameters, it's a great idea to keep track of everything on a sheet of paper or a spreadsheet. This way you can "see" over the next few weeks, exactly what is happening to your water. You'll eventually get a Nitrite spike while your Ammonia will drop off the charts. Keeping track of when this happens is important because it's a major transition point in the cycle of your tank.